Instant Wall Switch for Phillips Hue

Not sure if this should be posted here, figured since it was Hue related it was the appropriate place. I've been looking for a simple Hue "wall switch" solution for a long time. It had to be easy to install, totally wireless, and power independent (didn't want to re-wire my existing switches).

As a former MiCasaVerde Vera user, I used a battery powered z-wave "stick on" wall switch made by Cooper Wiring Devices. It was limited in functionality and would only work reliably with other z-wave devices, but it got the job done.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Wiring-Devices-RF9500AW-Operated/dp/B004I7YSVI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1378266624&sr=8-4&keywords=cooper+wiring+9500

Since switching to Indigo and Nathan's wonderful Hue plug in, z-wave lighting modules became a thing of the past for me. I gained a whole lot of functionality but lost the use of these great switches. Since Indigo 6 now supports z-wave, I decided to try syncing the cooper battery switch. Unfortunately, it wasn't compatible and I was stuck with a whole bunch of switches all over my house.

I contacted Matt, shipped him a switch (along with the Aeon panic button key fob I had), we troubleshooted most of last week, he sent me an updated beta z-wave plug in, and I'm proud to say the Cooper switches (and Aeon panic button) now work with reliably with Indigo! The best part is- you can trigger (as an on/off toggle) Hue bulbs with these switches and Nathan's plug in! They also contain a dimmer rocker next to the main on/off paddle which can also be used to dim hue bulbs.

Sync the switch, stick it to a wall (fresh batteries last about a year), and voila...Instant wall switch for z-wave lights or hue!

These switches don't repeat the z-wave signal, so absent of any other z-wave modules, you will need Aeon repeaters if you plan to use them in areas which are far from your z-wave hub (I use z-stick).

They come in different colors and are a bit expensive but you can't beat the convenience and they don't require any re-wiring.

Matt has advised me that there will be an official Indigo update (6.0.2) which will support the Cooper battery switch and Aeon panic button in about a week or so. Just wanted to thank Matt again for all his hard work and Perceptive for outstanding customer support!

I hope others find this information useful.

(If Perceptive feels this post should be moved to another section, be my guest!)

$129 is an expensive solution for a simple switch / dimmer!

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a very convenient solution, and one that won't confuse guests who might otherwise wonder how to turn on or off the colorful lights.

Yea, it's expensive, but then again, so is anything in the Hue line. $90 (US) for a 6 foot strip of color LEDs isn't exactly reasonable IMO either.

I’ve done something vaguely similar with some LightwaveRF Master Switches (http://www.vesternet.com/lightwaverf-mo ... all-switch) and a RFXtrx433.. it sends a mood command to indigo, which then triggers the desired actions to control the lights in the room.. of course it does mean Indigo needs to be running for it to work but so far i’ve not had any issues and was a nice cheap solution.

That's interesting as well. Is the Lightwave system available in the US? I like having the multi button capability for different triggers.

Does the battery switch have to be paired to an existing wired switch or can it be synced to indigo directly? Can you provide some details of your setup and reliability of the plug in?

That's interesting as well. Is the Lightwave system available in the US? I like having the multi button capability for different triggers.

Does the battery switch have to be paired to an existing wired switch or can it be synced to indigo directly? Can you provide some details of your setup and reliability of the plug in?

At present the lightwave system is only available in the UK. Alas the company them has had a lot of difficulties lately and are getting a bad reputation on shipping new products, so i’d be amazed if they make it out of here in the near future (which is a shame because the finish of all their products is top notch and fairly reliable working components from my experience). That said if you had a 433mhz version of the rfxtrx I don’t see any reason* why you wouldn’t be able to import them.

As for how it works.. simply really.. it sends a signal that the rfxtrx433 picks up, the device with its ID is setup in indigo and when the date last updated is changed it triggers a small python script to invoke the desired result based on the button that was pressed (It sends 1 of 6 different mood settings to the try so they’re all based off of those to run an action group)

*I’m not sure how frequency licensing works in the US, probably a good idea to check you’re allowed to use that bandwidth).

I use a wall mounted RemoteLinc 2, 4 button, which essentially gives me 8 different
lighting scenes which includes a number of Hue bulbs.

Not as nice looking though.

Carl