Any Pico type remote alternatives available for Z wave?

Substantial but not completely different. We're talking about going from direct association to central scene. That's not substantial, that's a complete re-write.

I've used this device. Range is outstanding. Very similar to the Hank:

It Hank uses the Nanomote Hubitat driver actually. So, I'm not surprised they're similar in features.

There really doesn't seem to be anything that fits in the wall plate like the Pico remotes. I'm really on the fence about spending the money on a lutron pro hub just for two dimmers and one pico remote. I was about to buy a few more dimmers from them, and a couple of their other remotes before moving to Hubitat from Wink. Now I think just ditching the few Lutron devices is the best plan. But dang their Pico remotes are cool. I don't want additional remote things laying around or even stuck on walls, just want to use the wall plates that are already there.

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The Lutron Smart Bridge Pro investment is a Trojan horse. As soon as you get it, you realize how cool the Pico are and that you can control ANYTHING with them. They’re inexpensive so you’ll end up buying a bunch of them. We all do. Then if you have Ceiling fans, you can use their controller for that too.

It will cost you more in the long run, but if you really want to, the RGBgenie dimmer and switch modules support Green Energy Zigbee devices. So you can probably control the module with one of these Ecosmart remotes, and then either control the device directly, or control something else based on its state. Or just pair one of the Ecosmart remotes to a bulb you hide away somewhere, and use the bulb state to control other stuff.

But the Lutron Smart Bridge Pro IS worth the investment.

The next closest to a Pico as far as I am concerned is the RGBGenie micro remotes. They mount similar to a Pico, and they are nearly as versatile and don't require an extra hub. That being said, I like the Picos a little more, and they are my first choice whenever possible.

I like the RGBGenie products, and would buy more of these if I wasn't invested so heavily in Lutron's ecosystem. These are Zigbee, so it probably doesn't meet the original Z-wave requirement, but with native drivers, and a built-in Zigbee radio, why not use both frequencies?

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That's an interesting point about the Smart Bridge. I keep thinking the Picos are the coolest, but then I watch how we use the technology in the house today and I realize Siri (Hoobs/Homebridge) is our entry point for almost everything not buttons on walls. I need to let go of the buttons no matter how cool.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Interesting. How long have you been using voice to control things? It’s not that we stopped using voice, but I was an early adopter of the Echo. We now have our choice of Google Home, Alexa, and Siri. But by far we use buttons more frequently today, especially late at night.

Voice is very convenient, but I find it gets old after a while if it’s the only way, and I just want to do things around my house, rather than having to ask an assistant all the time.

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It's like constantly using an app. Neat the first time you do it but no way do i want to haul out my phone just to turn on the kitchen. I'll use Alexa for a goodnight routine or to turn on Movie Time. But as an everyday light switch, nope.

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We had a bunch of Google Home Minis in our house. They are all now muted. EVERYTHING is either controlled with buttons (Pico remotes in this case) or by automation (motion, contact, timing, etc)... I wouldn't go back to voice control. It quite frankly isn't 'there' yet, and now with privacy concerns, even when it is 'there' you'll be giving up quite a bit of privacy for the convenience. I am a little surprised that there hasn't been a Star Trek episode addressing this yet. :wink:

https://products.z-wavealliance.org/products/2930

The two button version is certified, but I haven't seen anything else, Still looking. I'd love to find an alternative for Pico remotes, for scenes in my house that are Lutron Caseta heavy.

Also some GE branded ones here. Looks like they are ready to go, but I can't find where to buy them. Naturally being in Canada, we'll have to wait a few years after they are released.

https://products.z-wavealliance.org/regions/2/categories/18/products

I didn't want to hijack this thread to far off topic so I posed a success story here:

Yeah, these look promising! One area I do want something like a Pico is near our family room TV. Sometimes we tell the kids to turn off the movie or video games and someone is sitting on the remote and no one can find it. I have a double tap on a switch at the moment setup with a Rule that just turns off the RokuTV. I really want wall volume, play/pause, and power control so even if the remote is temporarily lost the kids don't have an excuse. This is exactly what I need and no Pico necessary. I have a blank switch spot waiting for this.

I do this with Alexa and the Harmony integration, but you could do it with Siri by just triggering a virtual switch. Set the virtual switch to turn off after 1 second in the device details and use it in place of, or in addition to your double-tap.

I keep reading about these virtual switches. I need to investigate more as they sound pretty useful.

It’s just a device that doesn’t exist in the physical world. It’s software. So when you expose it to makerAPI, and that in turn exposes it to homebridge, it’s the same as if you had flipped a switch yourself in the physical world

Best auto-correct I have seen in a long time. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I believe that should read "Maker API"

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Yes Siri auto-incorrect at work again :joy:

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On the Ring app somebody mentioned the bomb squid was in the neighborhood last week. That conjured up a few visions. :yum:

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