Anyone have any recommendations for a simple device to serve as a multi-state toggle?
I like automation and try to do as much as I can based on motion/presence, but I also understand my family's frustration when automation gets in the way, so I'd really like to provide some physical interface to suspend automations.
I'd tried joining the Aqara Cube T1 Pro directly to Hubitat, but that hasn't gone well for a variety of reasons, which is a shame because that would also allow for more sophisticated scenes. I'm reluctant but tempted to get an Aqara hub and then try to link that with Hubitat just so I can use the cube, but there has to be a better solution than that, right?
Have you implemented some physical interface for toggling between scenes or at least allow for on/off/auto?
If we're just talking about lights, for instance, I'd want my wife to be able to turn the lights off, turn them on, or set them to auto where motion sensors would turn them on/off based on activity in the room.
I know how to setup the rules for this in Hubitat, but am looking for a good physical wireless device that works with Hubitat (other than the phone) to toggle between the different modes/scenes.
Most newer switches are “scene” controllers allowing multi tap. You could set your motion lighting rules to not fire if switch is double tapped for example and then you double tap it again to enable.
Similar to what @aaiyar details, my switch modules also report physical and digital operation. I use several rules. One rule switches a hub variable boolean (physicalOn) to true when the device logs either a physical on or physical change of level. Another changes the same boolean to false when the device logs a physical off. That boolean going true is referenced in my motion lighting rule and prevents the light switching off. When it goes false again it re enables the motion lighting after 5 seconds (long enough for me to get out of range of the motion sensor so it doesn't immediately bring the light back on)
There are lots of button controllers that work with Hubitat. For instance, Sonoff and ThirdReality make zigbee button controllers that work with Hubitat.
I guess the thing I don't like about using light switches in this way is that you have to get up and go to the switch.
Buttons get closer to what I'm aiming for. I think the downside there is that a button remote on the coffee table doesn't tell you what the current state is. Are the lights on because they're set to "on" or because they're set to "auto" and motion has been detected? And, of course, battery-operated devices aren't going to have a light indicator, which brings me to supplementing a button remote with something like a plugin HomeSeer sensor with RGB light to indicate state, but that gets pricey.
One thing I do is use Alexa to override the automation in my kitchen. "Alexa keep lights on" turns on a switch called "keep lights" that overrides the RM rules. "Alexa keep lights off" goes back to automation.
I also use some GE/Jasco Z-Wave + smart switches that have a blue LED light in the toggle. It's possible to use RM to set the blue light on or off. So, for example, you could use a blue light to indicate the automation has been stopped.
My family is used to "Alexa, please turn on the lights" and that worked well for us so far. I'm just trying to kick things up a notch with more automations, but using Alexa in this way is a good idea.
With Alexa, I can simply say "turn off the lights" and Alexa knows I'm in the living room so knows I'm talking about the lights assigned to that room. If I'm in the bedroom, same phrase works for the bedroom lights. I think that's probably a special case. Do you know if it's possible to do something similar for an "automations" switch so I can say "turn off automations" no matter what room I'm in and have it apply only for the "automations" switch in that room?
Excellent idea. I have 'Override switches' - which are really virtual switches, set up for various rooms; Living Room, Den, Theater, Guest bedroom, Whole Home, etc. All automation in those areas can be suspended by simply turning on the applicable override switch. They can be turned on or off via Alexa or a dashboard or by other rules (I use webCoRE).
