The best smart home system to have installed by an electrician is the one that suits the house, can be looked after by any competent electrician in the years that follow, and leaves the household in charge of how it runs. This guide sets out the three kinds of system an Australian electrician can install, the questions worth asking before accepting a quote, and where PIXIE fits.
A smart home that is wired into the house is a different purchase from a box of smart globes. The switches, dimmers and controllers become part of the electrical installation, which means they must be fitted by a licensed electrician, they should last as long as the rest of the wiring, and the choice of system is hard to reverse once the plates are back on the wall. That makes the electrician one of the most important parts of the decision, and it makes the system they are comfortable installing and supporting worth as much attention as the feature list.
The three kinds of system an electrician can install
Hardwired control systems
These run a dedicated control cable to every switch and every controlled circuit, with the control equipment mounted in or beside the switchboard and the whole system set up by a specialist using programming software. They are capable and long established, and they suit large new homes where the cabling can go in before the walls are lined, particularly where lighting is to be tied closely into home cinema and audio visual equipment. The cabling and programming add considerably to the cost, they are difficult to fit to a finished house, and later changes generally mean a return visit from the programmer.
Best suited to: large new builds with a specialist integrator on the project.
Wireless devices that report to a hub
These replace ordinary switches with smart ones that use the existing cabling and communicate wirelessly with a central hub. They avoid the dedicated control cable, which makes them practical for existing homes. The hub is the part everything depends on, so it has to be installed, kept updated and replaced if it fails, and it is worth asking what still works when it is offline.
Best suited to: homes where someone is happy to own and manage a hub.
Wireless mesh devices with no hub
These also replace ordinary switches and use the existing cabling, but the devices talk directly to one another, with each one passing messages to the next, and a phone talks directly to the nearest device. There is no central controller for the system to depend on, so the lights work from the wall and from the app whatever the internet is doing. A gateway is added only if the household wants control from outside the home or voice control.
Best suited to: existing homes, renovations and standard new builds.
Five questions to ask the electrician
1. Does it need new cabling?
This is the largest single influence on cost and disruption. A system that works on the cabling already in the walls can be fitted to a finished house, and can be extended later, without opening walls or enlarging the switchboard.
2. Who can change it after handover?
Households change how they use a home. It is worth knowing whether a new schedule, a renamed room or a different scene can be set up by the owner in an app, or whether each change means a call-out.
3. What happens when the internet goes down?
A wall switch should always turn the light on. Ask which functions keep working with no internet, and which stop.
4. Can it start small and grow?
Not every household wants to do the whole house at once. A system that works with a single device, and accepts more room by room, lets the budget follow the benefit.
5. Is it approved, and who stands behind it?
Products should carry the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) for use in Australia. It is also worth asking who the electrician calls when something does not behave, and whether that support is in Australia.
When comparing quotes, check that each one covers the same three things: the products, the labour to install them, and the labour to set the system up so that it works the way the household asked. A quote that leaves out the last of these is not the cheaper one.
Which system suits which home
- An existing home, or a renovation that is not rewiring: wireless mesh devices that fit the existing wall plates, since nothing has to be cabled or opened up.
- A standard new build: wireless mesh devices installed at the usual switch positions, which avoids paying for control cabling and leaves room to add more later.
- A large custom home with home cinema and audio visual integration at its centre: a hardwired system designed by a specialist integrator.
Where PIXIE fits
PIXIE is a wireless mesh system with no hub, designed in Australia by SAL National and made for electricians to install. It is built for the first two homes in that list.
It uses the cabling already there. PIXIE smart switches and dimmers are two-wire devices that need no neutral, and they clip into most Australian wall plates in place of the standard mechanism. An electrician fits them at the existing switch positions.
It is set up from an app, with no programming. The electrician commissions the system from the PIXIE PLUS app, and a typical home takes minutes to hours and not days. After handover the household can change schedules, scenes and groups themselves in the same app, and can give family members their own access.
It does not depend on the internet. Devices communicate over Bluetooth mesh, so wall and app control work inside the home with no hub and no internet connection. One device works on its own, and more can be added room by room.
It covers more than lighting. Lights, ceiling fans, blinds, curtains, awnings, garage doors and ducted air conditioning from Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric are controlled from one app. How the air conditioning, fans and lighting work together is explained in What is PIXIE CLIMATIQ.
The gateway is optional. Adding a PIXIE Gateway brings control from anywhere, automation routines, shared access, and voice control through Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Siri Shortcuts and IFTTT. The app is free and there is no subscription.
There is someone to call. PIXIE is supported in Australia by the team that designs and engineers it, and SAL National has supplied the Australian electrical trade for more than 25 years. Any licensed electrician can install PIXIE, and homeowners can find electricians who have completed PIXIE training through the PIXIE Certified Installer directory. A free smart home design service is available before any work is quoted.
Where PIXIE is not the right choice
For a large custom home where home cinema and audio visual control are the centre of the brief, a hardwired system designed by a specialist integrator is the better fit, and PIXIE can be connected to security and audio visual systems of that kind through an interfacing module. PIXIE is also not a do-it-yourself product, so it does not suit someone who wants to avoid using an electrician.
Frequently asked questions
Does a smart home system have to be installed by an electrician?
Anything wired into the mains does. In Australia, smart switches, dimmers and controllers that connect to fixed wiring must be installed by a licensed electrician. Plug-in devices and smart globes do not.
Can any electrician install PIXIE?
Yes. PIXIE is installed by licensed electricians and needs no specialist programmer. Electricians who have completed PIXIE training are listed in the PIXIE Certified Installer directory.
Does the house need to be rewired?
Not for PIXIE. The switches and dimmers are two-wire devices that use the existing cabling and fit most Australian wall plates.
Can the settings be changed after the electrician has left?
Yes. Schedules, scenes, groups and family access are all managed by the owner in the free PIXIE PLUS app.
Does it still work if the internet is down?
Yes. Control from the wall and from the app inside the home does not depend on the internet.
Is it suitable for a new build as well as an existing home?
Yes. In a new build it is installed at the usual switch positions with standard electrical cabling, with no separate control cabling to pay for.
Does PIXIE work with Home Assistant or Matter?
Home Assistant users can connect PIXIE through Pixie Plus Local, a community-built integration that works with the PIXIE Gateway. It is unofficial and is not supported by PIXIE. On Matter, PIXIE has a clear pathway through a Matter bridge that will work with the system already installed, with no rewiring or hardware replacement. More detail is in How does PIXIE work with Home Assistant and How does PIXIE work with Matter.
Choosing a system and an electrician together
The system and the electrician are one decision. A system that uses the existing cabling, is set up without programming and can be adjusted by the household afterwards is one that any good electrician can install well and that will still be serviceable long after the job is finished.