My understanding, which may be wrong, is that the use of S2 changed a little bit between the first version of the Fibaro dimmer and the second version.
With the second version, you have a couple of options.
You can use it in a regular two-way where there are two dumb physical switches both on the same circuit with the dimmer module.
or you can use it with just one physical switch so that S1 controls the load on the same circuit that the dimmer module is on. And you can use S2 via Z wave association in association groups four and five to send ābasicā (thatās a Z wave term) commands to other zwave devices that support association. Those devices have to be within one hop of the dimmer module, but they donāt have to be on the same circuit. The SmartThings hub will not know that those commands were sent, which can cause the status to get out of sync.
But I donāt think anyone has 3) created a device handler to use this as what SmartThings calls a ābutton controllerā where instead of sending Z wave commands directly to the other devices in the association group, the dimmer module would send the command to the hub who could then send it to any SmartThings-controlled device, regardless of protocol or how far away it was from the dimmer module.
So you should be able to do option 2) pretty much out of the box once you have the configuration set up, but it will only work with Z wave devices that support Association and are within one hop of the dimmer module. Which is how standard zwave association works, itās just that you can do a lot more with SmartThings if you can set the device up as a button controller instead.
Iām glad youāve picked up on this, as I certainly rate your knowledge! I have Dimmer 2s (212). In a ātwo wayā scenario as you describe in 1), I have not used S2 at all. Iām using momentary switches, so that might be different for toggle switch scenarios, I donāt know. The Vesternet diagrams suggest not though.
Itās the third scenario weāre interested in here though, and I may have made assumptions before understanding how Z-Wave works properly. The second is good, and for all intents and purposes will probably be āokā most of the time as youād want to control something else in the room.
So, yes, Iād like to use S2 as a button controller and get it to talk to the hub directly
What you say about transmissions only going a single hop might scupper that though. Is that something thatās defined in the term āBasic Commandā? From the manual it looks like S2 can be a āScene Controllerā which is effectively what the Popp switch is. Have I put 2+2 together and made 5?
Youāre on track. The one hop issue only applies to option two in my post above. Button controller removes that limitation because in that set up the switch (or in this case the dimmer module) talks to the hub and then the hub sends the request to the end device. So Youāre fine up to four hops each way. The single hop is a limitation of Direct association in Z wave.
Zwave scene controllers vs SmartThings button controllers
āScene controllerā is actually a whole different thing then what we were talking about. Typically that means the device is using the Z wave scene command sets, not the basic command set.
But if youāre using a SmartThings ābutton controllerā device handler youāre not using the zwave scene commands. The end result will hopefully look the same to the people using the switch, but the big advantage is that you can include devices of multiple protocols in the same āscene,ā which you canāt do with a Z wave scene controller.
So for example a button controller like the Aeon minimote could use a single button press to turn on all the lights in the room, even if some of those lights were zigbee smart bulbs and some were on a zwave dimmer module.
I just honestly donāt know if the Fibaro dimmer module can be set up this way or not.
Setting Association Groups 4 or 5
BTW, for anyone who does want to try option two or three above with the Fibaro, youāre going to need a way to set association groups four and five. You canāt do that with a minimote, or just with the devices themselves. so You need something that can send the zwave instructions to do these associations.
Some controllers have an association feature in the UI which lets the controller do it that way. SmartThings as yet does not.
Fortunately @Duncan, senior Zwave engineer at SmartThings, has previously posted code to allow people to set up associations for two-way lights even if they didnāt have a minimote. It does allow you to set the Association group ID as well, so youāll be able to use it for groups four and five.
Youāll have to temporarily Assign the Fibaro module to an accessory switch device handler, but you just change it back to the actual device handler once the association groups are set.
Anyway, just in case someone wants to use this feature, hereās the link to the thread explaining his code:
remember that in lighting set ups, the accessory controls the master
Remember that in a lighting set up the accessory controls the master, that is you press the accessory switch and it tells the master switch to power the lights on or off. So for what weāre talking about here with Association groups , you want the fibaro module set up the way the other thread discusses setting up an accessory switch, so that the Fibaro will be able to tell the other device to turn on or off.
If someone does already have a Fibaro dimmer module or the relay set up as a SmartThings button controller, let us know. That would be especially nice functionality for UK households where there are so few switch options as yet.
I applied your code. It now switches on and off (from the toggle switch on the wall and updates correct state on my phone)
On my phone though there is a dimmer slider. This part does not function at all.
Is there a way to get that to work? I would like to be able to use rule things to have the switch come on at different levels depending on time of day etc.
I have some problems with this device. I have installed it and have used the custom code from RMbhatia. It now switches on and off at the wall using the toggle switch there. It also updates status on my phone and will switch on and off on the phone. But I would like to be able to dim it from my phone (and this does not work using the slider) and use it in some rules in rule machine.
Has anyone been able to get the dimmer function to work from their phone? Or from a toggle switch?
I have solved this with a bit of fiddling. I changed the parameter in line 232 of the code (parameter number 32) to 0. It now switches on and off at the wall. But it also allows the dimming to be set by the phone. In addition, the light turns on and off with a nice dim up and down feature!
Can anyone help with a bit of wiring advice? The switch on the left is the one I want to use for my Fibaro Dimmer, but Iām unsure as to the best / correct way to wire it up. Anyone able to help?
This is the diagram you should use. Your red wire (Live) Goes into L on the dimmer. Your switched return (black with red sleeving) goes into the switch output. You can ignore the second dotted switch.
You also want to change parameter 20 to 1 for a toggle switch and parameter 26 to 0 to disable S2.
I hope you have enough room in that box. it looks a little tight to me.
Thanks for this - very much appreciated. The knockout box originally was smaller than that, the picture actually shows it after I swapped it out for a larger one (47mm).
Actually - just re-read the above is that rightā¦? The blue with red sleeving is for the other switch i.e. nothing to do with the switch Iām wanting to control (the one on the left).
I presume you mean put the black wire (which is currently in the L1 terminal) into the Output Terminal of the Dimmer?
This is what Iām wanting to do, ie replace a standard switch to control a bank of LEDs.
I only have 2 wires into the switch (Iām in UK) that are both live, so will the dimmer 2 work for me? I donāt want to dim just switch on and off, controlled by ST and still allow wife a normal switch.
So the existing wires go to L and the arrow on the diagram. Then 2 new wires would go from the wall switch to S1 and Sx and looped to N?
So a standard looped in live, 2 wire UK wall switch can work? If so this is exactly what I would want, rather than buying numerous smart bulbs.
Can this also do a 2 gang wall switch with the 1 dimmer switch?
Do you have to have it connected with dimmable LEDs? I donāt want to dim,just want on/off, and so mine currently are non-dimmable, will I need to replace with dimmable GU10 LEDs?
Is it fully compatible with UK ST, or does it need any āhacksā?
Iāve been a ST user for a couple of weeks now and I am really enjoying the possibilities that exist!
I have a dimmer 2 (212) in a single gang light switch with a simple on/off faceplate (i.e. not a dimmer), and have also just bought a Bypass 2 to try and get this to work.
Donāt put smart dimmable bulbs in a setup where the current to them is controlled by a dimmer device. The bulbs will confuse the switch/relay and vice a versa and you can burn out one or the other.
If you have dimmable smart bulbs, you need to let them control their own current draw. You can use a smart dimmer device which is not controlling current draw, like the hue dimmer switch or the osram lightify smart dimmer. Or the Popp or Z wave.me wall-mounted controllers. These are all battery operated, so the bulbs continue to draw the current that they need, these switches just send an instruction.
If you are using the fibaro dimmer, you should be using it with dumb dimmable bulbs. Not smart bulbs.
Iāve got some Samsung Outlets all running table lamps, a couple of door and motion sensors dotted around, but this is my first attempt with another device.
Iām trying to control a single 9W LED bulb, it is dimmable, but Iām not really interested in this feature.
This is the main reason Iām staying away from Philips Hue, as once the light switch is off its rendered useless!
This used to be true, but there are now a number of devices which can solve this issue.
In particular, as I mentioned, there are now at least four battery-operated switches available in the UK that can be wall-mounted and will work with smart bulbs.
The following thread discusses some of the options. Although it does mention some devices which are only available in the US, like the Cooper, there are others which are only available in Europe, like the Popp, which serve a similar purpose although they have a different form factor. So the approach is the same even if the exact device may be different.
Some UK members have even created 3-D designs as mounting platforms for these.
The Fibaro is an excellent device and serves many use cases very well. So it just comes down to your own particular needs and preferences. But there are definitely more options than there were even six months ago. Choice is good.
If using the 212 do you HAVE to use dumb dimmable bulbs or can you use non-dimmable, reading around itās a maybe/maybe not. Also it stays minimum 50W or use the bypass, but again a maybe/maybe not. Mine will be 4 LEDs each 5W each?
