Z-Wave Controllers

I burnt a few hours and learned all the basic functions of the remote. For a few bucks on the Internet, this is a must have for remote controlling your Z-Wave devices on you ST Hub, worth it just to easily factory reset a device that is having paring issues. This item needs to get fully integrated into ST, cause as of now you can only control the Z-Wave devices on your Hub. We should be able to get this to be installed on ST’s and program the button on the App to do any on/off/dimmer/variable function. Would be great if the GE Link Bulb (Zigbee protocol) was functional with this unit via the hub. Remote should tell the hub to trigger any device on any protocol, needs some integration…

But here’s my basic setup notes, cause GE’s small handout is cryptic…

+UPDATED - 2/17/2015 - ADDED REMOTE CLONING SECTION

45600 REMOTE - BASIC SMARTTHINGS SETUP

-Ensure Remote is not already on a Z-Wave Network (Reset/Clear) and to clear all devices from it (if already installed in ST, then use Removal procedure below, prior to Resetting/Clearing remote):
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 969, complete when green flashes twice.
-Note that none of the remote on/off buttons flash now (all devices cleared, remote is blank)

-Install (Add) GE 45600 Remote to ST:
-In ST App, +, + Connect New Device, Searching
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 967, flashes green rapidly till connected to App/Hub.
-When App says 1 connected, Select Found Item at the Bottom (Z-Wave Remote)
-Name Device “GE 45600 Remote”, Next, Done.
-Note - the All On/Off feature will not work for all Z-Wave devices currently assigned to the ST Hub, see All On/Off Feature below.

-Remove (Delete) GE 45600 from ST:
-In ST App, Things, Select Remote Setup Icon, Preferences, Remove, Uninstall
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 967, flashes green rapidly till removed from App/Hub.
-When App says Success, Press OK and item is removed from Things page.
-Always good to perform a Remote Reset/Clear (above).

GE 45600 REMOTE - PROGRAM/ASSIGN DEVICES TO BUTTONS

-Remote must already be setup/assigned to the ST Hub per the above procedures.
-You can program up to 18 buttons, use the Setup/Shift button to access buttons 11-18.

-Setup (Add) Device (Light/Switch) to a Remote button:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Press Add (Red Blink), Press Light (Red Blink), Press desired Number (flashes green rapidly)
-Press button on actual device, complete when green flashes twice.

-Setup (Remove) Device (Light/Switch) to a Remote button:
-If you press the Delete button vs the Remove button below, you may Delete (Reset the Device to Factory Settings) the device from your ST Hub; to recover the device you may need to force remove it from the App, then Reinstall it again.
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Press Remove (Red Blink), Press Light (Red Blink).
-Press desired Numbered button on the remote to erase the device from (flashes green twice).
-Note that when an unprogramed number button is selected, it will not flash at all.

GE 45600 REMOTE - ALL DEVICES ON/OFF FEATURE

-Allows you to quickly turn all Z-Wave devices assigned to the ST Hub On/Off with one click.
-Strange, but I’ve noticed this will work all Z-Wave devices setup on the ST Hub, whether they were added to the remote or not. Also, it only works for Z-Wave devices, any Zigbee items (Bulbs will not cycle).

-To Turn all On, select All button, then use any numbered button to turn All Z-Wave devices On/Off.
-Remote will stay in All On/Off mode until you press the Setup/Shift button once to return to normal.

-Remove Devices from the All On/Off feature:
-By factory default, all items are automatically added to the All On/Off control, to delete a device from the All On/Off feature:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Press Delete once (Red Flash), Press All once (Green Flash).
-Press the assigned button of the item you want Removed from the All On/Off Feature (green flashes twice).

-Add Devices from the All On/Off feature:
-By factory default, all items are automatically added to the All On/Off control, to add a device back to the All On/Off feature:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Press Add once (Red Flash), Press All once (Green Flash).
-Press the assigned button of the item you want Added back to the All On/Off Feature (green flashes twice).

GE 45600 REMOTE - FULL DUPLICATE/CLONE (MAKE A COPY OF A REMOTE)

-If you want a true duplicate remote, ensure you clear/reset the new one prior to transfer, else you will may retain any old devices already stored in the new remote. Prior to transfer, Reset/Clear remote by completing the following:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 969, complete when green flashes twice.
-Note that none of the remote on/off buttons flash now (all devices cleared, remote is blank)
-New Remote into Receive Mode:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 967, flashes green rapidly while waiting and during transfer (will flash red if it times out).
-Original/Old (Functional) Remote into Send Mode:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 9661, flashes green rapidly while waiting and during transfer (will flash red if it times out).

  • Complete when green flashes twice on Both Remotes.

GE 45600 REMOTE - TRANSFER NETWORK SETTINGS (COPY NET INFO WITH NO BUTTON/DEVICE DATA)

-Use this procedure if you want to add a remote by transferring the network info from another, but you do not want the button/device info transferred. This will render a new remote that is functional on the same network, but will not have any buttons/devices transferred from the original remote.
-If you want a blank remote, ensure you clear/reset the new one prior to transfer, else you will may retain any old devices already stored in the new remote. Prior to transfer, Reset/Clear remote by completing the following:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 969, complete when green flashes twice.
-Note that none of the remote on/off buttons flash now (all devices cleared, remote is blank)
-New Remote into Receive Mode:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 967, flashes green rapidly while waiting and during transfer (will flash red if it times out).
-Original/Old (Functional) Remote into Send Mode:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Type 9662, flashes green rapidly while waiting and during transfer (will flash red if it times out).

  • Complete when green flashes twice on Both Remotes.

GE 45600 REMOTE - PRIMARY CONTROLLER SHIFTS (NOT APPLICABLE WITH SMARTTHINGS)

-Codes 9681 & 9682 are for transferring full primary control from one remote to another (i.e. replacement). Since the SmartThings Hub is the primary controller, these functions have no purpose and will fail if attempted. These programing codes are only useful if you are using a GE 45600 Remote as a Stand-Alone Primary Controller, then you can transfer the same info similar to functions 9661 & 9662.

FACTORY RESET - ANY Z-WAVE DEVICE

-There is a set of Z-Wave Utilities on the App that offer some capabilities, find it under the Hub Setup screen (Options, Setup Gear, Select Hub, then ZWave Utilites, the Device Exclusion option may help you to reset a device.

-The GE45600 Remote is great tool if you are have a pairing issue to a Hub, this will force reset the device to its factory settings; by far, the remote is the most useful reset tool available.
-It seems like some manufactures may test a device at the factory and then forget to reset or unpair the device, thus the new device will block you from pairing it to a new network.
-Once a Z-Wave device is paired, it will not allow itself to be paired to another item unless you reset, but it you reset it you will have a dead device in you ST Hub/App.
-You should always remove all devices from the Hub via the App Things page prior to removing from your system, failure to do so will leave the device paired and a dead device listed on your Hub, you will then need to Force Remove the device from the ST Hub via the App and Factory reset the device per below (Note the Delete button is used below, not the Remove):

-Factory Reset a Device (Light/Switch) via a GE 45600 Remote:
-Hold Setup till Red/Green flash twice.
-Press Delete (Red Blink), Press Light (flashes green rapidly).
-Press button on actual device, reset is complete when green stops flashing.
-Now you can reinstall the device per normal setup via the ST App.

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I just wanted to point out that you can do all these things with the Aeon Labs Minimote as well, which we fully support, including using the buttons to control non-Z-Wave devices and Hello Home phrases and such.

All on: press and hold top two buttons at the same time
All off: press and hold bottom two buttons at the same time
Reset devices or remove from your network: Use the “Remove” button
Add Z-Wave devices out of range of your hub: Use the “Include” button

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Hey @duncan

And this was documented where?

The device should come with a manual similar to this page: http://aeotec.com/small-z-wave-remote-control/935-minimote-manual-instructions.html

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Thanks again. As always you’re a big help. I just ordered one.

And… the Aeon Minimote (and other “supported” multi-button controllers) can be used to define sequences of button presses, each sequence tied to an action; thus making these controllers like PIN-pads or Action-Dialers!

(Shameless self-promotion here… I need more Beta testers, please! And I’m working on a new app that simplifies using multi-button remote sequences as Action-Dialers, so …):

So you are saying to pay $60 for a Aeon Labs Minimote for 4 buttons/options, or get the GE 45600 for under $10 (online) and operate up to 18 individual devices? Hummm, that’s a tuff buy…

Aeon Minimotes only cost $25 now on Amazon (for the old version, in white only, but with firmware fully upgradable and compatible to the current version).

But, agreed… It’s a real shame that we can’t get these GE remotes to work in the same way. There’s lengthy discussion, but I’m still not 100% clear. Is it Z-Wave architecture (Z-Wave master vs ?), licensing restrictions (Z-Wave has very strict licensing rules), or ?

@tgauchat, Are you talking about the GE 45600 Remote? Standard Z-Wave protocol, works great with ST, only draw back is it can only control Z-Wave devices, no Zigbee (GE Link Bulbs)… Again, $10 for 18 devices or $25 for 4 or 8?

Yes… I’m referring to the GE 46500 and related.

I believe that control your (and my!) Z-Wave devices directly (in other words, they bypass the SmartThings hub. These remotes are “secondary masters” (ummm… I’m still confused as to the proper terminology), in that they have permission to join the network and associate devices, but their messages are not visible to the SmartHub at all.

There may be more detailed Forum posts on this, and some research into the Z-Wave standards and protocol may be useful … but the gist may not be a technical problem as much as a legal / licensing problem. The SmartHub must legally follow the license restrictions imposed upon it by Z-Wave; thus, even though the radio is clearly capable of seeing the Z-Wave packets from the remote, it is legally obligated to ignore them.

At least that’s the “gist” as far as I know.

It’s a major shame; and one of the big reasons that the more open ZigBee Alliance is preferred to Z-Wave.

Now if it happens to not be a legal / license restriction, the perhaps a solution can be hacked. Perhaps an inexpensive “permissive” listener could be added to the network which can relay messages to the SmartHub in a useful manner. Or it may be even simpler than that.

At this point, I would really like to understand the exact differences between the Z-Wave remotes that “work” (e.g., Aeon Minimote) and our wonderful GE remotes!

But it’s not my #1 priority, particularly because the Aeon Minimotes are finally affordable.


A very partial interim solution based on the Minimote:

I have written and published a SmartApp that lets you define a sequence of pushes required to trigger an action. I am considering a more tailored version that blocks out on of the keys (e.g., button 4) to be an Enter button, thus allowing the remaining 3 buttons to be a dialer for an infinite number of actions. With 3 buttons and a 2 button sequence length, you can control at least 3^2=9 actions. With a 3 button sequence length, 3^3=27 actions.

Certainly not as good as having 9+9 buttons, with on/off and dim functionality, I fully admit.

For my current PIN sequence SmartApp, refer to earlier post in this thread: Z-Wave Controllers - #28 by tgauchat

…CP / Terry.

I read up a little on the 4 button minmote, it seems like strait zwave and no diff than the GE 45600 9+9 button. Why one would have a device type in ST and the other don’t is strange, should be able to just expand the 4 to a 9?

Your ST Hub is your primary, all other remotes are secondarys when tied into ST, you can also have a replica/clone (srcondary). Only one primary per zwave network. Just read a great few pages in a GE 4 button wall unit manual that explained the definitions very well. I send the verbage up on a later post.

Hard to believe you can buy a 9+9 chanel remote for $9, but a single chanel (door/window) switch is over $30-60?.

I’m just not seeing an advantage to the 4 button unit, can you trigger events in ST or?

Yes – the advantage to the Aeotec Aeon Minimote 4-Button, or the Enerwave 7-Button, is that both of these fully register their button press events with SmartThings and both Device Handlers and SmartApps have been published which can tie these events to “any” SmartThings action (i.e., toggle light on/off, lock/unlock, change mode, execute “Hello Home Phrase”, etc.), thus controlling any Thing in your system, not just Z-Wave devices. We can even get “clever” with them and look for sequences of key presses, and so on. This is exactly what many of us wish the GE remotes would do, but there is some non-intuitive, but critical difference.

(I have not even bothered trying to direct associate-connect Z-Wave devices to the Aeon as we must do in the GE remote scenario, because it’s not necessary, and I’m afraid it could confuse the network.)


I also commented on the GE vs other remotes situation here:

…CP / Terry.

Being new to ST, I’m still learning. But from what I’ve read so far, the Z-Wave standard is used by both the minimote and GE 45600/45601/45631, so really the only diff is the amount of buttons and the device type (driver). It would seem like the minimote device type could be modified to handle the extra buttons of the GE’s.

It would even seem possible if there were 18 virtual devices loaded in ST for the remote, that it could get the command for flipping a virtual light (device) and then turn it into action to drive any normal ST feature. I’ve done a lot of code before, so should be able to tear down the device type code and figure out how the minimote is doing it, cause from all I’ve read, the protocol is the same between them.

I may have to get one in hand and play with it. Gunna forward a few other conversations to this section for follow up. Any one that has anything to add to get the $9 9x9 button GE’s fully operational like the other z-wave remotes, please chime in… I personally think we can modify the minimote device type to handle the extra buttons of the GE’s.

Let’s track the future progress of the GE 45600/45601/45631 at: GE 45600/45601/45631 Remotes - Need Full Integration to Operate Other Protocols and Items via ST

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The difference is that the Aeon Minimote provides a way for the hub to remotely configure the operation of the buttons whereas the GE remotes only have a manual process to bind buttons to devices, and that process only accepts “slave” devices (non-controllers).

Yes if you had a Z-Wave traffic sniffer you could theoretically intercept the button presses, but that’s not very practical.

There is a way for Z-Wave devices called gateway controllers to add virtual devices to the network, but the hub doesn’t use that version of the library and SmartThings virtual devices don’t interact with the hub, they stay in the cloud.

Note that I haven’t spent much time on the GE remotes, so there might be some way of getting the buttons to associate to the hub that I didn’t find.

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Thanks for the info, Duncan!

I guess there’s no way for the SmartHub to “pretend” to be a slave? Meh… this will make more sense if I read up on the Z-Wave protocol.

Can you recommend a reading list?

…CP / Terry.

Well, I’ve proven otherwise. I’ve got GE 45600 remote sending Scene Activation commands to the hub as can be seen in this video. I used “Button Controller” smart app found in the Convenience category to kick off “Hello, Home” actions in this demo.

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That is awesome news, what did you do?

Look here:

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Not to sound dumb or anything, but how do you create a Smart App? I assume there is a tutorial?

You bet there is. :smile:
http://docs.smartthings.com/en/latest/

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