Are these cheap electricals a hazard?

[DanMcLiverpool]

To cut a long story short, I've been looking for a while for a 'smart' light switch that doesn't require a neutral or a hub. I've found a few on ebay and ordered them due to arrive on Tues.

No Neutral Wire Required Smart WiFi Light Switch Voice Control For Amazon Alexa | eBay

10 Rolls Mosquito Insect Repellent Coils and Stand Anti-Mosquito. Lighting protection, surge resistance and effective protection circuit;. 1 x Remote Touch Switch. Low-power standby, energy saving and safety; Quick response, no delay;.

www.ebay.co.uk

They tick all of my boxes, my concern is the fact they're cheap, and from ebay. Should I be concerned when fitting something like this? I have a bit of (healthy) paranoia when it comes to electronics in the family home.

Thanks in advance

 

[telectrix]

i've bought quite a bit of gear from China. nothing has given me cause for concern. e.g i have a 3 channel remote control for outside features. the receiver is in a IP55 box outside. been working OK for last 7 years.

 

[Baddegg]

Think you’ve answered ya own question there mate......personally I avoid cheap tat from China on eBay et all......especially electrical equipment which the risk is great

 

[Wilko]

Hi - looking at the advert, it seems the units carry a CE mark but there’s no mention of which electrical standard they’ve been tested to. And they’re are not sold locally or within the EU.

I’m a bit of a killjoy I know, but business-wise I wouldn’t supply and fit these units as they may be non compliant and warranty claims would be a nightmare.

 

[Vortigern]

I have recently been asked to regularise and installation which involved downlights ce marked. If you look into the logo the CE is fake on ebay from chinese goods. To put it a more charitable way, they use CE to mean Chinese Engineered and the logo they use is NOT the official logo of CE but most people would not realise this subtle deception. Look up the logo it is very specific about this. Also there are various tear downs of CE equipment form china by BigClive that show the parlous state of some of this equipment. And agree with @Wilko I could not regularise the installation I looked at for the above reasons.

 

[naylorpd]

Interesting, I've been looking for something similar. I'm a consumer not an electrician, it ticks boxes for me too. Similar items are now also available on Amazon, I'm sure most people would feel less squeamish about buying there, rightly or wrongly:
View: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Compatible-Function/dp/B07Z373K81/ref=sr_1_5?crid=193XJLQIQMQHB&dchild=1&keywords=no+neutral+smart+light+switch+uk&qid=1586683028&sprefix=no+neutral+smart%2Caps%2C826&sr=8-5


Two things to be cautious of:
1) Note the requirement to fit a capacitor (supplied) across the live/neutral of the light (or one of the lights, if two or three gang). In the UK you'd probably have to do this in the ceiling rose so would need to know how to correctly identify the switched live and neutral (basically, the cables that connect directly to the light fitting/bulb).

From reading comments on Amazon, the capacitor allows a trickle of current even when the light is off, enough to power the switch. So may have implications for your electricity bill. But some sites say this is only needed for low wattage LEDs so it isn't really clear. Could do with a real electrician to advise what the purpose of this is - one site mentioned that LEDs would flash on/off without it.
2) some UK light switches have a very shallow back box, so you may find that this switch is too deep to fit. What to do about that will depend on your walls - if plasterboard probably easy to replace, if plaster on brick not quite so easy. And your competency to deal with it.

Two other points to note:
a) it doesn't work as a dimmer, just on/off
b) It doesn't work in a two-way switching situation - so would probably be OK in most rooms but not hall/landing where there are usually switches upstairs and downstairs

And the Amazon one says (on the picture) that it is CE marked and RoHS. But that's probably a self-certification.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

The main problem with buying cheap grey imports, is that it is hard to tell what you are going to get, and how much of it is compliant / safe. I have used modules that look identical to the ones in the OP's pic, and they were well made internally, but how would you know whether the PCB in the ones you get is the same? Maybe the plastic housing in mine is self-extinguishing, and yours isn't? There are many subcontractors involved in making these things and unless the overall chain management is good, as would be expected from a major brand, corner cutting can go uncorrected.

My experience is that the most egregious hazards, such as inadequate clearances and insulation, underrated parts that run much too hot etc, are mostly found in goods that have other external signs of cheapness. IME dollar store products such as phone chargers are more likely to have shoddy design and construction than wall-mounted light switches. Only purchasing an item and tearing it down, with a knowledge of product safety standards and common deviations from them, will tell you what you have.

Any electronic 2-wire switch / dimmer is going to need to source its operational power through the lamp, and many lamp designs will give an occasional flash even on the most minute currents. So requiring a shunt capacitor isn't a sign that the switch is gobbling excessive power in standby, although some designs will be better than others, just as some wall warts achieve lower standby power than others. Then with the lamp on, the capacitor current is wattless so won't increase the bill.

Regarding CE marking, anyone can put the letters CE on things. It merely indicates that the maker thinks the product meets the standards it's supposed to meet. Or, that they have a lot of stickers lying around.