SmartThings In Wall Scene Controller?

I have read a number of post on this topic and it seems like there are not many options for the requirements I have. Devices that met this requirements have been discontinued (Enerwave ZWN-SC7). Please share any options you can think of, I am aware of battery operated remotes, using multi senor (cube), ActionTiles, all of which my wife does not like. She likes a simple “switch” on the wall.

  • Wall mounted single gang box (Newer home with neutral), does not have to be main powered

  • Minimum of 4 scene selector

  • Works well with GE (Z-Wave Switches), Phillips Hue, ans SmartThings

The Leviton VRCS4 is exactly what you describe. It works with SmartThings, it is mains powered, it has 4 buttons, it’s a clean simple design in a one gang box. You can label the buttons or not as you like, it comes plain. You can buy it from Home Depot, which often has the lowest price, probably because of all the other Leviton items they sell.

It works as a “button controller” – – when you press a button, a message is sent to the hub, which can then run any rule you set up, including one for Hue lights or whatever. You can also have a scene which combines anything that SmartThings can control, so you could have a group of two hue lights, one GE switch, and change the mode all with one button push. :sunglasses:

The only real downside is that it’s expensive – – often around $150. And you will need to use custom code to make it work, but quite a few people use it.

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Make sure you get the one with an S, not the one with a Z. The one with a Z does not work with SmartThings for some complex technical reasons. So VRCS4, not VRCZ4. (S for Scene, Z for Zone, you want the S.)

You can talk to people who are using it in the following thread:

It’s a well engineered device, and I think it’s a good choice, but some people do balk at the price.

There are a couple of other possibilities, but nothing else that I think fits your description as well, so I’ll leave it at that for now. :sunglasses:

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Thank You, this does fit the requirements, $125 wow! That might push me to get creative, or convince the wife that a wall mounted iPad is a good thing.

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Home Depot typically has it for about $110, and of course you can use the regular store coupons there which might bring it down an extra 10 or $15 depending on the coupon.

If you want to buy four or more, ask at the customer service desk if they’ll give you a volume discount, some stores will and some won’t.

If you want to take a look at some other options, check out the buttons FAQ, I think everything is in there. But there’s nothing else that fits your description as well.

Wall mounted iPad=Expensive! There are many low price tablets out there that will fit the bill. Couple that with SmartTiles and you have a totally customizable button, switch or whatever controller. You will just have to be a little creative on how you mount it for aesthetics.

I recently purchased 4 Fire Tablets 7" for under $100.

YMMV!

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Yeah, I have a couple of the kids old Ipad mini’s i can use, but my research on wall mounting led me to:

  • Very expensive (Iport, Iwalldock)

  • Questionable and cheap brackets

  • Custom drywall framing and mounting work.
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If you only need four buttons, you can use a Wi-Fi phone. You can typically get those at Walmart for right around $20, but there are even a couple you can get from Amazon for about $25. You just don’t activate the calling plan. :sunglasses:

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The Aeon wallmote is also worth considering, except the battery life seems to suck. So you might get need to get creative on that part.

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

The Lutron pico 4 button controller is perfect once you have it set up. Battery-operated, but it’s a 10 year battery, and each individual device is cheap. The problem with that one is that it doesn’t work with the official SmartThings integration, so you have to set up another device like a laptop or a raspberry pi as a "man in the middle. So once you have it set up, it’s a nice button, but the set up is a lot of work. Still, if you need a bunch of them, even with the extra server it’s probably cheaper than the Leviton’s.

https://www.smarthome.com/lutron-pj2-4b-wh-l01p-4-button-pico-remote-pro-w-dual-light-white.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI667cvJ341wIVkv5kCh1oxwjdEAkYBiABEgJZRfD_BwE

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Just be aware that this option has a fairly complex technical set up requirement.

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Thanks again, very helpful. I think I am leaning towards to Aeon wallmote. I will just have to deal with the usb charging every 90 days.

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I bought the Aeon wallmote, it is slick looking, simple to install. I will see how long battery last before needing to charge (micro usb).

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Amazon has a sale right now for 2 fire HD tablets for $100. Another option is grabbing an Inovelli scene switch. The Inovelli switch looks like regular decora rocker and can control up to (i think) 8 scenes with various multiple button clicks. Integrates perfectly with ST and the Inovelli DH. All this and you can use it for 3-way and 4-way wiring, as well. I think it’s worth the look. I bought mine on Amazon about 2 weeks ago.

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I have two of these and they are great. Eric and Jason at Inovelli were very helpful when I was setting it up. Best part about using it as a 3-way switch is you only need one…it works with the existing slave switch.

I have a couple questions about the “Leviton VRCS4” switch. Please pardon my noob…

  1. Will the little LED indicator, that shows what scene is selected, time out and turn off? For example, if I had a “dark or night scene” and didn’t want the little LED shining on the wall, can i configure it to be disabled or time out after 2 minutes? Otherwise, how bright is it in a dark room?

  2. The way that I would like to use this is to essentially hardwire all of my lights within the switch junction box in order to be powered all the time. Then install Phillips Hue bulbs and bridge. Then configure scenes for each button that will utilize ST in order to configure the right Hue scene that has been programmed for that action. I would power the switch from the AC within the switch junction box as well.

  3. Assuming that question 2 accomplishes what I am looking for, can I set priority or authority for this switch that will supersede any scene that is already running? For example, if the lighting scheme is currently running a “dusk” scene…if I decide I want to watch a movie, can I select the movie switch button and have it override the “dusk” scene with the “movie” scene…then assuming that the automatic “bedtime” scene is scheduled to be activated during the middle of the movie, however because the “movie” scene is still active from the switch, it will wait until there is no active scene from the switch and then resume the previously automatically scheduled scene? (sorry for the complexity of the question, I feel like I need to make a flow chard of what I want to accomplish and someone can help me understand what I need hardware for and what the software can handle).

The downside of this is if ST is not connected or any bulb/switch loses connection, then I will have no control, however I would like to attempt a solution as elegant as this.

Hi guys - I am looking for an in-wall scene controller, exacty like the discontinued Enerwave 7 button controller (https://www.amazon.com/Enerwave-ZWN-SC7-Controller-7-Button-REQUIRED/dp/B00RY4LP5Y). I have this Enerwave now and it looks great and has the functionality I want (plus it is in black which is a requirement). However the device type / controller seems to be buggy, as it often sends two or three repeats on just a single button press. I was hoping that by now (it’s been a while since I looked) that there would be some new in-wall controllers on the market, but doesn’t appear to be the case? More details about the bug are here: ZWN-SC7 Enerwave 7 Button Scene Controller . Thanks!

This is exactly the setup I am thinking of doing. Did you get it to work?

I just got several Zooz Double Switches. ( ZEN30) for under $40 each.

It’s a double switch and the paddle can be used to trigger scenes via hold, double press, triple, release, etc.