Best option for a Z wave 3 way switch (that sends a status signal from both switches)

Linear/gocontrol uses virtual threeways, which means the auxiliary switches do have a radio in them and they are visible to smartthings as a device independent of the master. For that reason you should get your status update directly from the auxiliary if you use those. However, I’m not sure how quickly those dimmers report.

As Far as zigbee goes, zigbee can be drowned out by very strong Wi-Fi, while Z wave is not. Zigbee remains very popular for high-end professionally installed home automation systems, such as control 4. And the Leviton zigbee devices were originally intended for hotels. My personal belief is that Z wave dominates the DIY market in the US for fixed location devices, such as light switches, because of the potential Wi-Fi interference issue. This is something that a professional installer can deal with pretty easily, but a DIYer might have more trouble with.

All of that said, the Lutron instant status patent applies to any radio frequency protocol, including Z wave, zigbee, Lutron, etc. Control 4 licenses the Lutron patents for their zigbee switches. GE does not. But in either case, GE uses the same auxiliary switch device for both Z wave and zigbee, which communicates with the master over physical traveler wires. I honestly don’t think you’re going to see any difference between a GE Zwave switch and a GE zigbee switch with regard to the issues that have been discussed in this particular thread.

The Leviton zigbee switch could solve the problem of not having a neutral at the light box, but it shouldn’t change status reporting one way or the other.

Hmmm … something wrong here.

I have a bunch of GE/Jasco in-wall switches (z-wave and plus models) and they definitely report their status. Here’s what I get from two of my switches … the kitchen is a three-way setup and the ceiling fan switch is two-way. Pics are from the IDE, Location → Events. They report both physical and programmatic events:



Events show up in the ST app, too. Also, the GE/Jasco outlets report their status.

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Not sure but the model numbers from the link above I contacted support from and they said specifically they are not scene capable and do not support instant or unsolicited status. Maybe they went backwards/cheaper with these models compared to the ones you have.

So pass on the VRS15 models. Those are junk and its setup so it looks like its always on and you have to press “off” really hard to get it to respond to anything.

So far really disappointed in the options. You’d think someone would make a quality z wave option by now.

I can confirm that using the Leviton DD00R matching remote dimmer with the Leviton DZ1KD dimmer does not trigger instant status updates from the dimmer to the device handler when switching the light on or off from the remote.

However, using the matching remote does trigger instant status updates when the dim level is adjusted. This is not really that useful for any application I can think of though.

I will assume that this same behavior applies to the DZ6HD dimmer and matching remote as well. I’m hoping enough people report these issues to Leviton and SmartThings so that a firmware update will get issued.

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There’s one more option to consider, although it’s not Zwave. But it will update the master status to SmartThings if the auxiliary is used.

As of March 2017, there is now an official cloud to cloud smartthings/Lutron Caseta integration. It does require a Lutron smartBridge. (One bridge can handle several dozen Lutron devices.) Lutron uses its own proprietary protocol, Clear Connect.

Lutron recommends using their wireless pico remote in a wallmount frame as an auxiliary, but you can also use conventional switches and physical traveler wires with some of their models.

The pico itself will be invisible to SmartThings so you can’t use its button presses for anything else, but it will be able to work to control the Lutron master switch.

And Lutron will report to SmartThings whenever the master turns on, regardless of what initiated it.

You can typically buy a bundle with the smartbridge, one inwall dimmer, and one pico for just under $99. After that, a switch plus pico set is typically around $60, although you may be able to find it for a little less. These are widely available in white at Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, etc. if you want black or other colors, you’ll probably have to use a specialty retailer.

https://www.amazon.com/LUTRON-P-BDG-PKG1W-Caseta-Wireless-Homekit-enabled/dp/B00MXCRAX8/

So that’s just another option for a three-way set up that would work with SmartThings, would also work if the Internet was down (the Dimmer/Pico connection runs locally), and would meet the status update requirement even though it isn’t zwave. So just thought I’d mention it. :sunglasses:

For more detail see the following thread:

I’m using the GE that I purchased from Lowes and it works without an issue. At first I had it set up as a 3 way switch. Later I decided to add a 2nd addon switch and made into a 4-way switch. So now I have 3 total switches that can control my kitchen lights. If I press the switch on any of the 3 switches, it reports the status correctly to ST.

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Thanks for this post, recently bought a bunch of Leviton zwave and ST and found exact issue and just posted this exact question to forum. I did notice if you wait long enough in the app ~ 5mins, the status eventually does change. I just ordered a couple of the GE zwave switches and remote Add-One switches to test with; did you end up with a workable solution using Leviton ?

As a followup the ST app seems to have a checkInterval set to 1920 for devices, which is about 32 minutes, when I look in the logs the device gets pinged or polled which is the only time the status gets updated in the app to properly reflect or get the states back in synch.

How are the GE switches working?

I am only concerned with the master status being reported if a slave switch turns the master on or off.

Could a custom DH be built just for 3 or 4 way use where the hub checks the switch status more frequently? At least you are only checking certain devices, not every device at a small interval.

I recently bought a bunch of Leviton Decora Z-Wave Plus switches, dimmers and matching remotes and really liked them but I am equally amazed to find that using the remotes don’t trigger an status update… What a huge oversight!? what the heck were they thinking?

I spoke with Leviton support today about a dimmer that refuses to join my z-wave network and asked him about this, he intermediately knew what I was talking about and said that he heard there was an update coming that would fix that problem, he took my email address and said he was going to add me to an email list to get notified about this.

I have learned over the years to not trust phone support guys on anything they promise or say. Even if this turns to be truth and the do fix it we will need to figure out a way to get our devices updated… These things are not cheap so I am wondering if I should not put up with this and return it all but then I would have to spend a ton of time removing everything (wasn’t easy to fix those suckers in the little space available) and deal with the returns, find another brand that will probably have its own issues too and install it again… what a PITA!

Do you guys know if this would also be a problem with the HomeSeer ones? or the less expensive branded Zwaveproducts ones?

I just installed Leviton 3 way Dimmer DZ6HD & matching 3 way remote DD00R. Both Switches work Correctly on / off & Dimming however In smart things it will say the Lights On when they are Not
Anyone know the Remedy to this ?

I’m using regular z-wave (not+) and reports status correctly. Using custom DH originally by Robert Vandevoot that I modified. It does not report Slave status, as they basically are just dumb momentary switches.

That refers to Indicator Light on the the dimmer, not the actual light bulb

I am using the new GE Z-wave plus switches and Add-on switches from Lowe’s and I find these work great with ST. The reporting has maybe about a 1 second delay.

I previously used are the older GE Z-wave with my Vera setup and I found with migrating them to ST that the main switch reports to ST immediately, but the Add-on switch could have a delay of up to 6 seconds. Any loads directly controlled by the switches were immediate. However, any triggers/routines operated by ST had a delay with the Add-on switch that does not exist when using the main switch.

These older switches have been moved to my garage and laundry room, where the lag time does not impact triggers.

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That can’t be correct as I have Numerous of these Leviton Zwave switches Dimmer & Non Dimmer. All have an indicator Light on the Bottom which has No affect on the other switches.

To clarify I when I turn the Lights off with either switch in this 3 way application it is Not updating that it it’s off in smart things, I know it’s not always instant however it should Update.
Point of Home automation is to Control & Know remotely.
In this case I could be Gone & smartthings tells me all lights are off, however they are on unnecessarily

Is this what you’re talking about?
image
Switch tells you current state.
indicatorStatus shows you whats’s programmed to be, not status

This is what Levitton says in the manual

LOCATOR LED SETUP
Leviton Decora SmartTM Z-Wave® devices have a locator LED on the
bottom of the paddle. The operation of the LED can be changed.
Status Mode: LED On when the load is On:
The Locator LED is used to show the current state of the load:
• Enter Programming Mode by holding the top of the paddle for 7
seconds, the Locator LED will turn amber.
• Tap the top of the paddle 4 times.
The Locator LED will quickly flash green and amber.
• Tap the top of the paddle once.
The Locator LED will flash green 3 times to confirm the selection.
Locator Mode: LED On when the load is Off (Default):
The Locator LED is designed to easily find the dimmer in a dark room.
If the setting has been changes and you wish to return to the default
operation.
• Enter Programming Mode by holding the top of the paddle for 7
seconds, the Locator LED will turn amber.
• Tap the top of the paddle 4 times.
The Locator LED will quickly flash green and amber.
• Tap the top of the paddle twice.
The Locator LED will flash amber 3 times to confirm the selection.
LED Off: Locator LED is always Off:
The Locator LED is turned off:
• Enter Programming Mode by holding the top of the paddle for 7
seconds, the Locator LED will blink amber.
• Tap the top of the paddle 4 times.
The Locator LED will quickly flash green and amber.
• Tap the top of the paddle 3 times.
The Locator LED will flash red 3 times to confirm the selection.

For the last few days, status has been delayed,especially in the mobile app.

@NomadTech

As discussed at length in this thread, the newest Leviton switches introduced in 2017 that use the “digital remote” as the auxiliary switch in a three-way have a bug where if you press the The auxiliary switch the master gets the message and the lights will be turned off, but the master does not update SmartThings with the new status. ( or any other Z wave controller)

Leviton knows about the bug, but there’s no workaround and no timeline for a fix. :disappointed_relieved:

However, most people have been reporting that if they press the master switch in the Leviton group, the SmartThings app does get the new status. It’s only the “remote” (auxiliary) which is causing a problem.

The GE brand switches don’t seem to have this problem, so you have to be specific about which devices/models you’re discussing.

All of that said, there shouldn’t be a problem with the Leviton master switch itself. If that is not updating the status to the SmartThings mobile app I would definitely get in touch with SmartThings support as there’s some other problem going on.

https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us

Not sure where the bug is, but mi GE switches update status immediately in IDE and rarely in the mobile app.
Mobile app will update when touching the on/off button in the app.
This only started like a month ago.
I suggest comparing IDE status with mobile app status then draw a conclusion.

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Interesting. That sounds like yet a different bug. The Leviton one is something in their own firmware, the same problem occurs with other Z wave controllers.