Note: The following assumes you have already setup IFTTT within SmartThings.
Step 1 - Use the SmartThings IDE to add a virtual switch tile.
- In the IDE go to “My Devices”
- Click the “+ New Device” button
- On the “Create Device” screen, give it a name (e.g. “Master
Switch”), a device network ID (e.g. “MasterSwitch”), set the Type to
"On/Off Button Tile" and set the Location to the appropriate
location from the drop down list, then click the “Create” button.
Step 2 - Allow IFTTT to use the new virtual switch
- In the SmartThings app on your phone, from the Dashboard go to
"SmartThings Internal" and tap the IFTTT tile. - When the IFTTT app opens, open the “Which Switches” option and
tick the entry against the virtual switch you created in step 1.
Step 3 - Connect your virtual switch to your real switches
- In the SmartThings app on your phone, in the dashboard, scroll all
the way to the button and press the “+” button. - At the top, scroll the horizontal list of options (which starts with
"Things") across to “More” In the list below, select
"Convenience" - Scroll down to find and then select the “The Big Switch” SmartApp
(the description reads “Turn on and off a collection of lights based
on the state of a specific switch”). - Click the “Install” button
- For the “Where?” setting, select the virtual switch you created
in Step 1 - Scroll down and set the rest of the options as you see fit (i.e. set
which switches should be turned on or off, etc., when the Master
switch is turned on, etc.).
That’s it - you now have a virtual switch which is visible in your IFTTT channel which, when turned on, will cause your selected real switches (or other virtual switches…) to turn on or off as you see fit.
There is, though, one big gotcha - there can be significant latency in IFTTT - it can take up to fifteen minutes between the triggering event and IFTTT then turning on your switch. Unfortunately this is just the way IFTTT works; there’s nothing you can do about it if you’re going to use IFTTT.