I’d like to use one dimmer switch to occasionally control all the lights in one room (ones on a second smart switch). Are there any out with this type of feature?
Do you have a smartthings hub and if so which model? And which country are you in ( The device selection does vary somewhat)
The short answer is that any smartthings – compatible switch which natively supports double tap (that is, it is a feature of the switch provided by the manufacturer) can send a message to the smart things hub which can then send a message to any other switch on your SmartThings account. So this is easy as long as you choose a model which supports double tap. 
In the US, some examples are the newest GE zwave switches, The newest homeseer Z wave switches, the Remotec battery operated Zwave keypad, etc.
In the UK, popp and develo both have Z wave switches that support double tap. There are some others as well.
The Fibaro inwall micro, available for several different countries including the US and the UK, can also do something similar.
Thanks JD, I have the Smartthings V3.0. The double tap is perfect but it seems MFG’s like GE don’t always advertise the capability.
JD, Also, If I want to use the GE’s as an aux switch that only commands the main switch via the smart hub (No load, no physical connection like a Lutron Pico). Can I make the Aux command the Master on one click via the Smartthings hub? (I’m adding backyard flood lights but can’t get traveler wires (But I have other swiches for power tapping) to the desired location.
I’m sorry, I’m a little confused about what you’re asking.
Lutron pico devices Are excellent auxiliaries for their own master, but they are battery powered options for the auxiliary. So were you asking about a battery powered auxiliary? There are quite a few, because again, anything which can send a message to the hub can be used for this purpose. But it didn’t sound like that’s what you were looking for the first time around.
Second, if you aren’t going to connect the auxiliary to a load, then why do you need double tap? What are you going to use the single Tap for?
Typically, double tap is used when you have zone lighting. For example, if you have a basement rec room which is very large and you Want to create zone lighting off of one switch So that the regular single tap turns on all the lights in the room, but the double tap only turns on the lights by the stairs but not over by the home theater I have and then you could use smart bulbs throughout and control them with single or double tap to create the zones. That way guests or first responders who just hit the light switch will turn on all the lights in the room. People who live in the home will know that they can only light the staircase with the double tap.
Yard lights are another popular use case. Single tap turns on the porch light, double tap turns on the yard lights on all four sides of the house. Stuff like that.
So what are you planning to use the single tap on this switch for?
Hi JD
First Thanks for the help! I’m technical but the literature out there is just for standard questions. I’m not seeking battery power (Already have enough smoke detectors to keep me busy). The simple answer is I am adding floodlights and want to be able to turn them on from up to five different back doors (Yep the house is crazy with back doors). I have other switches at the doors but none for the floods as that is a new install and I don’t want to connect them all via hardwire. But I can get power for switches in those locations so no need for batteries. What I’d like are smart switches for all five locations with one as the one the load is on (I can get to one location via the attic to put a switch and run power to the lights) and the other four to be only connected to power and use the hub to turn on the lights on a single tap. You said most could do it on a double tap but in this case, I want it on the first tap and switches that have no load attached. (Well not such a simple explanation) Maybe this would be a good choice
Zoos
OK, so I understand you just want a mains-powered dummy switch at four locations and all five of the locations are going to turn on the same set of lights, right?
So then you don’t really need the double tap at all, right? Just each of the five switches should turn on the same outdoor lights? Or am I just confused again?
Also, Do your outside lights support dimming? ( most outdoor lights don’t, but some do.)
Make sure you check for any devices you’re considering that dimming is supported both from the master and the auxiliaries if you want dimming. That’s not true of all brands.
Zooz is the house brand for the smartest house. They are very popular both because of features and cost. They have staff members who are active in this forum as well if you have any specific questions for them.
So I’m sorry to be so dense on this but just spell it out again for me. You have one master location and four accessory locations. The master controls one circuit branch which handles all of your outside lights. Each accessory location just needs to be able to turn on all of the lights that the master controls. And no other lights. Is all of that right?
The master doesn’t control any other lights either. Just the one circuit branch that has all the outdoor lights on it. Correct?
If all of that is right, don’t you just need a single tap on each switch? If not, what would the single tap do and what would a double tap do on each switch? What am I missing?
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JD, your right on. The lights don’t need dimming and I don’t plan to use the switches for other lights (But at no significant additional cost why lose a feature, maybe I’m not considering a feature to turn on all the exterior lights so the wife can scare the Chupacabra away). I can’t easily run the tracer to all the four other switch locations.
With Home Automation, it’s usually the other way around: solve the current use case and keep it simple and you’ll generally get better reliability and often more responsiveness. If you don’t need dimming, don’t buy a dimmer. JMHO.
Yes, not buying a dimmer, but are some to make the aux switches turn on the light on the first tap verses a double tap do I need to look for something in the switch or is that all configurable VIA the Smartthings hub?
Thanks for tagging us @JDRoberts!
@ChuckvB You can use most Z-Wave switches for this application. Depending on how much Wattage you’re going to have on the flood lights, it’s good to check you’re within specs for the switch that will be directly controlling the load. Otherwise, you can have Z-Wave switches powered (line and neutral needed) at all other locations and an automation set for them to mirror the behavior of the master switch and vice versa. If you decide to go with Zooz, feel free to reach out to us with any specific questions and for detailed programming instructions for the automation.
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