“Edits to previous question submitted: Kitchen remodel - Under Cabinet Lighting. Will my electrician be able to hardwire these under my cabinets to a single point/switch so I don't have to have the mini ballast that comes with it?”
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The electrician needs to install an outlet hidden away either in a cabinet or above the cabinets. From this outlet location Run 1 - Cat5 cable to each under cabinet section. Get an "RJ45 Ethernet Cable Adapter for Philips Hue Lightstrip" from Amazon. All of the bulky stuff gets hidden away in or on top of the cabinets and all you will have under the cabinets is the light strip.
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I had a plug put in above my cabinets that is hard wired to a switch (that I always leave on so my light strip can be controlled by Siri). The lights are attached to the back side of the crown molding. The hub doesn't have to be in the same place. Mine is in my living room.
No, the "mini ballast" is actually for communicating to the hub that controls the lights on and off.
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No. I would avoid trying that. Additionally, these are smart lights, intended to be controlled by a Hue hub, with additional support for Apple Home Control. There’s a smart module between the power transformer and the light strip. You would be better off looking for an LED light strip that is not smart-enabled.
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It could be done this way but with too much overhead in my opinion, but again I would check with the manufacturer and the electrician how is the best way to introduce the transformer for the lighting and safety. I would use as directed and look for a more industrial setting if this is the need. Outlets have 13A current and you're dealing with 6A current at the switch so direct isn't an option. The lighting is smart lighting so it doesn't need to really be controlled by a switch per say. I would have them put in a outlet with a trip since its in the kitchen, plug it in and use a smart home voice activation or sensor.
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Yes / No / Maybe What I tried to do was have my electrician run wires to the basement directly under my kitchen, but even though the distance was not great (20' or so), I could not get it to work. I assume there was too much voltage/amperage drop off. Instead I ended up buying a flat extension cord (the end that plugs into the outlet lays flat) and just laying all the controls on top of the cabinets so that only the thin wire was running down from the small power supply (ballast). Because we have some crown molding on top of the cabinets you can't see the wires up there. I used double sided sticky tape to tape the "control box" in the slim area between my cabinets. I assume I could have purchased a more heavy duty power supply for the basement, but these lights are expensive enough already. I still have the wire, so maybe if there is a need I'll go with a bigger power supply down the road, but as long as it works I'm fine for now. One other tip. When you trim the lights, put a section of electrical tape at the end you cut. I put the lights in a defuser channel and I shorted out a controller when the cut end pushed out past the plastic and made contact with the metal channel. Good Luck.
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