Dim multiple dimmers

I have a number of items connected to my hub. I have 2 second generation GE dimmers in my master bedroom. I can control each fine from both the new rooms category, but individually. Can only dim one at a time. From lights and switches I can set up a new action and select both devices to turn on and off both at once. How can I set up both to dim with one control uniformly? And why can’t I dim from the lights and switches page, only turn on and off. They are dimmers. That control should be available there.

The new Smart Lighting SmartApp from ST allows you to do this. You can also create a virtual dimmer and use Dim With Me SmartApp to control multiple dimmers from the one virtual dimmer.

Thank you Matt. I couldn’t find the new app so I will try dim with me. It just seems that if you can create a virtual device in the lights and switches and add 2 dimmers to turn them off, and in the rooms area you can control the diming of each device seperately you should be able to create a virtual device in the rooms area and control dimming in the lights and switches area. Either would solve the issue but both should be supported so that you can use any area.

Well, can’t you just create the virtual dimmer and add it to that room. Then when you go into that room you have the options to dim both at once our control them individually.

Have you tried to create a routine? In there is a dimmer level you can set. I believe that will change the value of all the dimmers you have.

You might like this SmartApp I cooked up yesterday. It’s like a many-to-many version of Dim With Me which seems to do what you want:

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The Smart Lighting app doesn’t address this use case since it only allows dimming to a set level (10%, 20%, …), not synchronizing two dimmers to the same arbitrary level.

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Can someone tell what the exact name to look for under device type for “Virtual dimmer” I looked to create a virtual dimmer, but cannot find.

Here is the device type you need to create within your ide

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Thank you, Now that I have created the Virtual Dimmer Device. My requirement is to group few bulbs (GE Link) together and set state to on/off/dim using my virtual dimmer that I created using the code, that you gave above.

I can’t seem to find a way to do that. Is there a particular smart app to group few bulbs together into my virtual device?

(What I now need is to group couple of bulbs into my virtual dimmer. Cannot find a app suitable to do that.)

Can someone help please.

Use the smartapp called smart lighting.
It will do exactly what you are wanting.

Smart lighting app cannot group lights together and Control them and set state to on/off/dim. At least I couldn’t find a way. Smart app is for one bulb at a time. Ex. I have 4 lights which need to control using one switch (group of bulbs).

I came across a custom app that may need to be installed called dim with me. Not sure if that need to be used or if there is a way to use smart light app.

Actually it will.

Under the section that ask you what lights you want to control… just choose all of the ones you want to control.
Then under the section that ask what you want to do with them… check the box next on/set level
Then move the little slider over that says also turn off.

then you’re good to go.

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@bamarayne Thank you. Yes it work with the Smart Lighting App. I was pulling my hair how to get this to work. ST has made things so hard to find I guess. Cheers!! Thank you for the input.

ST have to make the app more simpler. So many features are hidden, and hard to find.

Do I still have to use a “Virtual Dimmer device” if I want to keep the group of bulbs clean, and use the virtual device for my group of bulbs?

(I see that I can use one of the bulbs in the group as a Master Bulb, then I cannot dim that bulb independently.)

Are you also using the Amazon Echo?

In ST:

Create a Virtual device called "Whatever you want"
In SmartLighting create a rule that controls all of the lights you want and uses the virtual switch as the control. So when you turn on the virtual switch it will do what you want with the other bulbs.
You can also use a routine to do this.

Though,
I recommend you load the smartapp “Rule Machine”. While this app is much more complex it will do just about every thing you can imagine. The author of that app is also very responsive and gives you all the help you need.

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No I am not using Amazon Echo.

I think I jumped to conclusion little early. Smart Lighting app only set Dimmer to one level - 10%,20%,30%… etc. So I don’t think there is a way to control the amount of dim using Smart Lighting App. So as @quantiletree pointed out earlier in this thread, Smart Light App may not be the solution, if I want to dim group of lights to what ever I want. (I think this is basic functionality to have out of the box in ST). Answer may still be, 1. Virtual Dimmer device & 2. Dim with Me App. Not sure if there any other ST out of the box hidden work around.

However now that I got into exploring the ST more (Have become a hobby now), will give it a try with “Rule Machine”. In fact I was wondering how to implement AND, OR conditions in ST and Rule Engine may be the answer. Thank you for bringing it up.

As you can see I am just getting warmed up, and finding out why lot of things which are simple but not implemented out there :frowning:

Appreciate all the feedback.

You can do this with Rule Machine. It has a feature that allows a group of dimmers to track another dimmer’s level. Every time the “master” dimmer changes level, the others follow.

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Virtual Dimmer is great. I wanted to have the Virtual Dimmer showing as the main tile for each of my “ROOMS” in the app, and the ability to control group of lights right from that view. Answer was to use the MultiAttribute Tile.

I modified the tiles section of the code to following to achive it. @MichaelS who owns the Virtual Dimmer code may incorporate this as well.

This will allow you to control On / Off / Dim all from one tile. (Note : I tried this and worked and saw no errors on the log. Not sure if there are other improvements that can be made, Also kudos to GE Link Bulb code, that is where I got the Multiattribute tiles from.)

Use it at your own risk, if you like it. :grinning:

tiles(scale: 2) {
	multiAttributeTile(name: "switch", type: "lighting", width: 6, height: 4, canChangeIcon: true, canChangeBackground: true) {
		tileAttribute("device.switch", key: "PRIMARY_CONTROL") {
    			attributeState "off", label: '${name}', action: "switch.on", icon: "st.switches.light.off", backgroundColor: "#ffffff", nextState: "turningOn"
		      	attributeState "on", label: '${name}', action: "switch.off", icon: "st.switches.light.on", backgroundColor: "#79b821", nextState: "turningOff"
              		attributeState "turningOff", label: '${name}', action: "switch.on", icon: "st.switches.light.off", backgroundColor: "#ffffff", nextState: "turningOn"
		      	attributeState "turningOn", label: '${name}', action: "switch.off", icon: "st.switches.light.on", backgroundColor: "#79b821", nextState: "turningOff"
        		}
        		tileAttribute("device.level", key: "SLIDER_CONTROL") {
              		attributeState "level", action:"switch level.setLevel"
        		}
        		tileAttribute("level", key: "SECONDARY_CONTROL") {
              		attributeState "level", label: 'Light dimmed to ${currentValue}%'
        		}    
	}
    
	standardTile("refresh", "device.switch", inactiveLabel: false, decoration: "flat", width: 2, height: 2) {
		state "default", label:"", action:"refresh.refresh", icon:"st.secondary.refresh"
	}

	main "switch"
	details(["switch","refresh", "levelSliderControl"])

}

To be clear, this is code I got from Bruce, who said he got it from SmartThings, so while I appreciate the credit, this is what the community is all about…sharing what is out there!

This is an interesting change and may incorporate it once I give it a full test. At the end of the day it is an interface change, but seems to follow SmartThings new devices.

**Edit…I did test this and it is mostly a cosmetic change, but does align with the new SmartThings conventions for other switches so I updated it. I also added in the large information tile for percentage as that is what the "real’ dimmers have …it also helps us with bad eyes that can’t see the percentage in the smaller text :)…Great suggestion @Boruguru ! I have included your name in the text of the update. The only line, however, that you needed to change was the details button…since levelSliderControl was no longer there, it doesn’t need to be listed. Otherwise, great addition

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I installed Rule Machine. It looks Great, with all the rules and conditions that I can think of.

However trying to mimic, Master Dimmer Follow to Other Dimmers, cannot figure it out. And I Have some questions ;

Do I define my Master dimmer under “Triggers?”

If I select Triggers,

Then it ask for Capability, Dimmers and Comarison and Dimmer Level. Look like inappropriate for my case.

Look like For my case where I need to Dim other bulbs to follow a master bulb, there seems to be no place to define it.

Can you help, define how to set it up.

Also I created some test rules to Dim. Now Rules Engine wont let me edit them. It say “You are not authorized to perform the requested operation”. No idea what is happening. (I used Android app)