[2021] Battery Power Switches and Buttons

Wiki FAQ
#1

A lot has changed with these even over the last few months. Please feel free to add an entry for anything you are familiar with and know works and indicate whether it is available in the US or the UK and if it requires custom code. Include a link to the topic that has the custom DTH if you know it.

Also, I know some of the zigbee devices have hardcoded groups and so the first one will work great and then if you add another one it will control the same devices as the first one. feel free to add any notes for anything like that.

Zigbee and Zwave devices will require a smartthings hub. Cloud to cloud devices will not. Some devices may require their own bridge or base station in order to communicate with smartthings.

This should all go in the wiki, but I can’t edit tables easily with voice so I don’t work on that page. There is an existing page if anybody wants to add entries there:

https://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=Table_of_Button_Devices

Also note that the way buttons are handled by the platform has changed significantly in the last six months, so older code probably won’t work, or might work only with smartlighting but not with other automations. Please only list devices that you are sure work now.

Also, please limit this thread to battery powered devices. :sunglasses:

Tagging @prjct92eh2 @jkp @mwav3

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#2

The Smartest House Zooz Zen34. US Zwave (series 700, S2). 2 CR 2032 batteries.

Looks just like their regular rocker switches, central scene capable.

Requires custom code which they provide and will help you with. :sunglasses:

Lists at about $29, sometimes on sale for less.

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1 Like
#3

SmartThings Aeotec Button. US or EU. Zigbee. CR2 Battery.

This was a very popular budget device when smartthings introduced it in 2019. Typically selling for less than $20, it supports tap, double tap, and long press.

This is one of the devices which is being handed off to Aeotec for future support. The initial run will be identical to the previous smartthings button, just with a different logo. does not require custom code.

It’s hard to find the smartthings logo version right now, but the Aeotec is expected to be on the market by mid 2021.

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#4

To make a dumb switch smart…

3rd reality, Zigbee, US and EU, 2 AA batteries, no custom code required.

I have three of these at my house and really like them. They fit over the existing dumb switch and physically move it. It is noisy when it’s operating, not as loud as a garbage disposal, but definitely loud enough to notice.

If you use it without custom code you won’t get low battery notifications. But I’m OK with that. Good for a situation where you don’t want to do any wiring but you do want to control an existing dumb switch.

You do not need their gateway, you will use the smart things hub instead.

At a regular price of $40, these are expensive, but they solve a problem which isn’t easily solved otherwise, including switches for devices which are not on standard 120 V current. I got my first one so I could take it with me when I went to visit family, since it also works with one of the echo devices that has a Zigbee hub inside. :man:t2:‍:motorized_wheelchair:

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US:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K3TRG6W/

#5

SmartThings Has added support for the 4 button Ecosmart handheld remote. This is a zigbee battery powered device available in both the US and Canada at Home Depot. Uses one CR2450 battery.

EcoSmart Remote Strap Top
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Low price, usually under $20 for the remote and an included smart bulb. It goes in and out of stock a lot, and you may have to buy one at a nearby store.

you don’t need any custom code for it. And you can control any device that works with the hub, not just zigbee devices. :sunglasses:

Please ask any further questions about it in the following device specific discussion thread:

EcoSmart Zigbee Remote

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#6

(UK for now, US planned), Aurora AOne Smart Remote, zigbee, official Integration. Battery-operated. Uses one CR2450 battery. Typically retails for just under ÂŁ30.

Aurora Lighting is a UK company With a simple ZHA lighting kit that consists of a hub, a couple of micros, the battery operated remote, and some wall switches. Some of these devices, but not all, have been officially certified as UK SmartThings compatible. That includes the battery operated remote.

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The icons on the remote are a little odd, they are supposed to be on, brighter, dimmer, And a scene at 50% brightness. It’s not clear yet exactly how smartthings will perceive these, we will have to wait for some forum reports.

Here’s a discussion thread on the aurora devices. Please take any follow on questions there.

Some Aurora AOne Zigbee Devices added to official list (UK for now)

#7

Switchbot Robot Button Pusher. US and UK. $29 per button pusher. CR2 battery. Does not require custom code, but does require a $39 mini hub for Smartthings cloud to cloud Integration. This is essentially a robot finger to push an existing button.

Because I am quadriparetic, I use these in my own home, including on a one button blender. This is a good option for making an existing device that has a button remote or buttons on the device itself Smart, such as a coffeemaker where you have to push a button to get it started. And you won’t void the existing warranty or need to do any wiring. However, it can get expensive if there are multiple buttons because you will need one switchbot per button.

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US:

UK:

I wrote a detailed review of these in 2020, so ask any additional questions there.

2020 Switchbot Review ( robot button pusher), integration through IFTTT or new V3 app

#8

A note about parallel means of control…

Some devices have handheld or wallmount remotes which can Control a master device of the same brand when they are paired to it (or to the brand’s Bridge device), but which will not be visible to smartthings even if there is an integration with the master device.

These might still be useful as a parallel means of control. You use the battery operated device to turn on the master device, and in most cases smartthings will see the master device turn on. You just can’t use the battery operated device to do anything else in smartthings.

Here are a few of the brands that offer those. I am including this post in this list mostly because otherwise we get a lot of questions, particularly about the Lutron Pico, Lutron Aurora, and the hue Tap devices.

  1. (US, 10 year battery built in) Lutron Caseta switches and dimmers have battery operated “pico“ remotes which are often wall-mounted to make a virtual three-way with the master device. They will work fine when used in that fashion, it’s just that SmartThings won’t know that the pico exists.
  1. (Different models available for the US and the UK. Some require a battery, some don’t.) Philips Hue Bridge can add a number of different types of “accessories” which will be invisible to smartthings even though smartthings can see bulbs and lightstrips connected to that same bridge. So you can set up the accessories to control the hue lights through the bridge, or you can set them up to control other devices through apple’s Homekit. But smartthings won’t see the accessories.

This includes the Hue button, Hue dimmer switch, Hue Tap, Lutron Aurora Dimmer for Hue, and the “Friends of Hue” Green power switches from brands like Runless Wire in the US and Senic and Vimar in the EU.

This picture is of the Lutron aurora Dimmer, which fits over the existing switch so the current will stay on to the hue bulbs, but guests have a very intuitive wall switch. Smartthings can’t see the switch, but it doesn’t matter, it can still control the bulbs with Automations as desired. The wall switch is just a convenience which solves a very common issue, keeping power on to the smart bulbs no matter who is in the house.

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And here are some Friends of Hue Switches. These don’t require batteries because they use the zigbee green power profile. Remember that these will require a hue bridge and switch itself will not be visible to smartthings so these can only be used to control another device connected to the same hue bridge. (Or via Apple HomeKit.)

US:

Set these up to look like a traditional rocker or as two skinny rockers side-by-side. Available in five or six different colors.

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UK:

Most companies are putting these out as double gangs. Available in different styles and colours from different companies.

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  1. IHome remote. The iHome plug-in smart plug has a smartthings integration, but its handheld remote does not.
  1. GE two button remote 34174. This is a Z wave device, but Can only work through zwave direct association with other Z wave devices, so it’s also going to be a parallel means of control. And set up gets a little complicated. But you add the Z wave devices you want to control to smartthings and you add the remote to smartthings just as a Z wave “thing“ (no special DTH), and then you follow the manufacturer’s directions to directly associate to the other Z wave devices. After that, a button press on the remote can turn the other device on/off. But you can’t use the buttons for anything else and smartthings won’t know that they were pressed.

Please take further Discussion of this device in the following thread:

GE Remote 34174

  1. Echo button. These popular buttons can be used to trigger Alexa routines which can then turn on devices controlled by smartthings, but the buttons themselves are invisible to smartthings. These go in and out of stock a lot, and are usually available around the holidays as a set of two for $20. They are an excellent size for small children or big dogs. :wink::dog:

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#9

Just finished integration and received approval for the Develco Frient Panic Button. ZigBee available shortly in EU, one button. It’s part of device certification so there’s no custom DTH required

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#10

Konke button
Available in oriental e-commerce for 10€ / 12$
I use it with DH for Xiaomi button (bspranger)
(there is a DH for HE but I don’t know if works with ST or can be modified for ST)
No problem with pairing (hub V2 - new app)
Single click / double click works fine
Very little, very nice

Screenshot_20210129_080540

Screenshot_20210129_080554

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#11

IKEA has several handheld Zigbee battery devices which can connect directly to smartthings. The product description will say they need their own gateway, but they don’t: you can use the smartthings hub instead.

There is an official integration through the app, but it uses some of the legacy features of the old platform so it will provide different options if you are creating an automation with the + in the upper right of the main screen or if you are creating an automation through Webcore or through the official smart lighting feature (which you get to by selecting the three horizontal line menu in the upper left of the main screen and then choosing “smartapps”).

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What’s the difference? Basically you will get more choices with the legacy features. For example, the “dimmer“ which is a handheld rocker switch on the new platform just looks like one switch with an on and off. The exact same DTH using smartlights will let you assign different functions to the top rocker and the bottom rocker.

I realize that’s going to be confusing to people who never used the classic version of the app, so let’s just leave it at saying you don’t need custom code to use these devices, but they may have different features in automations created through the + and automations created in other ways.

Some of the original devices have been discontinued. As of this writing, the most popular ones that are available are:

The five button “remote control.“ $15.99 in the US when bought directly from IKEA. IP44. Uses one CR2032 battery.

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The square “dimmer“. If you use the + automations, this will just look like an on/off switch, it won’t have a long press dimming function. $6.99 in the US won bought directly from IKEA. IP44. Uses one CR2032 battery.

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Both of these devices are available in many countries. :sunglasses:

So long story short, these are reliable and inexpensive Zigbee buttons, available in many countries, that don’t require custom code but they may have fewer features than you expect from the product description.

For more discussion, see the following thread:

[2021] Ikea Battery Powered Devices Roundup

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#12

Aeotec Quad Wallmote (Z wave, both US and EU models are available.) built-in rechargeable battery.

This device is like a touchscreen with four separate zones, rather than having four physically distinct buttons. it’s the size of a standard UK light switch, so square.

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There are three different ways to use it with smartthings, and you will get different functionality depending on which way you choose.

  1. add it through the + using the stock DTH and then create rules using the + for Automations.

This is easy to set up, doesn’t require any custom code, works quite well, but has less functionality than the other options. It won’t recognize the slide gesture. You’ll basically get a press or hold option for each of the four zones. Note that smart lighting Automations may not work with this option.

  1. use a community created custom DTH and then create Automations with smartlighting, advanced button controller, or webcore. Note that the + Automations may not work well with this option.

[RELEASE] Aeon WallMote Dual & Quad - 2 & 4 Button

  1. use the Z wave tweaker and set up zwave direct associations to other Z wave devices. These commands will not be seen by the SmartThings Hub, so it limits what you can do. this method will only work to control other Z wave devices. And the setup requires the temporary use of custom code. The biggest advantage of this method is it will allow you to individually dim from each of the four zones, and once setup it will work even if the Internet is out or your hub is off-line.

Aeotec has a supportbase article which explains all of these methods:

The biggest complaint about this device has been the battery life: some people report it has to be recharged every couple of months. (Some of that may have to do with the strength of your Z wave mesh, as other people seem to get at least six months.)

A second complaint has been from people who thought it was four separate tactile buttons, not a glass screen with four zones. They typically wanted to use it on a nightstand, but they have to turn the lights on in order to know where to press.

Other people have been frustrated by the fact that the standard integration method doesn’t control dimming, but that’s pretty common with button Devices on smartthings, they often require custom code for that.

The product description will say “16 scenes” but that’s counting tap, long press, swipe up, and swipe down. You won’t get that from the standard smartthings integration, you only get tap and long press for a total of 8 controls.

US:

UK:

Can’t Delete Aeotec Wallmote Quad
#13

The aurora dimmer works with ST using this DTH:

I recommend removing the button capability and using it exclusively as a dimmer switch with ST. Then mirror the switch to the desired lights with smart lighting.

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#14

These work an absolute treat with the Zemismart device handler
yagusmart 4 Gang Wireless Scene Switch, work with Tuya Zigbee Hub, Battery Power Remote Control https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08J3TMGJH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_AVM73JYD35CF6T0W32DS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

#15

Nice. :sunglasses: this requires a CR 2430 battery which is not included.

The switch is actually made by Tuya for their Zigbee line, and is sold under a number of different brand names.

Here’s one that is available in the US. It should be able to use the same DTH as the UK model.

Here is a discussion thread with a link to a DTH which looks like it will work in the new V3 app, although you don’t get full functionality. You’ll only get one scene option per button instead of three. (The topic title is a clickable link.)

Also note that multiple people have reported that the buttons are not numbered with “1” in the upper left, so you may have to do some trial and error on yours to figure out which button has been assigned to which number. :thinking:

#16

about 2 years ago i went a little overboard and purchased about 20 of these when they were about $10 each during the holidays. Ive found a use for almost all of them and happy that jumped on the deal back then. they are now selling used on ebay for over $25 each!

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