I don't know which one is included in IKEA's Outlet/Remote kit, but if it's the On/Off Switch, I find it interesting that @SmartHomePrimer wasn't able to get it to work with the Hubitat hub. Perhaps a different ZigBee cluster is used than the standard for buttons? I'd need to see debug log output to know.
Give it time. There's a Xiaomi and IKEA partnership that has just been solidified, so there's more to come in the new year. Might be the reason their outlets work so nicely with Xiaomi devices. For all I know, their internals might be made by Xiaomi.
In case you are wondering, here is what the Tradfri looks on the inside. My idea here was to scavenge the internal parts to create a simple, cheap, in-lin zigbee on/off switch for some christmas lights (or whatever else floats your boat).
Taking it apart revealed a surprisingly hefty constructions with thick gauge materials that will support the 16 amp rating. If I continue with my quest to hack this together I will most likely be using lesser gauge wires, but I also won´t be putting 16 amp through it. The idea is to remove the rigid connectors to the board, replace with wires and then design and 3D print an enclosure.
If you’re going to embed something in your wall or ceiling, I think you’re best to avoid cheap. The few extra quid or Euro saved doesn’t justify the risk
While unlikely, keep in mind that in the US (and every EU country I checked a few years back) damage from non-electrical rated equipment is not covered by insurance.
Obviously they would have to determine that device was the cause of a fire, but that is a lot of risk to accept for a neat gizmo in my opinion.
@Geoff_T
Hmmm that cheap ebay unit is just
too risky to use inside my house without it having the AUS compliance certifications, due to insurance knock backs, but I like the ‘claimed’ operating temperature range. That’d handle summer outside
I wasn't necessarily recommending it, I had literally just seen that post when I saw this one and thought it might be of interest. I totally agree that you shouldn't fit any electrical gizmo that's doesn't meet the relevant regulations.
I just paired a tradfri bulb last night. Getting the 6 times on/ off timing just right is the trick. Go a little longer on the off cycle, like 2 secs off and 1 sec on. I had to try like 4 times. It wouldn't work at all in my poured concrete, 100 year old basement. Had to pair closer to hub, then move to final location.
Happy New Year! IKEA bulbs are a pain unless they’re very close to the hub or a repeater. As long as you’re getting the flash after 6 times, then you’re doing the reset correctly, so you probably just need to pair it right next to the hub.
Be warned that they’re going to try to repeat other devices and I had the experience where I lost connection to a whole bunch of my Zigbee devices when it stopped doing that correctly. When I removed the bulb from the hub and instead moved it to my Hue Bridge, several of my devices came back online immediately.
The outlet is a good repeater. Not a super strong signal, but otherwise good and has caused no problems. The Trådfri bulbs of course will pair through the Trådfri outlet, so it’s possible that if you keep the two close, that might reduce the chance of the bulb acting as the repeater. I did have the issue when a Trådfri bulb and outlet were both paired to the hub at the same time, but the bulb was downstairs, closest to the hub, while the outlet was upstairs. That may have been too tempting of a path back to the hub for the outlet, and the bulb then fumbled the ball, because bulbs are not reliable repeaters when there are other non-bulbs that are also on the Zigbee network.
Thanks to you both for the reply. I was able to pair an outlet no problem, then tried the bulb and it paired straight away. Since this is my first pairing using the HE I am very excited about the future possibilities. I bought approx 10 switches as well as the HE in the hope that I can automate some lighting functions but after discovering that my house wiring does not contain the 'NEUTRAL' wire necessary for these GE switches I am now turning to 'smart bulb' solutions.
Does anyone know and have had success in using 'no neutral required' switches? This will be my next research project. Given the amount of houses out there that do not have neutral wiring I am surprised there is not more products for 2 wire automation.
Thank you again, I am sure I will be back with more questions.
You’re going to need a bridge or another hub. I don’t recall if there are any Z-Wave or Zigbee versions.
Lutron has a dimmer that doesn’t require a neutral and so does Insteon. If you don’t have anything, then buying a Lutron SmartBridge Pro is a good choice. That will give you control over their no neutral dimmers and then you can add an expensive pico switches to control absolutely anything on Hubitat. LTurin and Insteon are both rock solid, but Insteon does not integrate directly with HE, where as Lutron does.
Search the forum and you’ll find the switch model number that you need for a Lutron.
Thanks, If I get Lutron switches/dimmers do I still need a bridge from Lutron or does the Lutron Integrator app accomplish this? The Insteon 2 wire solution looks like it doesn't handle LED's.
Long answer: You need the Lutron Smart Bridge Pro, the one whose model number starts with "L-BDGPRO2" (not really sure if there's anything besides the L-BDGPRO2-WH--"WH" is just the color code--but you never know). This the second-gen (HomeKit-capable) Pro bridge. The important part is the "Pro." The "regular" one does not provide telnet access over your LAN, which the Hubitat integration requires. Rumor has it that if you happen to stumble across the older/first generation, L-BDGPRO-WH, Lutron won't let you register it as a new device anymore but will replace it for free, but unless you find a good deal and want to take your chances, it's easier to just get the new one.
Also, Energy Avenue used to have this for $88--not super cheap, but not too expensive and will pay for itself with only a few Pico remotes compared to the cost of most other button devices. But it's now $100 there, so the Pico Cost Recovery Factor just went down by the price of about one Pico.
