Internet of things for non Internet of spouses/children

I just remembered Cooper has an elegant but expensive ($99) battery operated zwave dimmer switch. But I don’t know of anyone using it with smartthings yet. Might be worth a try.

http://www.zwaveproducts.com/Zwave-Lighting/Zwave-Wall-Switches/Aspire-RF-RF9500-Battery-Operated-Z-Wave-Dimmer-Switch.html?IXsid=114ek6s4u6sam7j4qf17a4kjl1

@thegibertchan had this switch awhile ago and wrote a device type for it, but I don’t know if it ended up working or not:

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yup. I have it installed on my wall over my wall switch to control my connected bulbs.

There’s three buttons on this device configured for different sets of lights.
Here’s a demo: https://instagram.com/p/xcjBijroex/

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That is perfect… Now can we find or make equivalent at a much lower cost?

The price of these switches has come down significantly. It appears to be about $60 now with shipping at Amazon.

That is cool, but still not really a cost effective overall approach. How long have the batteries lasted for you?

Well… though I’d hate to pay $60 per room for a large home, I’m tempted to say that this price is nearly good enough.

Consider that there is no installation effort required. If used with $15 GE Link or $20 Hue Lux bulbs, etc., this is now in the same ballpark as a wired Z-Wave wall switch: OK … maybe 2 or 3 times as costly, but you get to put the switch anywhere, and it has 3 buttons, etc…

My solution in the meantime are the old Aeon 4-Button (8 usable) Minimotes at $25 each + 3M velcro strips.