[OBSOLETE] ZWN-SC7 Enerwave 7 Button Scene Controller

Sorry to be a bother… I’m not quite sure I understand how to make RM see the ZWN for conditions, triggers or actions? Do I need your button controller smartapp first? So far I just got the ZWN configured and operating with the OP original smartapp. This is my first controller.

But I just received my first minimote so I need to figure out how to configure those buttons as well…

Thanks!

The buttons are available as Trigger events in Rule Machine. So when you Create a New Rule, select Define a Trigger. Then for the 1st Capability select Button.

For ZWN-SC7 you will need to select 7 as the number of buttons. For the Minimote, 4 is the default. Each button on the ZWN-SC7 can be pushed only. Each of the 4 buttons on a Minimote can be pushed or held.

Oh my I feel a bit foolish. I’ve gotten so used to using rules as opposed to triggers that I was looking through available conditions instead of triggers. Conditions and actions must not see the buttons, but sure enough there it was under triggers.

Of course I’m using virtual switches for most of the 7 buttons anyway so the conditions and actions can just change those based on the triggers in RM.

Thanks again Bruce!

ST noob question here after reading this thread from the beginning - advice needed for “virtual 3-way switch functionality”

About eleven years ago I remodeled my entire home & installed a boatload (over 50) high-end Leviton “old school” X-10 light switches (HCM10-1TW). My brilliant idea at the time was not to run traditional “3-wire” for 3-way switches anywhere. I instead used these “virtual 3-way” switches in such places like at the top of a set of stairs (HCC4A-1TW) where I needed to turn on/off a set of light switches that were at the bottom of the stairway - standard 3-way switch stuff here. The HCC4A-1TW is just a controller device sitting in a 1 or 2 gang box that has electricity.

Fast forward now 11 years later - X-10 is basically dead, my old switches don’t support LED, etc. I knew Smart Things along with Z-wave was a great match so I have just been waiting for the right time for things to mature.

So now my Smart Things noob question;

If I don’t want to use the ZWN-SC as a “direct replacement” for my old X-10 HCC4A-1TWs can I use an extra z-wave compatible switch (say a WD500Z-1) at the top of my stairs to simply fire off a macro when pushed that would then turn off/on/toggle three other switches that do have lights connected (say at the bottom of my stairs)?

I did read this entire thread and it seems that at least in recent months the ZWN-SC7-W is for the most part behaving for most people along with the virtual-buttons app (or whatever it is in ST speak - again I am a noob). Sounds like with that in place each button can be mapped to a function.

So my plan in a perfect world would be to use a standard WD500Z-1 wall switch as a “basic toggle” for simple use cases as a replacement for a standard 3-way switch provided the switch can be used as some sort of macro trigger. For more complex areas I would use the ZWN-SC7-W to do basally the same thing but have more buttons.

Will this work?

Thanks

Replying to my own post here because the forum only allows noobs to place three hyperlinks in a post :).

I found this WT00Z-1 Linear Z-Wave 3-Way Wall Accessory Switch that is supposed to work nicely with the WD500Z-1 switches I have been looking at.

Checkout this feedback post on Amazon

It took me a while to completely understand how this thing worked but I love it now that I understand it. In order to pair this device directly with another linear Z-wave wall switch, you need to have some type of Z-wave remote that will pair them up. However, depending on what smart hub you’re using, you may not need to do this. I use Samsung SmartThings. Instead of pairing this accessory switch with my Linear WD500Z, I just used “Smart Lights” to control the WD500Z with this switch. In other words, when I turn this switch on, SmartThings turns the WD500Z on. When I turn this switch off, SmartThings turns the WD500Z off.

I have this switch at the top of my basement stairs. I have it set so that when I turn this switch on, it turns on the stairs light AND the basement lights. Since I’m using SmartThings to control what happens when I control this accessory switch, I can make anything happen when I use it. The possibilities are endless.

So it seems that my quest for a “basic toggle” can be satisfied with this -BUT - ironically this thing costs $1 MORE than the load carrying WD500Z-1 switch! So could I still use the WD500Z-1 for the same purpose?

EDIT - OK I did some more research and think I know more now but I still need some help. Take a look at the last post / explanation in this thread by JDRoberts.

Basically the “scene controllers” (including the WT00Z-1 and ZWN-SC7-W) have the ability to communicate DIRECTLY to the switches with nearly instantaneous off/on response. This is important because the v2 ST hub still doesn’t support local processing yet (really?) not to mention what happens if the internet connection is down.

The key here seems to be first establishing this direct connection with a scene controller device & its associated switches and THEN using the Smart Things hub as a secondary communication mechanism. This seems like the the best of both worlds without trade-offs.

From what I am reading all of this seems to be possible but the exact recipe and steps aren’t clear. For instance I think I need one of those Minimotes to establish the direct connection but then I can somehow dissociate it so the ST controller can take over but in such a way that the direct connection initially still sticks.Not sure however if this causes state confusion when the button is pressed at the scene controller.

Am I getting all of this right?

Not exactly, but we’re getting pretty far off topic for this thread.

Let’s use the following thread instead. If after reading it you still have any questions, just post them there. :sunglasses:

Hi Mark,
In my experience the if you send a color change command to a group of LIFX bulbs only one will change color. However if you set it to a color temperature then all of them will change. Also if you want them on and dimmed to a certain level, don’t turn on and set dim xx, just dim xx and they will power up at the appropriate level (as opposed to powering up at the previous level and dimming up/down).

Sean

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the information. Can I use Color Temperature to change to a color (i.e. Blue, Green, Red)? Or is Color temperature only related to White color? The tip on Dim is very useful too! thanks.

Mark

It’s just the temperature (2000 - 7000? – white) and it correlates with the LIFX app (although sometimes I’ll end up with a bulb off by like 40 or so).

Got it - thanks Sean.

I bought a ZWN-SC7 last week and installed it today. It’s working now but couldn’t get it to work for a while. Basically it all came down to me not following instructions.

Whenever i get new devices i always add the device type, then the smart app (if needed) before going and doing anything with the device - that was my problem. After pairing the device to my ST v2 hub it asked me to add a smartapp, so i added the custom one. This is where the problem was, the smartapp was only allowing me to configure 4 buttons. Eventually i deleted the smartapp that was added to the device during setup and re-added it. When i re-added it the wording and everything was completely different. This time it let me setup all 7 buttons, and they all worked after that.

Not sure if it’s anywhere in your steps (i don’t read instructions, remember?) but you should put in there that if you add the smartapp after adding the device type, you should NOT link the device to the smartapp during the inital setup. You should then go to add a smartapp and connect the device to it. Or, you could always follow the instructions as laid out at the top of the post which would allow you to avoid all the problems i had. :slightly_smiling:

Thank you for all the work that was put into getting this device to work, now going to go and order 3 more of these devices.

I have ran through this setup 100 times now with no luck. Tried including, even excluding (although it never included) and i cannot seam to get this to work. When holding the large button and pressing top left, middle, bottom left it blinks three times slowly and then five times quickly. Nothing I can do seems to pair this to the hub. Am I missing something? EDIT - Just noting that the app was in the add new device mode.

I went through the long suggestion post previous with no luck. Using those steps I have verified that the device is not paired by pressing button 1 and watching all the lights flash. A lot of other suggestions are that the mesh is weak. I have over 40 z-wave devices and there is a switch in the same bank that is working perfectly fine (GE). I have ran the z-wave repair twice now and nothing seems to work. I have also tired the breaker off for a minute. Quite frustrating.

I could be mistaken but I -think- initial pairing is with the hub and not through other zwave devices (such as your nearby switch). I had one SC7 that was a pain to pair as well and I think I ended up moving the ST hub closer temporarily. I’ve had to do that with a few devices. Is this your only SC7 unit? To pair mine, I hold the big button until button 1 lights up, then press 1, 3, and 5 (the 3 and 5 will light up in sequence).

EDIT-- I let go of the large button (button 7) after button one lights up. Not clear in your post if you are holding it down all the time/etc

Appreciate the response. I do let go of the button and do the 1,3,5 sequence. I wasn’t sure about the mesh or not, but other posts seemed to imply that it might use the mesh to pair. Either way, in the same box I had installed a GE z-wave on/off and that paired instantly with the hub in its current location. That is not to say I won’t move the hub and try to pair. Oddly, I have not done this before nor needed to. If I move the hub closer to the location, does it need to have an Ethernet connection or can you put it in pair mode and just move the device closer so that it pairs?

I have some powerline-ethernet adapters that I used when I had to move my hub temporarily. I guess you could just move the SC7 if you can wire it closer. One thing…are you sure it didn’t pair? I had one switch that I spent days trying to pair. Turns out it paired but I didn’t notice it (android app crashed likely as it always does). LOL if you need a few more let me know. I ordered one SC7 but changed the order to 2. Well all I did as add a 2 for the quantity so now I have 12!

1 Like

If I can get one working then maybe. It’s not paired for sure (according to lights). I moved hub. I have now emailed the manufacturer assuming that the radio is bad or something else hardware related. Appreciate your help.

It appears to not use mesh for pairing, but after pairing it will. Thus any interference during pairing, like a metal enclosures/boxes/covers, cut antenna wire, multi walls or distance to hub, will be catistradic to initial setup. Use an old power cord and connect directly to the device and plug in near the hub and retry. If you get to a point where only button one appears to work, then you are actually paired and have a config/setup issue vs pairing. Ensure device is unpaired and factory reset prior to pairing, seems best when done with a remote like a GE45600 that gives you a visual indication of unpairing. A great device, once paired and configured. Plug in directy (no elclosure or box mounting) within 5-10 feet of hub, too close can cause issues too. Despite many issues, I have not heard of any bad devices after all is said and done. I think factory testing sequence could be an issue, have received new devices already paired, if already paired, it will not pair again.

1 Like

Hello Gang
I’m pretty new to the home automation scene so bear with me if you can.

I have a ver 2 hub & a bunch of switches , door sensors and a couple of minimotes. Everything seems to be working just dandy.

Mt problem… I just purchased a zwn-sc7 controller & I have it paired to my hub. That’s as far as I could get… Now I’m stuck.

I have not installed the smartapp needed to operate this unit & am not sure I know how. Everything I have installed in the past was pretty straightforward as all the apps were readily available.

I pretty much need someone to guide me threw this installation regarding the installation of the app needed to operate this controller.

If someone can give me a hand, I would be eternally grateful.

This should get you started:

And this explains more about the development environment:
http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=Using_Custom_Code#Using_a_Custom_Device_Handler

Don’t know if I’m on the right track or not but have tried to add a new smart from code using app from mattjfrank & when I copy the text a get this error (below) & cannot proceed any further

startup failed: script1458409962921544919697.groovy: 12: unexpected token: name @ line 12, column 8. 12 name: “ZWN-SC7 Button Controller”, ^ 1 error