Wall Switch Controlling Multiple Lamps?

Wiki Projects & Stories
#1

Hey all, I’m hoping you can give me a hand with this little dilemma.

I have an overhead light in my dining room controlled by a traditional wall switch. I’ve also got 4 lamps scattered around the room that provide additional light. Those lamps all use GE LED smartbulbs and are paired with my SmartThings hub. What I’d like to do is just set it up so that when I turn on the dining room light, the lamps pop on. I also want everything to look “stock” so I would like to continue using a light switch that looks like a normal lightswitch. Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

-First, I put another GE smartbulb in my overhead light. Then I wrote a script so that when the bulb turned on, it would also turn on the lamps. No dice. Turns out the bulb seems to only register as being ‘on’ when it’s actually turned on from the hub. When you just power up the bulb, my hub doesn’t realize that it’s on.

-Second attempt was to use an Aeon Labs microswitch. I installed that in the box behind the toggle switch. Well, now I can turn the overhead lights on and off with the hub but I still can’t get the hub to actually read a “status” from that switch. If I flip the wall mounted light switch on, the overhead lights pop on but the hub still shows them as being ‘off’.

What do you all think? Is there an easy way to get my lamps to turn on using a standard, in-wall type toggle switch?

#2

I would think the Aeon micro would report it’s state? I only recently installed one and haven’t tested this out yet. Possibly it’s not using the correct DTH?
Now you have me wondering about mine.

Are you using the micro to control the light with the toggle switch feeding signal to the micro switch? Did you possibly somehow bypass the micro when using the wall switch.

Sorry for asking questions just hard to help when I can’t physically see what your doing.

#3

(I have moved this to the projects section so that you can get answers specific to your own set up.)

One thing I wasn’t sure about: do you have a neutral wire at the light switch?

Also, how far away is the hub?

I’m confused about why the other lamps didn’t follow the GE bulb, they definitely should have. What routine/smart app are you using to create that affect?

Not all bulbs report when they first receive power, but the GE links do. That’s one reason I’m asking how far away this room is from the hub? So, I would rather see you get a different solution because smart bulbs are designed to be always powered on, if you are continually cutting power to them you can shorten the life of the Bulb. And with the GE’s there’s an additional problem because they will tend to lose connection with the network.

Anyway, I would think you could definitely get a solution with a switch, I’m just not quite sure what’s happening right now with the status.

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#4

Also, I forgot to ask – – if you toggle the individual lamps (not the overhead fixture) through the SmartThings mobile app, do they go on and off?

#5

Aeon Labs DSA03202 v1 + Command Refill Strips, Medium, Clear, 9-Strips

Not “stock” but will get the job done.

#6

That’s a minimote, it works very well as a handheld controller, but these days not many people are using it as a wall switch.

There are a number of other choices that have been introduced just in the last year, several designed to be mounted on the wall. Some look just like a regular wall switch, others have more of a push button panel look.

If you want to go that route, you can check the remotes and buttons FAQ for the full list. It includes both handheld and wall mount devices. :sunglasses:

#7

To clarify a little further, I have a routine set up. It says “when aeon (dining room) light is on, turn on lamp 1, 2, 3 & 4”. The 4 lamps are all powered on all the time. If I turn on the aeon switch using my app, then all the lamps pop on no problem. But, if I turn on the dining room light using the physical switch, the smartthings hub doesn’t realize the light is on and therefore won’t turn on the lamps. Just as a reminder, the aeon labs microswitch is actually hooked to the physical light switch. It now turns the lights on and off whether it’s triggered from the app or triggered from the old switch. All that to say, I’m not bypassing the aeon microswitch when I use the old light switch.

The hub, aeon switch and all the lamps (with link bulbs) are all in the same room so range shouldn’t be the issue

#8

Do the individual table lamp bulbs come on and off when you toggle those On the Things list in the mobile app?

Can you post the full screenshots of the routine that links them to the microswitch?

If the wall switch is in the off position, can you still toggle the ceiling fixture on by toggling the microswitch on to things list in the mobile app?

Did you set the parameter on the microswitch for instant reporting?

Also, what’s the model number of the microswitch?

#9

JDR

-Yes. I can toggle each one of the GE Link bulbs in the lamps on and off using the app, no problem

-I’ll try to post below

-Yes. The microswitch will receive commands and control the overhead light from the app, or the existing switch entirely independently. If the light switch is off, I can turn the light on and off using the app only; never touching the switch. If I turn the light on with the switch, I can then shut it off with the app. So, the new microswitch is properly pared.

-No… I didn’t set instant reporting. How would I go about doing that?

-I have an aeon labs DSC26103-ZWUS microswitch

-In other news, I actually had enough patience last night to only turn on the overhead light and not switch on everything else with the app. The lamps actually did come on eventually, but it took about 15 minutes before the hub realized the microswitch was in the on position. So evidently my automation is fine, it’s just slow reporting.

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#10

#11

OK, that’s good. You just need to set them to report.

@Mike_Maxwell has a custom device type handler for this which lets you set the reporting parameters, but I can’t find a community discussion thread about it. Hopefully Mike will chime in. :sunglasses:

#12

Yea, I don’t know where the thread is either, might not even be one.
In any event here’s the repo with the aeon device types.

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#13

Just in case you haven’t used custom code with SmartThings before, here’s the FAQ for that. It’s pretty straightforward, basically you can copy Mike’s code from his GitHub and paste it into your own account. :sunglasses:

In this case, you’ll be copying a device type handler. Be sure to read the information notes if there are any in the GitHub in case there are any special instructions.

#14

Thanks JDR and Mike! That sounds like that new device handler will do what I’m looking for. I really appreciate it

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