I use a zoOZ ZEN20 power strip to control a set of lighting in my home office. It is plugged into a wall socket that is controlled by the light switch as you enter the room. Basically, you flip the switch and the devices attached to the ZEN20, three lava lamps and a standard desk lamp, are powered up.
Because of the amount produced by the lava lamps, I wanted them to turn themselves off automatically if the temperature in the room got above 72°. So I created a small program that does this. The problem is that if it turns them off, the next time I enter the office and flipped the switch to lava lamps will remain off. Basically what I need is a way for ST to understand I have now powered on the ZEN20 so that it can turn on all of the attached devices. Such a simple thing.
However, as we are in the fall of our discontent and features are being taken away without anything to replace them other than a promise that someday we will be given a new API that will have the commands we need, everything option I thought of trying is no longer available. I even gone so far as to try to use consumption of electricity by the power strip or the or the desk lamp as a trigger, however that is a continually shifting beast.
Anyone have an ideas of how to do this? Simply put, I want the power strip to turn on everything when it’s power has been returned. I need a way for ST to detect that the power has been returned to the power strip and trigger this switching.
If you’re using the Device Handler zooz supplies then this is available as a configuration setting in the app:
With that said, you shouldn’t be cutting power to this device. Any time you cut power to it, any device that is routing through it via your z-wave mesh will go offline.
As @Automated_House suggested, your overall network stability will improve if you treat the power strip like a typical smart bulb and do not Cut power to it completely. That way it can continue to function as a Z wave repeater. Of course, if you don’t have any other Z wave devices, then it won’t matter.
You can add an inexpensive smart switch cover like the one from gocontrol, model WA00Z. It’s typically on sale at www.zwaveproducts.com for less than $15.
No wiring is required, this is just a battery operated device that fits over the top of the existing switch.
That way you can still turn the power strip on and off from the wall but you won’t actually cut the power to it so it can still act as a repeater.
Never really considered the repeater aspect flipping the power strip off. It is wired in as it is because of what Outlets are available where.
As for the settings, thank you very much. I guess I was looking too deep and I missed what was on the third line of the settings. I kind of wish they had the same option available for each individual plug.
It took me a while to remember how I wound up with this configuration of equipment that I have. Like most, when I have a need, I tack something on without going back to redesign everything. That is the way this Zen20 wound up as part of the network.
I really didn’t need a smart switch. I just needed the standard power strip that I could turn off and on to handle these lava lamps. In my closet I had a Zen20 I had removed from a rack of equipment I had consolidated I had consolidated I had consolidated and because it was the only power strip I had, I put it into service.
It wasn’t until later that I decided turning the lava lamps automatically when the temperature gets too high might be a good thing. Suddenly, I had a piece of equipment in the middle that did matter. . Basically, a better solution would be to replace the Zen20 him for the standard power strip and plug it into a smart plug. Done.
When I was the director of IT in Europe and Africa I had a tech who used to take a week of leave every year to completely destroy and rebuild his home network. Not only that, he would reformat and rebuild all of his own computers. Since he did a lot of experimental stuff, it was probably a good idea to start from scratch now and then.
Recemtly, when I redesigned my SmartThings network, I re-created the network for my entire house except my home office. Lesson learned, you should always begin a rebuild with the parts you’re sitting on top of.
That smart plug is still a repeater, though, so cutting power to it may still damage your mesh. Unless, of course, you use a Wi-Fi smart plug, then there’s no repeater issue.
