You are not missing anything, trust me. I used them extensively and they just add a layer of unneeded maintenance. I know people who are using them to compensate for a limited inventory of physical devices, but based on my personal experience the virtual devices are a novelty. Ask @MichaelS , he is trying to do away in his app, because they are not that reliable.
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I am removing virtual switches for a couple reasons:
- It makes my Alexa Helper a difficult app for new users to understand if they have never done programming or understand the concept of āvirtualā devices
- With the built in SmartThings integration, you can only turn on or off items it finds. The creates unnatural speech when doing things like unlocking a doorā¦Alexa, turn on door lockā¦
There is no other fundamental reason to do thisā¦I still have virtual devices in GCal-Search and in other personal areas of my house (I use one to indicate whether I am in town or notā¦like a second level āmodeā indicator) so I can have complex routines fire based on in town and away verses out of town away.
Anyway, virtual switches are needed in many instancesā¦it is just a hack for the Alexa Helper app until I build in direct commands and no longer need the SmartThings integration (which I am close with) using Ask Alexa.
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I used virtual switches extensively in my system, fit all kinds of things. Most of them were dealing with modes and routines due to the instability of the platform.
I never found mode changes to be reliable and the ST routines were just a very sad thing that I stomp do not use. I created virtual switches as manual triggers for my modes and certain routines with time rule machine, about 25 of them.
I also used them for things like groups (all kitchen lights controlled by one virtual kitchen light - this was to work around the not setting proper level on the few bulbs bug).
But, over the past month the system has improved massively and, the bug AND is that I have reached the 100 device limit on the capabilities.switch. do, I started deleting virtual switches. Iām down too about 15 now, but those are going away.
The new ask Alexa app has the ability to have Alexa change the mode and to run routines. I no longer need the virtual switches when I can just tell Alexa.
Things are improving and advancing quickly.
The only reason I can think of to keep a virtual switch now is as a rule kill switch.
Plus, I believe the virtual devices are causing a huge drain on the system resources of the platform
Virtual switches are not āneededā. They are just crutches. One can do away with them, if they have enough physical devices. I am with @slagle on this oneā¦I see red when someone mentions virtual switches
I just went and counted how many I haveā¦ 15.
And those are going away asap
So going back to @Terafinās question, what needs to be done?
Well, if I understand what heās saying, it can be done with a routine or a rule.
I think first, he needs to elaborate on what he has in mind.
@Mike_Maxwell , @keltymd and I had tinkered with this very subject beforeā¦so I am interested in what @Terafin 's idea is.
BTWā¦where is Matt loooolā¦
Im here work is just killing me no time to play
anyone need IT help???
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Yeah, can you build an adapter from a BNC plug (video camera) to an RJ-45 one (FastEthernet)? LOOOL
/sarcasm
I can. No really, I can.
@bamarayne How about a 1/4" gas pipe fitting to a N5-15P plug? 
Iād love to see this one, plug my gas range in and have gas out of my electrical plug. Now thatās automation!
Sorry, I was an electronics tech at sea during war making plans fly with no budget and very limited resourcesā¦ Thatās outside of my areas of expertiseā¦ But if you need lights to it or for a it to shoot misslesā¦ I can do that!
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Dude, you crack me up! LOL
ā¦ you are kidding right?
Did I mention unplugged? I mean, just wiringā¦ 
I was kidding:)
Ummmā¦ maybeā¦
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Sweet!!!
I would respectfully disagree that they are ācrutchesā while I would agree that you might not need them if you were willing to substitute a physical device each time. But that costs money, energy to run, and adds an additional point of possible failure.
I agree the virtual switches are often used to make up for deficiencies in the smartthings platform, but itās better to have a way than not.
What virtual switches are most useful for, however, is as Communication methods with other non-SmartThings systems.
IFTTT is the most obvious example, although there are others. I can trigger anything at all that has an IFTTT Channel by using a virtual switch in SmartThings. That is a huge number of potential āman in the middleā integrations. And a very simple means of doing the integration. It costs virtually nothing in money, energy draw, and a minute or less to set up. Thereās no pairing, no resets, no batteries to change, no plug to find.
Virtual switches used within SmartThings are often a way to make up for a SmartThings deficiency, even if itās just a simple way to group devices.
But virtual switches used to communicate with external systems are an added strength of the SmartThings platform.
And even within SmartThings, virtual switches have a place, such as a virtual presence sensor which also has capability.switch.
So as always, āYour use case is not my use case.ā Virtual switches are a feature available on the SmartThings platform. Different people will use them for different purposes. Since the feature exists, any advanced rules engine should be able to incorporate them into standard rules.
JMO
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