Shelly · Smart switching without rewiring

The smart switch your electrician knows
and your family has never heard of.

Shelly is a small device that hides behind your existing light switch and makes it smart. No new cable, no new wall plates, no app subscription. We install and configure it properly — which is the part most people get wrong.

No wall chasing Works with C-Bus Quoted per property
Plain English

One device, behind the switch you already press.

Shelly is a brand of small Wi-Fi relays made in Bulgaria. Electricians know them because they are cheap, reliable and fit in a wall box. Homeowners have usually never heard of them — which is exactly why this page exists.

A Shelly relay sits between your existing switch and the light. It adds a Wi-Fi radio and a small computer. The physical switch still works exactly as before; the app is an extra way to control it, not a replacement.

Because it lives inside the wall box, there is no new cable, no chasing, no patching and no painting. Installation is measured in minutes per point, not days per room.

At a glance

Where it goesBehind an existing switch or power point
Wiring neededNone — uses the wires already there
Needs neutral?Some models do, some don't — we check first
Works offlineLocal switch always works; app needs Wi-Fi
SubscriptionNone
Fits withC-Bus, Hikvision, Dahua, Apple/Google/Alexa
The honest comparison

C-Bus or Shelly?

They solve different problems. C-Bus is a wired backbone built into the house; Shelly is a retrofit for the corners the backbone never reached. Most of our clients end up with both.

C-Bus (wired)

  • Built into the switchboard, 20+ year life
  • Hundreds of circuits, reliable under load
  • Needs cabling — best done at build or renovation
  • Excellent for whole-house lighting and scenes

Shelly (retrofit)

  • Fits behind existing switches in minutes
  • Perfect for one lamp, a blind, a towel rail
  • No cabling, no patching, no painting
  • Excellent for adding control to an older house

Rule of thumb: if the wire is already there and the room is being renovated, use C-Bus. If the wall is finished and you want that one thing to work from your phone, use Shelly.

Use cases

What we actually install it for.

Smart lighting

Bedside lamps, hallway lights, outdoor floods. Schedule them, dim them, or have them follow sunset.

Blinds & shutters

The Shelly shutter module drives existing blind motors — open at sunrise, close at sunset, or follow the sun in summer.

Smart garage

Open and check the garage from your phone, and get a notification if it is left open at night.

Hot water & towel rails

Timer and boost control on an existing circuit — no cylinder replacement, no new plumbing.

Pumps & fans

Pool pumps, exhaust fans, bathroom heat lamps — scheduled instead of forgotten.

Power monitoring

See what is actually drawing power, circuit by circuit — useful before adding solar or a battery.

Smart garage

The most-requested one.

Almost every garage door motor made in the last 20 years has a dry-contact input for a wall button. That means we can add app control, voice control and open/closed status without replacing the motor.

1
Open it from the car, or from the officeUseful when a courier arrives, or when you cannot remember whether you closed it.
2
Know if it is openA door sensor tells the app open or closed — and can alert you at 10pm if it is still up.
3
Auto-close at nightIf it is open after sunset and nobody is home, close it and tell you.

We do not disable the existing remotes or wall button. They keep working exactly as they do now.

Typical garage job

Relay module at the motor + door sensor + configuration into the app, linked to the house.

Relay + sensor hardwareOn quotation
Install & configureOn quotation
PriceAsk for a quotation
Hardware

The modules we use.

ModuleUsed forNeutral required
Shelly Plus 1Single light or appliance, dry contact — garage doors, gatesNo
Shelly Plus 1PMSame, with power measurementNo
Shelly Plus 2PMTwo circuits, or one blind/shutter motorYes
Shelly Dimmer 2Dimmable lighting on an existing dimmer circuitYes
Shelly Plus PlugPlug-in control, no wiring at alln/a
Shelly TRVRadiator valve control (rare in Melbourne, common in older hydronic homes)n/a

Whether a neutral wire is present decides which module fits. We check before quoting — it is the single most common reason a DIY Shelly install fails.

How we install

Four steps, no mess.

STEP 01

Check the wiring

We open the switch plate, confirm neutral availability and load type, and photograph the existing wiring before touching anything.

STEP 02

Fit the module

The module goes into the wall box behind the plate. Existing switch stays; the plate goes back on.

STEP 03

Configure and name

Wi-Fi, firmware, naming in English and Chinese, and grouping into rooms. Schedules and scenes set with you.

STEP 04

Test both ways

We test the physical switch and the app, then test again with the Wi-Fi off to confirm the wall switch still works.

FAQ

Shelly questions.

Is Shelly safe? It is cheap hardware.

Shelly modules are certified and widely used by electricians in Europe and Australia. The risk is not the module — it is installation: incorrect load, missing neutral, or a module crammed into an overfull box. That is why we install rather than supply only.

Does it work if the internet goes down?

The wall switch always works. The app needs your Wi-Fi; some modules support local control from a home hub. Remote control needs internet.

Will it interfere with my C-Bus?

No. They are separate systems that can be joined at the app level. C-Bus controls the wired circuits; Shelly handles what C-Bus never reached.

Can I use Apple Home / Google / Alexa?

Yes, either directly or through a local bridge depending on the module. We set this up at handover if you use it.

Do I need a subscription?

No. Shelly has no mandatory cloud fee. Our care plan is optional and covers the whole house, not the Shelly devices specifically.

What does it cost?

We do not publish a per-point price. Shelly work is quoted after the free on-site check, because the number depends on the module, whether there is a neutral wire, and how many points you actually need. You get a fixed price for the job, not a range.

Which switch do you want to stop walking to?

Send a photo of the switch plate and the wall behind it. We will tell you which module fits and what it costs.