Newbie Stumped after 12 hours research switches and relays: set up one to Control another?

I am very sorry, but I am old and not as savvy as I would like, but I am stuck and am requesting assistance.

I am using all z-wave stuff. I have my hub hooked up to my light switches and relays and working as a scene in the ST app.

Where I am stuck is, how do I get the actual switch to activate the relay without the app?

If that is not easily understood, When I walk in the room and press the switch, how do I get it to activate the relay I want it to activate?

Sorry, I am stuck.

Thanx Keith

Welcome! It can all be a little confusing.

Letā€™s start with the most basic stuff. What is the brand and model of the switch, the brand and model of the relay, and where are they installed?

You said they do work in a scene. Can you show us a screenshot of the things list in the mobile app that identifies both the light switch and the relay?

Most commonly, you would use the official smart Lighting feature to have one Lighting device trigger another device. So Iā€™m going to go ahead and link to the instructions for that, just in case thatā€™s the only concept that you were missing. You will select the target device, in this case I believe the relay, and then you will say that you want it to go on and off when the switch turns on and off.

https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/205949776-How-to-create-lighting-automations-with-Smart-Lights

If by chance, we are talking about a different kind of set up, where you have an in wall micro on the circuit, and you have a dumb switch (not a smart switch) wired to that micro and you want to have that switch cause tthe micro to go on and off, thatā€™s a different situation. In that case, the relay will show up on your things list in the mobile app, but the Switch will not. That would then be a matter of wiring, and will depend on the brand and model of the relay.

So letā€™s just get some basic information about the set up first, and then we can figure out what your next steps will be. :sunglasses:

Then later after you get past that point, you might find the following FAQ helpful ( this is a clickable link)

3 Likes

Wow,

That was quick. THANKS !!

As a background note. We added a room to the upstairs and I could not get the wiring from the existing switches in the wall where I needed the switches to be.

I did run just a power wire as a new circuit to power the switches in the new bedroom and have them with just input power, there are no loads on them. I removed the switches from the old location and put in the relays.

The thought was, I could use all the old circuitwiring with just relays in place of the switches.

It works with the app, as I have them set up as a " SCENE" in the ST app.

2 of the switches are LINEAR GoControl, WS15Z-1 which are now connected in the scene to 2 - Enerwave ZWN-RSM1-PLUS for 2 light circuits. They are independent circuits.

The other circuit for is an Enerwave ZW15S to control a NuTone NFS20Z for the fan.

I created a SCENE in the app for Light switch 1 ON and Light Relay 1 On and names it Light set 1 On in the app.

I then created a SCENE in the app for Light Switch 1 OFF and Light Relay 1 OFF and named it Let Set1 OFF in the app.

I did the same for the other 2 circuits in the same fashion. IF everyone who went in and out of the room always carrier a phone and used the app to turn them off and on, problem solved, but, weall know, that wont happen.

I have bought a TRANE thermostat which has a NEXIA gateway and is what I was originally going to use to do all this, but, then I found out about the month fee and decided no. So here I am.

From my previous research on the NEXIA there is a way to, for lack of a better term, program, the switch and relay to work as one without using an app to turn them on and off.

I am very sorry if this is long winded. I am beginning to wonder if I can do what I want to, or, if I need to rip into the walls, before they are all put back together and run hard wires.

Thanx So much !!

OK, if you can put them in a scene, you can use smart Lighting to have one trigger the other.

Select the relay to turn on and off when the switch turns on and off and people will be able to control the relay from the wall switch.

1 Like

That did the trick.

In all my research I never saw that info. Everything pointed me to the SCENE set up.

I must say, since finding this support info, I had no idea so much was possible with this stuff.
I am amazed.

Thank you so much for the assistance !!

Have a great evening !!

Keith

1 Like

A word of warning: if any of your devices are using custom Device Type Handlers, that means that your Smart Lights control is in the SmartThings cloud and not run locally on your hub. That means that if you lose your internet connection, you will not be able to control your lights. This was a major factor for me when designing my setup and should be something you keep in mind.

@Keith_Couturier Also, if you want to control that Nexia connected Trane thermostat, setup the free Nexia account and check out @trentfoley 's custom device handler in this thread:

It will require understanding of how to enable a custom device handler and smartapp, which is in the thread - but if you already got this far, itā€™s there when youā€™re ready.

Glad you got it working, and good luck!

1 Like

Thank you. I was not aware of that. How do I find out about the handlers?
Sorry if I sound dumb. I am just starting this learning curve and this is not info that is readily available to find. I thought I researched well before deciding on how I was going to do this , but, sadly I was woefully unprepared.
Thanx.Keith

If you go to the IDE and look at your devices it will list whether the device runs in the cloud. If you havenā€™t installed any custom device handlers by going into the IDE then they are standard and should be local.

Start with this FAQ. The process for using custom code is pretty straightforward, basically you will copy the authors code and paste it into your own account. But the FAQ will explain the concepts, the terminology, and the steps in the process. :sunglasses:

So the next question is where do you find the code to copy? Usually the fastest way is to use the quick browse lists in the community ā€“ created wiki. In this case you would look on the HVAC list to find custom code for thermostats.

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Quick_Browse_the_Community-Created_SmartApps_Forum_Section

Some devices will require both a device type handler and a smart app, but if thatā€™s so, the discussion thread will tell you.

Also, if you are trying to connect with a third-party service, which is how the Nexia works, there will be a little more to it because you will probably have to edit the code so that it has the user ID and password for your own account on that service rather than for the original authorā€™s. But again there will be instructions in the thread.

1 Like