OK so I’ve got a few wifi light switches and the ones in the garage seem to be going pop for some reason. Only difference is its on florescent tubes as opposed to normal lights.

Am I wrong in thinking that I only need the capacitors for led as well. Or could that be the issue?

no thoughts?

AUIU CFLs should provide enough load. What is it and what does it say in the specs of the switch? (What switch is it out of interest)

its a Yagusmart WiFi Smart Lightswitch no neutral from amazon.

Only difference is its on florescent tubes as opposed to normal lights.

Am I wrong in thinking that I only need the capacitors for led as well. Or could that be the issue?

Is it a proper florescent or an led one sorry? (and with our without ballast for the led?)

The capacitor on a “no neutral” switch is there to provide a continuous supply for the switch (which is always on to maintain the WiFi. Some no neutral switches have them built in, most don’t (like the yugasmart my Googling turned up and aren’t really no neutral but I digress).

Likelihood is your switches are failing as a result of the ballast and associated a spike at startup on a florescent, the [lack of] capacitors shouldn’t be the issue but your switch shouldn’t work without it. With nothing bridging the live across the fixture there shouldn’t be a trickle current through the switch.*

*its plausible the ballast (which is essentially a capacitor) has a residual charge which is maintaining your switch

Cold garage? Condensation?

its a proper old school tubed ones.

generally works 2 or 3 times and then goes pop. although the last one lasted for a month or so,

what do you meant hey arnt no neutural?

this is what ive got working i other areas of the house without issues.

https://wifi-smart-home.co.uk/smart-wi-fi-light-switches/21-smart-one-gang-onetwo-way-wifi-light-switch-no-neutral-no-hub-works-with-alexa-and-google-home-classic

this is whats going pop

this is what ive got working i other areas of the house without issues

The one on the back of that link does not appear to have a neutral terminal, the one I turned up on Amazon did but the point is the same, a true no neutral has the a capacitor and or battery integral to the switch which charges when the light is switched on then discharges over the course of the light being off. The switch is dc powered taking a charge from the ac line. It’s a normally closed switch so relies on the power supply to to switch off the light, when it’s near discharge it’ll switch the lights on for a few minutes, charge, then power the lights down.
In a (not really) no neutral switch like yours the capacitor across the fixture is providing a constant trickle current through the lighting ring rather than having any sort of internal supply. It’s an ac device and the capacitor is a cheat to get around not having a neutral, the switch is self is internally the same as a with neutral variant of the same.

It’s not the issue you’ve got though. The ballast (starter/compensator) kicks out about 600v or more (Iirc for a 6ft tube its 1.2kV) to start your tube and the pd across your fixture in a florescent drops to about -300v at switch off. These sudden spikes will be killing your delicate switches.

If your switch is running without the capacitor across the fixture what’s maintaining your switch is the capacitance of the compensator. I don’t think you should be getting any trickle over your fixture, if check with an actual spark but it sounds to me that you may have a fault in your fixture l.