SmartThings Community

Looking for recommendation on outlets and button to control them

#1

Hello All!

I’m new to SmartThings ( all I have atm is a Schlage z-wave door lock ).

I have a living room with no ceiling light. Instead we have 4 lamps, one in each corner. What I’m looking to do is to control all 4 lamps with a button panel. All I want is 4 configurations: All lamps on, Front lamps on/Back lamps off, Back lamps on/Front Lamps off, All lamps off.

So, it looks like I could accomplish this with a 4 button control, or a 2 button control ( using both press, and press and hold ). I saw the SYLVANIA Dimming Switch appears to work well, but in that article I can’t tell if I can just use it as a pair of buttons to trigger custom events.

In addition, I’m not sure which outlets to buy, I’d like to get the kind that just plug into an existing outlet, and don’t replace the outlets themselves.

I’m open to any and all suggestions. I’d love to keep everything in local processing if possible. Can zigbee and z-wave be mixed? Would going pure z-wave or pure zigbee make the reaction time quicker?

Thanks!

#2

Button stationary or mobile?

For outlets, I really like the Iris Smart Plugs. They have Power Monitoring and are fuss free. I also have about 15 peanuts and they work great as well but has no power monitoring.

If you wanted a portable button Controller, then the Minimote would be a good choice.

If you wanted something stationary, you might want to consider a cheap tablet running action tiles in Kiosk mode. Sooo cool!

However, there are other options…

@JDRoberts

#3

Sorry, guys, had a bad night and I’m really not feeling well, I have to leave it to others to go into details. :face_with_head_bandage:

Meanwhile, here is the buttons FAQ which lists all the button devices that currently work with SmartThings, so it should be of interest (this is a clickable link)

And here’s the device class features FAQ which should give you good information on selecting a plug-in module. We call those “pocket sockets” in the forums just to distinguish them from the in wall outlets. :sunglasses:

( also, I’ve moved this to projects so you can get individualized responses based on your own needs and preferences.)

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#4

Hope you feel better soon JD. We love you man!

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#5

By the way, another option for zone management like you described, although it won’t be as intuitive for guests so it might not work for your situation, it would be a switch that allows for different tap patterns, specifically single tap, double tap, and maybe even triple tap on both the top and the bottom of the rocker.

A lot of people use that for zone lighting, so the single tap turns on all the lights in the room (to keep from confusing guests) while a double tap terms on just the front lamps or whatever. :sunglasses: :level_slider::bulb::bulb::bulb::bulb:

There are two models on the market right now that do this, one from homeseer and one from GE. Homeseer also allows for triple tap while the GE just a single and double tap. Both are popular.


.

Again, I don’t know if that meet your requirements, but I just wanted to mention it. :sunglasses:

I’m going back to bed, so other folks will have to handle any follow on questions.

#6

Thanks for the advice so far!

Yes, that list is where I found the Sylvania switch. I’m looking for something wall mounted and battery powered. I have an older home with no neutrals at the light switches unfortunately. I’m also trying to replicate the light switch look and feel so my wife will be comfortable using it, which is why I’m looking to go with a wall mounted button control.

#7

SmartThings will treat the Sylvania Dimming Switch

https://www.amazon.com/SYLVANIA-LIGHTIFY-Osram-Products-required/dp/B0196M620Y

As a two button switch.

Nodon has a four button switch which works for a wall mount, but looks less like a regular switch.

IMG_4010

https://www.amazon.com/Z-wave-NodOn-Soft-Remote-White/dp/B07226W2LG

The remotec 8 button battery operated Device is really popular. It doesn’t look like a regular switch, but it’s very intuitive to use, especially if you put labels on it. And since each button does press and double press you can use one button for both on and off.

IMG_2378

https://www.amazon.com/ZRC-90US-BW8510US-Remotec-Cert-ZC10-15100007/dp/B016YTTIVW/

#8

Oh, and aeotec has their “wallmote quad” which is a four button battery operated device that I think looks quite nice, the only problem with that one is the reported battery life is pretty bad, around two months maybe.

IMG_4012

https://www.amazon.com/Aeotec-Aeon-Labs-ZW130-WallMote/dp/B01NCEJAOD