"Kinetic" 433Mhz transmitter/receiver discussion
Good day folks.
TL;DR: has anyone tried pairing one of THESE "kinetic" battery-less switches with THESE generic remote modules ?
Details: I recently got hit by this craze of wanting to add remote controls to the lights around my house, so I went with those generic 433Mhz remote relay modules found everywhere, which are really basic, easy to use and work well, since I used them before in other projects. What I like most about them is they accept all kinds of 433Mhz remotes that float around Aliexpress, since they're all the same under the hood, save for the differences in appearance.
I thought I found the perfect solution without any headaches, but what flipped that around is this: I want to install RF wall switches to cover the holes left by the original wired ones and lo and behold, someone thought of this and basically threw the guts of a normal 433Mhz remote module inside a plastic shell with a flipper thing on the front that pushes the buttons inside, which is the same thing except it sticks to the wall - problem solved
As I was getting ready to order a bunch of these, I came across something that looked even more tempting and interesting: a battery-free 433Mhz wall switch ! The so-called "kinetic" switch is their way of saying they don't require batteries. Without digging too much into the technology itself and how it operates - since I'm mostly focused on the aspect part now - I bought one myself from a shop in your country (knowing I can just return it if it doesn't work) and tried pairing it with one of those cheap relay modules I already had: long story short, it didn't work - it didn't pair.
Ok, so apparently these kinetic switches don't play well with the generic 433Mhz modules I know and love so much, ALTHOUGH - and this is where it gets slightly annoying - the specs seem to be the same ! Check out THIS page on Ali which sells something very similar to what I got - it may not be the same exact product, but I bet it's the same thing. So we got:
- Frequency: 433Mhz on both kinds - check. Got that out of the way straight away.
-"Learning Code" (1527) on the switch itself and Learning Code(1527) on both the "official" receiver and the "cheapo" one - so check. Logic would dictate it's the same thing.
-RF Working Mode: Superheterodyne Reception - check.
-Modulation Mode: ASK - check....
So what's going on ? There's probably more to it than that, like some sort of "data burst" the remote sends which is only understood by the "official" receiver. It can't be pre-programmed from the factory given they sell the transmitters separately and give you instructions on how to pair them, so there must be something in the radio wave itself that only their receivers pick up....either that or mine is broken and the "piezo" doesn't work, which makes me thing about how durable they are in the long run, despite their appeal of not requiring batteries. It's the same principle as a Bic lighter: the crystal probably dies eventually, so you're left with a hunk of plastic, in which case a regular battery remote wins in the long run. Since I want to return it, I'm not going to crack it open, though I was aching to do so...
It's probably the same reason why original "Paradox" alarm panels for instance don't accept generic China remotes - I know this because I tried it myself at work, although I haven't tried it the other way around: Paradox remote on cheapo receiver. This opens up two questions: why the incompatibility between the two and would it work the other way around ? Would the receiver for those kinetic switches accept a "standard" remote ?
EDIT: BigClive did a video on something very similar and at around 4:26 he mentions how it won't work with a regular 433Mhz switch, so the microcontroller is probably different, despite the specs being similar, at least on paper - I need a crash-course on 433Mhz remotes
TL;DR: has anyone tried pairing one of THESE "kinetic" battery-less switches with THESE generic remote modules ?
Details: I recently got hit by this craze of wanting to add remote controls to the lights around my house, so I went with those generic 433Mhz remote relay modules found everywhere, which are really basic, easy to use and work well, since I used them before in other projects. What I like most about them is they accept all kinds of 433Mhz remotes that float around Aliexpress, since they're all the same under the hood, save for the differences in appearance.
I thought I found the perfect solution without any headaches, but what flipped that around is this: I want to install RF wall switches to cover the holes left by the original wired ones and lo and behold, someone thought of this and basically threw the guts of a normal 433Mhz remote module inside a plastic shell with a flipper thing on the front that pushes the buttons inside, which is the same thing except it sticks to the wall - problem solved
As I was getting ready to order a bunch of these, I came across something that looked even more tempting and interesting: a battery-free 433Mhz wall switch ! The so-called "kinetic" switch is their way of saying they don't require batteries. Without digging too much into the technology itself and how it operates - since I'm mostly focused on the aspect part now - I bought one myself from a shop in your country (knowing I can just return it if it doesn't work) and tried pairing it with one of those cheap relay modules I already had: long story short, it didn't work - it didn't pair.Ok, so apparently these kinetic switches don't play well with the generic 433Mhz modules I know and love so much, ALTHOUGH - and this is where it gets slightly annoying - the specs seem to be the same ! Check out THIS page on Ali which sells something very similar to what I got - it may not be the same exact product, but I bet it's the same thing. So we got:
- Frequency: 433Mhz on both kinds - check. Got that out of the way straight away.
-"Learning Code" (1527) on the switch itself and Learning Code(1527) on both the "official" receiver and the "cheapo" one - so check. Logic would dictate it's the same thing.
-RF Working Mode: Superheterodyne Reception - check.
-Modulation Mode: ASK - check....
So what's going on ? There's probably more to it than that, like some sort of "data burst" the remote sends which is only understood by the "official" receiver. It can't be pre-programmed from the factory given they sell the transmitters separately and give you instructions on how to pair them, so there must be something in the radio wave itself that only their receivers pick up....either that or mine is broken and the "piezo" doesn't work, which makes me thing about how durable they are in the long run, despite their appeal of not requiring batteries. It's the same principle as a Bic lighter: the crystal probably dies eventually, so you're left with a hunk of plastic, in which case a regular battery remote wins in the long run. Since I want to return it, I'm not going to crack it open, though I was aching to do so...
It's probably the same reason why original "Paradox" alarm panels for instance don't accept generic China remotes - I know this because I tried it myself at work, although I haven't tried it the other way around: Paradox remote on cheapo receiver. This opens up two questions: why the incompatibility between the two and would it work the other way around ? Would the receiver for those kinetic switches accept a "standard" remote ?
EDIT: BigClive did a video on something very similar and at around 4:26 he mentions how it won't work with a regular 433Mhz switch, so the microcontroller is probably different, despite the specs being similar, at least on paper - I need a crash-course on 433Mhz remotes