I think “too far” is a matter of how you feel about your cat.
We had an outside cat and my wife bought a heater for the cat bed. I put on a Z-Wave on/off module that turned on when it was below a certain temp. We didn’t bother to worry if the cat was actually in the bed.
At 11W 25% of the time, it’s like 2.75W all the time. I wish half the other gadgets I’ve got plugged in were that frugal.
Yup, that’ll work. Wasn’t clear if you had a lot of experience with these strips before.
I’m just getting into ESP32 because, like you said, RaspPis are overkill. Like running a mini PC just to make some lights blink. I do some matrix stuff where the extra compute power and UI flexibility is helpful during development but it’s overkill even for that.
Got another question. Are you talking about neopixels because you want individual Pixel control to make chase lights or other fancy patterns, or do you just want to be able to select all pixels same color (like red or violet)?
There are RGB strips that just do solid colors and typically have a pretty small controller module that is nearly in-line on the cord.
On the other hand, Neopixels need something like a Pi Zero, ESP32, or Arduino on them to tell every LED what to do. I suspect you know this, so apologies if I’m telling you things you already know.
Besides the power from AC to DC to power these, if you’re running any significant length you’ll want to consider wiring every 5-10m. The distance depends on how dense the LED count is on the strip. Definitely bench test before installation to ensure they don’t malfunction from voltage drop over long runs.
Something like WS2812B pixel strips need a hefty 5V 10A supply to run both the LED and the device that controls them, in my case a RaspPi. These are bricks like you’d see for a laptop or other low voltage electronics. I’ve purchased some of the all-metal encased power supplies but found some that don’t actually meet the voltage spec when they get half way through their current rating.
You mention in-wall. How do you plan on mounting and servicing the power supplies if they’re not exposed and plugged into in a wall outlet? Will you be putting the power and controller in a junction box or in a convenient closet like under a stairs? The power supplies aren’t going to fit in anything less than maybe a 3-gang J-box and that may be tight. If you also are going to localize the controllers, whatever they are, you’ll need room for that, too.
You might consider a dropped crown moulding if it fits your decor to house those along a ceiling.
I run my Raspberry Pi headless and use Remote Desktop to access them with Insteon modules controlling the power, but all of mine are on top of cabinets where they are easy to service and hide the wiring.
You turn off the circuit breaker? Lol.
Disclaimer: You should turn off the circuit breaker. Do as I say, not as I do.
This is something you could accomplish with a very inexpensive 24-hour timer. While available year around, with the holidays coming, they are usually on sale.
It sounds like the Kasa being just over ambient may be reasonable. Just for safety sake, what is the bulb wattage in the chandelier and how many of them are there? Are they incandescent lights?
As others have said, always stay within the wattage rating of the switch.
Also, when there are 2 switches in a j-box, both dimming, the switches may be even warmer. Again, never to the point of being uncomfortable or worrisome. If you have options like it being a 3-gang and you can put a non-smart switch between two dimmers that isn’t a bad idea though it will probably annoy everyone at first because of the change.
I used X10 in my apartment in 1986. I wasn’t aware you could even buy any of that stuff anymore. X10 sent data at the 0V crossover point of AC power and this made it slow and suseptible to noise, and therefore also unreliable.
I’d avoid, TBH. There are so many better alternatives at this point.