Rule Machine Virtual Switch Help

Apologies for the basic question.

Where are the instructions on how to setup a virtual switch in Rule Machine? I have three OSRAM bulbs that I would like to manually trigger into certain color temperatures. Instead of making a conditional rule, I would like to create a few “scenes” for warm white, cool white, and daylight.

Thanks.

There is nothing special about configuring a virtual switch in RM. They are treated the same as any other switch. I think maybe your question is more “how to configure a virtual switch for use in RM”? It’s a good question, and can be confusing, since ST changed the terminology somewhere along the line. What was previously known as “virtual” now appears in the IDE as “simulated.” Further, there is also “Momentary Button Tile” and “On/Off Button Tile”… both of which are simulated/virtual.

You add a new virtual switch from the IDE at My Devices > +New Device, then select the appropriate device from the scrolling ‘Type’ list. Note that not everything there is a “virtual” device, but all the ones I mentioned earlier are. If all you need is a binary on/off function for controlling with RM, then you probably want “On/Off Button Tile.” Full instructions for adding a virtual device can be found here (it’s for a virtual dimmer, but the procedure is identical).

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Excellent. Thank you. I was trying to do everything in the SmartApp on my mobile device. I appreciate the help getting started.

You can also create virtual switches and/or momentary devices on your mobile phone using SwitchMania: SwitchMania [UPDATED] - create 4 different kinds of virtual switches

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For scene triggering you probably want to go with momentary button tiles. Since they turn themselves back off, they’re ready to be triggered at anytime.

If you go with an on/off switch, you’ll want to have RM turn it off as part of the scene, so it’s ready to turn on next time.

This is exactly what I have done to have an off switch for the house…using a certain someone’s Osram smart app :slight_smile: and RM to reset the virtual switch