4 way instant Status dimmer

I am looking to setup a 4 way dimmer (led) with preferably with instant status. What is the go to/suggested product and setup for that?

Are you in the US or the UK?

If you are in the US, the Cooper or higher end Leviton zwave switches both have licensed the instant status patent and both can be set up in 4 way group with dimming from the auxiliaries as well as the master. The Levitons are also on the official ā€œworks with SmartThingsā€ list.

https://www.smartthings.com/works-with-smartthings/-/filter/categories/switches-and-dimmers

The new Homeseer switches also say they have ā€œinstant statusā€ but that term itself is not trademarked and they have not licensed the Lutron patent. Instead, they are using the new zwave ā€œcentral sceneā€ command to get the same end result. These switches also offer a reliable double tap and triple tap feature. They seem to work fine and many community member use them, and they are considerably less expensive than the coopers or the levitons, but they are also reportedly about half a second slower. Many people donā€™t care, but if you are really looking for 500 ms or less response time, than youā€™re probably better off with the brands that did license the patent.

If you want zwave plus rather than zwave, though, you may have to wait another few months as Leviton is just starting to bring those models to market.

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As far as the set up goes, itā€™s the same for every brand: buy the appropriate master switch and the specific auxiliaries recommended by that brand to work with that master. Donā€™t mix and match brands or networked and nonnetworked switches as different models use different methods of communication.

You will need to have a neutral wire at each switch for all of the brands Iā€™ve mentioned so far.

The following thread discusses various switch features and might also be of interest.

thanks that sounds good, yes Im in Canada, close enough to the states :slight_smile:

do you mind listing out the model number for the master and auxiliaries from Leviton, and Homeseer ? thanks a lot

For the Leviton, you have multiple choices. It depends in part on exactly the type of bulbs youā€™re going to control with it. Their universal dimmer is a really nice switch that can handle dimmable fluorescents as well as dimmable LEDs, but it does cost more than some of their other models. There are several Leviton models listed on the official compatibility list.

https://www.smartthings.com/works-with-smartthings/-/filter/brands/Leviton

The user manual for each Leviton master switch will tell you which auxiliary switch to use with it. Or you can contact Leviton support and ask. Leviton calls their auxiliaries ā€œremotesā€ because they are just acting as a remote control for the master switch.

One thing to note about the Leviton is is that they have an unusual switch design where you only press the bottom half of the rocker whether you are turning on or off. Some people prefer a more conventional rocker like the Homeseer.

Hereā€™s the homeseer thread

What is the model of the universal dimmer. I have a couple Leviton VRMX1-1LZ 1000W Vizia RF ZWave Universal Magnetic Low Voltage Dimmer. It doesnā€™t give instant status, it ranges from 10-45 seconds. I would really like instant status.

That model is capable of instant status, so that sounds like a problem with your Z wave mesh. Or perhaps a defective switch, although that seems less likely. 10 to 45 seconds is horrendous.

What happens when you run a repair utility?

Iā€™ll give the repair a try.

@JDRoberts - No luck, same result. Should I be using a specific DH?

It pairs as Z-Wave Dimmer Switch Generic

Is it running local or not?

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=FAQ

Not showing in that list. I clicked on the correct link for my server, other devices are showing.

OK, I think @SBDOBRESCU mentioned something about that particular DTH switching from local to cloud in the recent update.

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Just go in ide and update the handler to ā€˜Dimmer Switchā€™.

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Iā€™ll give that a try when I get home from work. I also have this issue with a Leviton Switch. For example, I have a core piston that keeps two on/off switches in sync. When I turn one switch off the other one takes 10-45 seconds to turn off.

I would change the handler to the same dimmer switch even though itā€™s not a dimmer (there is a good reason for that) and use Smart Lighting instead of Core.

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I appreciate it, Iā€™ll give it a try.

@JDRoberts @SBDOBRESCU

Here are my results, good and badā€¦

Bad: The dimmer in questions, regardless of DH still takes 10-45 seconds.

Good: I tried another one that I haveā€¦

With the standard DH, the switch on/off reports instantly (within 1-2 seconds). Level changes take 10-45 seconds.
With the Dimmer Switch DH the switch on/off reports instantly (within 1-2 seconds) and the level changes are also instant.

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It sounds like it may be a defective device then. Or you need another repeater about halfway between the slow switch in the next hop. Is the one that works quickly the same model?

I have to check if they are the same model. I think they are but not 100% sure as the old one is still in the wall. I donā€™t know if I mentioned this or now, but the switches in both cases (old and new) have no load on them. Just using them to control the lights.

After more testing I realized that the device does not send commands once it gets to 1% dim. From that point it reports just off.

I attempted to quickly tweak the DH like I did for the Cooper RF9500, but it wasnā€™t working. I play with it more this week.

My scenario is thisā€¦ Switch --> Custom SmartApp --> LIFX Bulbs

There is a high probability that as we press the dim down button we will go below 0% and same for 100%.

Think, lights are at 100% because I changed them on the app but the dimmer is still at 50. I press down dim 5 times, lights are now at 50% but the dimmer is at 0 (1% really). I canā€™t dim any lower.

I was able to write a DH for the RF9500 because it reported not only itā€™s level which stopped at 0%, but also a different command type for down time, this dimmer does not. So with the RF9500 I ignored the level and maintained my own level in the DH allowing the dimmer to go below 0 and above 100 because all I really cared about was did I press down, up, or on/off.