Groups: Please add option to have alway fire a State Change

Why, because not having this is the route of many issue.

Let's say you've created a Group called "Family Room Lamps" to control 3 RGBW Lamps.

Everyday Scenario:

  • Set the Family Room Lamps On, Level 65, Color Temp 3300
  • All 3 linked lamps get set to On, Level 65, Color Temp 3300
  • Later one of the three lamps gets set to Blue or Off (or anything different from the other 2)
  • You want to set all 3 lamps back to On, Level 65, Color Temp 3300

How do you get that all three lamps to be the same again using the Family Room Lamps Group? Remember, the Family Room Lamps device is still set to On, Level 66, Color Temp 3300.

Please give us an option for this. Might be as simple as including "isStateChange: true" in the Group Bulb Dimmer Device Type.

Thank You, Glenn

As a workaround, what happens if you try

Family Room Lamps On, Level 64, Color Temp 3300
Family Room Lamps On, Level 65, Color Temp 3300

or

Family Room Lamps On, Level 65, Color Temp 3301
Family Room Lamps On, Level 65, Color Temp 3300

whichever is more imperceptible.

That’s the key, in order for it to work you have to change the state of the Group.

For instance, let’s say someone or some routine turned off 2 of the 3 lamps and you want all 3 lamps on. So you say, “Alexa, Turn On the Family Room Lamps”. Nothing happens, so again you say, Alexa, “Turn On the Family Room Lamps”. Once again nothing happens. The only way to get those 2 lamps to turn on is to first say, “Alexa, Turn Off the Family Room Lamps”, then “Alexa, Turn On the Family Room Lamps”.

I’m using Alexa as an example but this issue occurs with any Dashboard, App, or routine using either a Group or Virtual Device that’s been configured to control multiple Devices.

Things like the Group App, Mirror App and RM are triggered by a state change. The problem is, if the State of the Group or Virtual Device doesn’t change then nothing is triggered.

I’ve been making this argument for years and feel it’s the root of so many issues but Hubitat team refuses to believe it’s an issue.

Creating my own custom Virtual Switch, Dimmer, Fan and RGBW devices has helped but can’t be used with Groups.