Adding a discussion thread specific to high load electrical equipment like water heaters, things in the 30 amp range.
Hi all, I’ve recently moved into a new house and noticed this timer that is set up by the water heater.
I’m guessing this switches the water heater off/on during different parts of the day, i’m assuming to save energy. There is also a solar water heating setup on the roof, which I assume was intended to take over the water heating in those off hours. Still trying to wrap my head around the setup honestly.
But this timer switch in the photo looks fairly straight forward. Is there something I could replace this with that could connect to smart things? I’m thinking ST friendly switch programmed could accomplish the same task without the clunky hardware and have the benefit of control via the app. Is anyone familiar with a switch that could easily swap out for this big clunky thing?
Any inp…
slagle
(Tim Slagle)
Split this topic
August 20, 2017, 5:35am
58
4 posts were split to a new topic: Kodak Camera Experience?
Looks like we haven’t ever added this to the thread yet. This is the FAQ that lists all of the remotes and buttons that have been confirmed to work with SmartThings. Some are wallmount, some are handheld; some are battery operated and some are mains powered. But it’s a pretty simple FAQ: just one post per device with the region, name, picture, a brief description, and a thread to discussion threads if any in the forum.
There aren’t a lot of options for ceiling fan control that work with SmartThings, but there are two good ones and some that are OK if the first two don’t work with your wiring. See the following thread:
There is much said about light and fan controls, but I can’t find any specific brands that are listed. I find several light switches but not dimmers, and nothing listed as a fan control. Looked at the similar topic listed but it had no actual solution.
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Detailed discussion of leak sensors:
I just bought my first ‘smart’ device specifically for use with the ‘smarthings’ hub. I bought the Samsung Smarthings Water Leak Sensor - https://shop.smartthings.com/products/samsung-smartthings-water-leak-sensor .
I got it, I paired it, it works. But it seems such a silly design. First of all, the ‘water sensor’ is simply two terminals on the base of the unit. So you have to place the sensor right where you would expect a leak - which would seem to jeopardize the sensor itself. If just a few drips fall, then it won’t damage the sensor but then it won’t likely trigger the detection either. Once you get enough water to flow under the device, one can only imagine that if you aren’t in a position to ‘fix’ the problem right away, the amount of water could be sufficient to perhaps damage the…
Detailed discussion of pocket socket options for the UK:
Hi,
I’ve been reading up a lot about wall plugs, but i can’t figure out which wall plug to buy. I was surprised to see how difficult it is to find a wallplug that just works (especially for EU).
I see many discussions about wallplugs. Several wallplugs which are known to be good are US version only. There seem to be several good option for Europe still though. But on all of them there is a topic on this forum from users who have problems with them.
TP-Link wallplug: Do we still need a ‘middleman’ device like a raspberry for this? Or is there a better solution out yet? The TP-link would be my favourite option, its small, nice looking and cheap. But i refuse to install a raspberry just so i can control a few wall plugs, i want ST to handle this.
Fibaro: First of all it’s too expensiv…
Gabrod
(Gabe)
October 12, 2017, 3:24am
64
Looks to be that the GE is the most common brand for switches… Ge Smart switch with dimmer and wanted to know the following:
I would like to install this in a light that is controlled by 2 switches (different locations) and wanted to know if I have to install 2 of these or just one (leaving a dummy one) so I can make it work with z wave?
See the following (this is clickable link)
Brand new to Smartthings and trying to get some areas of the house “connected” ASAP. Most of the devices available are intuitive enough to figure out, but one area that seems to be a bit confusing is the on/off light/scene/etc. switchs that are available. I am mainly confused with the 3/4-way options, the add on switches and how these inter-operate with existing switches (if at all).
My initial understanding is that I can replace a single pole switch with something like the GE Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control On/Off Switch, if I want it to be able to dim the lights I need one that supporting dimming.
If I have a 3/4 way lighting setup I need to get a zwave/wireless switch that is capable of supporting 3/4 way. However does this mean I can just replace one of the existing switches with…
And then you can ask any follow on wiring questions in the following thread:
I’ve decided to put this FAQ together to help those with questions about installing GE 3-way switches.
Definitions of terms:
Line: The hot wire from the breaker (usually black)
Neutral: The return wire for circuits (usually white)
Load: The wire that will be hot when the circuit is completed to your light (usually black)
Traveler: In existing 3-way wiring, this wire toggles hot between two switches. In a smart switch 3-way configuration, a smaller charge is looped through the add-on switch.
Some things to know:
3-way wiring for smart switches is different than standard 3 way wiring.
You cannot use dumb 3-way switches with most smart switches (You must purchase the matching GE add-on switch to wire with your GE smart master switch).
If the line is wired into the light fixture, you …
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Discussion thread comparing Amazon echo with google home:
Now that there’s a Google home mini I’m intrigued on adding one to my collection. I already have three Alexa’s but I’m looking to see what the home automation applications would be with Google home that can be done via Alexa and SmartThings. If you have either let me know your thoughts.
Just an update on zwave motion sensors. @krlaframboise has recently done an extensive review of six different models including features like detection zone range. This doesn’t include any zigbee sensors, but it’s well worth the read.
https://www.thesmartesthouse.com/blogs/the-smartest-blog/the-best-z-wave-motion-sensors-compared
3 Likes
Besides the Dome bullet point that sounds like I wrote when I was drunk, there’s a correction that should be made to that Blog post.
The chart at the bottom shows 1-255 Minutes for the motion re-trigger wait time of the Zooz Z-Wave Plus Motion/Humidity/Temp/ Light Sensor , but that’s no longer correct.
Firmware version 17.9 was released a couple of weeks ago and it changes the motion re-trigger wait time to 15-60 Seconds.
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A 2018 thread discussing various thermostat options, mostly by referral to previous forum threads:
Continuing to dip my toes into the smart home water, having a smarter thermostat is one of the big reasons I have wanted to go the smart home route. Been leaning strongly towards the Ecobee 4 - the remote sensors will help even out my house which has a couple of areas that lag way behind the rest of the rooms. But reading reviews on Amazon I’m not so sure - seems like a lot of folks have problems with it, some serious. The last thing I can risk is a thermostat going haywire and either not heating the home and getting me some frozen pipes, or over heating it and getting me a crazy high heating bill. What’s the consensus here - is the Ecoobee any good? If not, what’s better? FYI not really interested in the Nest, not a fan of it’s automated learning feature. The Honeywell smart device…
And a thread discussing the various brands and models of water valve shut off devices:
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a post regarding water leaks and ST saving the day. I am looking to control my water main shutoff, after experiencing a minor flooding issue at my house. I’ve been looking into the available options that are not going to brake my wallet or require major plumbing, and just want to hear good recommendations from the community.
A thread discussing some options for acoustic sensors:
I have multiple uses for this but is there a Device or some other integration that can send Sound Levels to a ST Device Type?
My #1 reason would be to see if it’s too noisy to send Alexa a command via a Fire Tablet that is in close proximity to it.
@JDRoberts help me spend more money for something that I really don’t need!
Thanks.
Several questions recently about a multi button scene controller that will fit in a single gang spot. I think these are going to be even more popular now that smartthings has added the scenes feature. So here’s a discussion thread for those:
I have read a number of post on this topic and it seems like there are not many options for the requirements I have. Devices that met this requirements have been discontinued (Enerwave ZWN-SC7). Please share any options you can think of, I am aware of battery operated remotes, using multi senor (cube), ActionTiles, all of which my wife does not like. She likes a simple “switch” on the wall.
Wall mounted single gang box (Newer home with neutral), does not have to be main powered
Minimum of 4 scene selector
Works well with GE (Z-Wave Switches), Phillips Hue, ans SmartThings
The following thread discusses security keypad options, including the iris keypad and the zipato keypad.
I have an iris zwave garage door controller that works great with smartthings. I also have a zwave front door lock that comes with a keypad on it.
My family is now asking if I can add a keypad to the garage door.
I love the way that I can use smartthings to manage multiple codes for the front door. Is there some kind of zwave keypad that I could use for the garage door with smartthings in a similar fashion to the front door lock?
The Iris keypad is zigbee, and has multiple features including a beep and an indicator LED which can be set to show you if the ST security features are armed.
The Zipato keypad is available on both the US and UK zwave frequencies. It has fewer features than the iris device, but it does also work with a Keyfob that you just touch to the device, so some people prefer it for that reason.
For more details on either, see the thread linked to above.
Discussion of outdoor-rated smart bulbs. Although most people use a smart switch with dumb bulbs for outdoor lighting, some people are looking for an outdoor bulb to act as a repeater for devices in an outbuilding, or may want color changing or zone capability.
Looking for an outdoor rated z-wave + bulb.
Any recommendations?
Thank you.
2018 thread discussing options for smart blinds:
Hello, we’re looking to start purchasing some blinds and are wanting to motorize them to be compatible with Samsung Smartthings. Does anyone know what our options would be? We love Hunter Douglas which is compatible with Alexa, but it doesn’t look like they’d be compatible with Smartthings.
1 Like