What is considered a "dimmer" in smartthings app?

In creating a simple automation to turn a lamp on to 10%, what does the smartthings app consider a “dimmer”? Turn on these lights set to a lamp, set dimmers to this level. Does that set the bulb I just turned on to the dim level I set?

Not sure if I am understanding what you are asking but if you have a dimming outlet or a bulb that has the capability of dimming, then it treats that as a dimmer. You can set a dimming percentage in the device, scene or overall dimming in the routines.

1 Like

Thanks for the reply Kirk. The section of the app isn’t too clear on this. I have hue bulbs that can dim, but as it appears in the app it’s vague. You have Turn on these lights, turn off these lights, set dimmers to this level, set the thermostat. It would appear as though this automation gives you choices as to what to control but doesn’t consider the light I assigned as a dimmer, but rather lets you control a dimmer separately. Doesn’t show the ability to set the dimmer of the bulb itself but rather a separate dimmer?

Are you talking about the scenes section or the routine section?

In Routine, it is a little lower in the routine as a level you can set all dimming devices to.

In Scenes, you have to add Brightness to the device you add to the scene in addition to on or off.

For me, I like having individual control over dimming level on my routines, like when it is time to bed, I turn my nightstand to 30% and my kitchen under cabinet light to 10%. You cannot do that on a routine. So, I create a “good night” scene that I call up on my Goodnight Weekends and Goodnight Weeknights routines (set at different times and days of the week) for that scene.

By the way, if you have bulb color, that is something you add as another thing in the device in scenes.

This is Automation, Routines, New Routine. These are just white bulbs, no color. Seems in routine creation you get preset choices to either turn on specific lights, turn off specific lights. I just noticed though that the “set dimmers to this level” doesn’t appear until I’ve selected the bulb, so it must apply this dimming level to that bulb rather than “dimmerS”

Strange wording used here, should say something like Brightness or set “dimmer” to this level rather than “dimmers”. Makes it look like they’re talking about multiple dimmers when a bulb only has the one in it.

1 Like

With dimmers you don’t have to turn them on and then set to a level. Simply setting them to the level you want will both turn them on and set them to the level. This is so that they don’t turn on too brightly if you want them low. For example, I have a dimmer set to 90% and turn it off. The dimmer “remembers” the level it was at so if I turn it back on again, it goes back to 90%. So, if i were to turn it on then set level to 10% it would turn on 90% then dim down 10%. However, if, while it was off, I set the dimmer to 10% it will brighten from 0 to 10%. You only see the dimmers once you have selected a device which is capable of dimming and you don’t need to also list them under the switches to turn on.