So…here’s my current understanding of the Cooper Aspire RF master/auxiliary situation (based on all of the foregoing):
-
Two-way Z-Wave association between the master (RF9540) and auxiliary (RF9542) requires a Z-Wave controller from Aeon (Minimote), Cooper (only the tabletop is still available), or Leviton
-
There’s no fully functional “ST only” way to set up this two-way association. (Dim With Me by @twack appears to be uni-directional, while Synchronized Dimming by @quantiletree appears to have unresolved ping-ponging issues, and Dim and Dimmer actually seems to do something different)
-
@bravenel described a Rule Engine approach that has won some fans, but Rule Engine is no longer available (having been supplanted by Web CoRE, which people also seem to like for this sort of thing), although this sort of rules-based integration seems heavier-weight than either native Z-Wave association or DTH/smartApp groovy code
-
There is an advanced Z-Wave Dimmer DTH from @lgkahn that might serve as a basis for further modification or integration with a smartApp like Dim With Me to provide bi-directional association
Is all of this correct?
I’m inclined to go with two-way Z-Wave association, which seems the most efficient and, if I understand correctly, should solve all problems except for failure to sync dimming levels while off (and I suspect this is unavoidable). A purely ST/DTH/smartApp approach would be OK too.
My network has four VCRZ4-M0Zs (now all working properly) and five RF9540s (so far), of which three are actually controlling loads, and two are effectively “virtual RF9542s”. I have one RF9540 associated with one of the buttons on a VRCZ4, and these work perfectly together for on/off and dimmer tracking across the two (though in fairness, only the RF9540 has to follow the VRCZ4 for dimming, since the VRCZ4 doesn’t have a “dimmer level” display that needs to be synchronized to the RF9540).
I also have a Leviton Vizia RF + Installer Tool and VRUSB – but I can’t seem to get it to program associations between the RF9540s/RF9542s. Can anyone (maybe @ash?) confirm that the Leviton tool can actually do this? (I’ve so far been joining the VRUSB to the extant ST network, which may be limiting its functionality somewhat.)
Meanwhile, it’s not even clear to me how I’d assign a non-load RF9542 to dim a non Z-Wave load (like a Hue bulb) through ST, either. (Have I missed some existing smartApp for this?)
Finally, I’d consider buying a Minimote (assuming the Leviton is not adequate), but they don’t seem to be sold anymore. The only link I could find was for a 2GIG Z-Wave MiniMote Controller – does anyone know if this is the same thing (and compatible with the later-versioned units that seem to be required)?