Has anyone had experience with this inexpensive Z-wave controller and gotten it to work with the ST Hub?
http://www.amazon.com/GE-45600-Z-Wave-Handheld-Remote/dp/B0013V6RW0/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1394561714&sr=1-11&keywords=z+wave+switch
I’ve seen the Aeon Key Fob and Minimote in the Device Type lists. Has anyone used these successfully?
The GE 45600 is supported as a secondary controller, i.e. you will be able to turn devices on and off using the remote, if you include these devices with the remote and use your ST hub as a primary controller. However, last I heard was that the remote does NOT send commands to the ST hub, i.e. you will not be able to do cool things like handle remote button presses in a SmartApp. I don’t know if this has changed recently. I bet @duncan could give you more details.
It works perfectly for me. I’ve used this one and this one.
You have to add it to your ST network first, and it works as a secondary controller.
I’d like to use it as a hardware controller for the Philips Hue lights in my bedroom. Can I use it as a switch to tell ST to turn on/off/dim the Hue bulbs or will it only work with z-wave devices?
Have been using a two Minimotes for a couple of months and they work great! Both button pressed and button held events can be used for each of the four buttons. These events are received directly by ST.
As an example I have set up Minimote #1 to switch on four different sets of lights when button 1-4 is clicked, and to turn the same lights off when button 1-4 is held. Minimote #2 I have configured as an “elderly care” remote where button #1 clicked sends an “I’m ok” push message while either button held will send an “I need help!” message as push-message and text message.
Since you can use the buttons on a Minimote to trigger up to eight different ST events I believe it would be easy to control Philips Hue lights as well (even if I have never tried).
I have only tried it using it with Z-wave switches. With it acting as a secondary controller, I don’t know if it communicates with the ST hub and you could create a virtual switch that is a master and have the hue bulbs be a slave to that.
I’ll try to do that with a Wemo switch and see if I can get that to work, because that would be similar.
@rikard how did you get the minomote set up? The documentation is terrible and I’m not able to get scenes working with it.
@huntb After you add the Minimote to the SmartThings hub, adjust the device type to “Aeon Minimote”. Thereafter you create a SmartApp that subscribes to the buttonPushed and buttonHeld events. This is the code that I use. It allows for selection of multiple switches to each of the four buttons. Pushing the button turns all switches ON, holding the button turns switches OFF. From this starting point it is easy to build more elaborate actions if you so desire. Hope this helps!
/**
* Minimote
*
* Author: Rikard
* Date: 2014-01-10
*/
preferences {
section("Select an Aeon Minimote...") {
input "minimote", "capability.Button", multiple: false
}
section("Button 1 controls these switches...") {
input "switches1", "capability.switch", multiple: true
}
section("Button 2 controls these switches...") {
input "switches2", "capability.switch", multiple: true, required: false
}
section("Button 3 controls these switches...") {
input "switches3", "capability.switch", multiple: true, required: false
}
section("Button 4 controls these switches...") {
input "switches4", "capability.switch", multiple: true, required: false
}
}
def installed()
{
subscribe(minimote, "button.pushed", buttonPushedHandler)
subscribe(minimote, "button.held", buttonHeldHandler)
}
def updated()
{
unsubscribe()
subscribe(minimote, "button.pushed", buttonPushedHandler)
subscribe(minimote, "button.held", buttonHeldHandler)
}
def buttonPushedHandler(evt) {
log.debug "$evt.name: $evt.value, data: $evt.data, descriptionText: $evt.descriptionText"
if (evt.data == '{"buttonNumber":1}') {
switches1*.on()
} else if (evt.data == '{"buttonNumber":2}') {
switches2*.on()
} else if (evt.data == '{"buttonNumber":3}') {
switches3*.on()
} else if (evt.data == '{"buttonNumber":4}') {
switches4*.on()
}
}
def buttonHeldHandler(evt) {
log.debug "$evt.name: $evt.value, data: $evt.data, descriptionText: $evt.descriptionText"
if (evt.data == '{"buttonNumber":1}') {
switches1*.off()
} else if (evt.data == '{"buttonNumber":2}') {
switches2*.off()
} else if (evt.data == '{"buttonNumber":3}') {
switches3*.off()
} else if (evt.data == '{"buttonNumber":4}') {
switches4*.off()
}
}
Thanks, this is great! Had it set up at working perfectly last night
Actually, it worked very well and just curious if this can be modified to allow toggle options so single button press could initial on and off. Probably take more programming especially if I’m trying to use long press for something completely different.
Either way, thanks for code sample and love having a backup interface for my ST. Sorli…
Is it possible to use the “minimote” to force all the lights that are “on” on ST hub to turn off? My use case is to have some lights to turn on automatically on movement but have a way of overriding them to be off if I wanted to (to sleep for example).
It can be used with it. I would recommend the 45601 advanced controller with an LCD screen that makes it easier to use. I have posted instructions on how to integrate the 45601 into STs and use it as a secondary controller. Then it can be programmed to turn lights on and off and more importantly, configure GE Z wave switches to load sense.
With the latest firmware update and iOS update, you can use “Button Controller” to set up the minimote. With this version of the SmartApp, it knows the state of the switch and can toggle lights on and off (rather than using separate buttons on the minimote to be programmed to on and off commands separately).
I would highly recommend using the minimote over the GE remote.
Keep in mind the GE remote is only zwave capable and will be used as a secondary controller. This means that it will be “talking” to the ST hub but the devices directly. In addition, you can only control zwave devices, so zigbee or IP devices can not be toggled on/off - quirky strip for example.
hi all…
i have the ge 45600 and i use the aeon 6106 to control the lights. i cant get the ge rememote to work at all… i tried sensing it with smarthings and then tried to follow the instructions to link it directly to the aeon… any thoughts on how to set this up as a secondary controller?
I am new to the home automation scene, could someone please leave instructions on how to connect the GE 45601 remote to work with ST.
I have three light switches currently control by it, Thank you
@leogreene You’ll need to add it as a secondary controller to ST. The 3 switchs will need to be added to ST first, and then you add the remote as a slave to ST.
This is the post I had used a while ago.
Can you tell me how to add the GE remote to the ST hub? The GE directions are criminally poor; they only talk about adding lights and groups and such. Thanks.
You are going to want to follow the instructions for “Copying Information to this Remote”:
Thanks for the response.
It didn’t work. No dice at all.
I’m convinced that ZWave is not a standard; it’s a goal. Every Zwave device I’ve owned has required a custom kabuki dance to get it to work, if I could get it to work.
No longer interested in making this remote work. It shouldnt be this hard. Sending back.
Thanks again.
I just picked up one of the 45600 remote… well 2 of them actually. When Smart Things service went out the other evening, I realized that I needed a secondary means of control, so I found these on eBay for about $8.50 delivered.
The paperwork is cryptic when discussing tying these into existing Zwave setups, so I did some research and ended up here. Duncan got me headed in the right direction with his post, above. It takes a combination of of his info and the owner’s manual and a little guessing to make it work.
Open your Smart Things app and go into add things mode. This will open the communication between the Controller and the 45600.
Ok, now lets put the 45600 into Secondary Controller mode,
Now lets copy the network settings to the remote.
Now, if you push the “Lights” button, then push the “All” button and hit the 1 - ON button, all of the lights and switches connected to your Smart Things should turn on. Woohoo! You know its talking now =)
Ok, its not working correctly yet, but you’re almost there. Now your remote is in Secondary Controller mode, and its on the same network settings as you Smart Things hub. Now you can follow the directions in the GE Remote’s Setup Manual to setup the individual lights, groups and Scenes!
Good Luck!!
-sean