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Confusing non-standard smart switch wiring

🏠 homeproduct problemSingle report ●●●●● severity 3/5

A new homeowner is struggling to replace a malfunctioning smart light switch with a standard single-pole switch because the existing wiring uses non-standard color coding, such as a green wire connected to the load instead of ground.

Who's affected: A homeowner attempting DIY electrical repairs in a house with previous non-standard smart switch installations.

⚠️ Single report. This is one person's account. We mark it so until more voices confirm it.

What people do today

🔧 Fix this

Ideas a builder, maker or community group could start on:

  1. A mobile app that uses computer vision to identify wire configurations from photos and suggests safe testing procedures.
  2. A standardized 'DIY-friendly' wiring label kit for smart home installers to leave behind for future homeowners.
  3. A community-verified database of common 'hacky' wiring patterns found in older smart home retrofits.
I want to build this

Real voices

“it looks incorrect given the green (assuming ground) is connected to load, and there is no wire in ground”

Source: Stack Exchange (diy) · CC BY-SA 4.0, user-contributed content from Stack Exchange; summarized and modified

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