Are cheap smart switches a fire risk

[RTX 3090]

They look identical to the ones sold in stores like ASDA, Wilko etc so I would assume they're of reasonable quality. My light isn't too powerful as it's an LED one so max 50w load, but being only £5 how wise is it to trust one of these as they're connected to the mains 24/7 unsupervised. Has anyone had any negative experiences with such products before.

 

 

Would I be better off getting a wireless relay so at least I can disable it when not at home ? I mainly use Alexa at night so I don't need it connected 24/7 but still want some smart capabilities

 

 

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, RTX 3090 said:

They look identical to the ones sold in stores like ASDA, Wilko etc so I would assume they're of reasonable quality. My light isn't too powerful as it's an LED one so max 50w load, but being only £5 how wise is it to trust one of these as they're connected to the mains 24/7 unsupervised. Has anyone had any negative experiences with such products before.

 

 

Would I be better off getting a wireless relay so at least I can disable it when not at home ? I mainly use Alexa at night so I don't need it connected 24/7 but still want some smart capabilities

 

 

It really depends on how they are made. Even expensive electronics can be a fire hazard. To mitigate the risk, only buy from brands that have passed certification that you trust.

[Monkey Dust]

Cheap stuff with lithium batteries, you should run far, and run fast. Cheap stuff that plugs in to your mains socket (or outlet for our American cousins) normally has less scope for burning your house down, as it should trip the breaker before reaching that point. Do you feel lucky? 

 

Personally I wouldn't. There are so many cheap, dangerous, electrical goods out there that claim to be certified, and even have the CE mark, but aren't. Looking like ones that are for sale in more traditional retailers is no guarantee that they are the same product. They could be the same, but have failed the QC, or they may have entirely different internals.

[Blue4130]

Also don't always trust that the ones that look good ARE good.... Even fake apple chargers look good on the outside but the inside tells a whole different story.

 

 

[Milesqqw2]

19 hours ago, Blue4130 said:

Also don't always trust that the ones that look good ARE good.... Even fake apple chargers look good on the outside but the inside tells a whole different story.

 

 

Those are some beefy capacitors.

 

Anyway, I completely agree, you can find a good looking cord and have it melt. Another good example of this is the Galaxy note 7, could have burned down many houses. There are many more examples out there, but they all still prove that just because something looks good or comes from a reputable company (although you are less likely to have problems), doesn't mean that you wont wake up and find your phone making smores.

[TheGreatestGazoo]

Anything that will be attached to the electrical grid in most of North America should be CSA, UL or ETL certified. Unfortunately there are many cheap products sold through various marketplaces that are not certified and they can be really bad. They are also often just blatantly forged. The CE designation is basically useless as it's self-certification. You may see TUV Rheinland as well which is a good certification but that is more in the industrial side of things. This YouTube video does a decent job of explaining it. There are some slight differences between the Canadian requirements vs. the USA requirements and require different labelling but they are very functionally similar.

 

The company I work for had to recall some poor phone chargers nationally (Canada) because they weren't certified and the government required us to have them pulled from the market. It is something I personally watch out for even before that recall occurred.

 

Generally, for electrical components the saying "You get what you pay for" is very much true. Good quality and well-engineered products almost always cost more for a reason.