Do the GE zwave plus toggle switches issue zwave commands if already in the position? For example if I turn the switch on, then press it on again, will it issue 2 on commands? Likewise if off? Or if already off and I try to turn off again, it just wont send anything?
Thanks,
Dumb toggle switches are what is called “bi-stable,” typically up for on and down for off.
In contrast, Smart toggle switches normally rest in the center position. That is when you press them up, they turn on, but then they immediately return to the center.
Consequently the switch is always ready for the next “on” press, even if the last press was also an “on.”
( The rocker switches work the same way, it’s just not visually as obvious)
Hi JDRoberts,
Thanks, I have the GE switches. The behavior I see is that when I toggle the switch on, I can hear the switch turn on and then I see the event in smartthings log. But if I again immediately toggle the switch on, nothing else occurs (no additional events fired). I would like to get another “ON” event, even though the switch is physically already on. I was trying to figure out if the DTH manages this or could be modified to allow this?
One use case is that, double tap up should turn on a smart bulb and a single tap down/off should turn all lights off. However, the switch will already be off after the double tap, and then doing an down tap doesn’t send another off command to smartthings since the physical switch is already off.
I made a work around but it doesn’t seem to work like I think it should.
Thanks,
I have GE, Homeseer, and Inovelli switches installed in my house. GE do not do what you want. The Inovelli scene enabled switches and the Homeseer will both do this. They send a “button” event to the hub every time the switch is pressed whether it is already on/off or not for single tap. Not to mention they also have double, tripple, quad, five tap, and hold events.
Hi Jared,
How do those brand switches all compare in terms of quality and feel? Unfortunately I invested in quite a few GE switches, which are great except for this thing. I like how the GE switches feel and their “clickyness”
Thanks
The “clickyness” of all these switches feels about the same to me.
The GE switches have a slightly heftier/louder relay sound. Not sure what that means in reliability between the three. Only time will tell.
The inovelli switches have a slightly different white tone to their white color and don’t quite match the other switches or switch covers.
The inovelli led on the switch is a very dim blue compared to the others. That can be good in a bedroom at night. The other switches are kind of too bright for those who like it dark in the room. But that makes them not look well next to another brand. The homeseer 100 series are white LEDs and very bright (with one of these in a bathroom you don’t need a night light). The 200 series are color changeable.
I think that’s it. I used the homeseer switches for all my three way as I don’t like the idea of using a normal toggle switch for the slave (I want the same click action and scene functions). I have homeseer dimmers in all the bathroom vanities and in the main living room. I put the GE on all my exhaust fans and closet lights because they have very basic features and won’t need anything else for a fan (bought them on sale when cheaper than the others). The rest are inovelli scene switches because they have the most features of any other switch on the market right now. Their ability to disable the relay so I can use smart bulbs is a god send.
Oh and on reliability. GE have been solid and I have had some of them the longest. Homeseer were the next brand I invested in and I have already had to replace a failed dimmer and one of their switches locked up and had to be power cycled at the breaker. The inovelli I have had installed for only about a week with the exception of one switch I bought and installed last year. No issues with them yet.
That’s disappointing
