I'm trying to figure out why some of my switches show me a preference to change the behavior of the indicator lights, and some don't. For instance, I have a Generic Z-Wave Smart Switch, and when I go into device settings, I have an option in the Preferences to define when the little blue indicator LED is lit. However, I then have another Generic Z-Wave Smart Switch, and it doesn't show any preferences at all. That part of the UI just isn't there. I would have assumed that somehow depends on the driver, but that does not seem to change anything. Similarly, I have a Generic Z-Wave Plus Scene Switch, and it shows no such preferences.
Is there any way to get those preferences? Or is there a way to send a command to the device that configures the behavior of the indicator LED?
The preferences that are available will be dependent upon the model of switch and the selected driver. If they're identical switches with using the same driver they should have the same preferences.
I would check to make sure that you're actually using the same driver on both. Many of them are named similarly.
@megger As @chowell points out, the specific attribute has to be available for the driver to use it. Not all devices have the same attributes and in some cases the generic driver may not see an available attribute because its weird. In those cases the community usually steps up with a driver. Overall though the generic drivers tend to expose all things available from what ever device it's looking at. So you can pretty much guarantee if the controls aren't there, the ability for the switch isn't available. You can maybe change that with a firmware update to the switch if you can get the firmware for it.
I am not totally sure that they are technically exactly the same. One is a GE Smart Switch, and one is a newer version of that same GE Smart Switch, which I think they have re-branded. But it should be pretty close. And yes, I double-checked that the driver is the same.
The other one is one that I ordered very much the same (GE), but when I install it, it comes in as Generic Z-Wave Plus Scene Switch. No idea why or what the difference is.
Many times z-wave devices have additional parameters/options available that aren't in the driver. Best place to find these is in the user guide under advanced, or engineering specifications, look for parameter settings. Each parameter will have a description, parameter number, size (bytes), and valid settings.
Here's an example of an LED parameter from an Aeotec Smart Switch 7:
You can use the Basic Z-Wave Parameter tool driver (user installed driver) to set parameters that aren't available in the stock driver.
Load the Basic Z-Wave Tool under advanced drivers.
You switch the device 'Type' to the Basic z-wave tool.
Set the parameter to the desired value.
Then switch the device 'Type' back to the standard driver.
As long as you're careful in looking up the correct parameter info for your device and setting it accordingly, the tool works great!
GE Jasco seems to have multiple versions of the same type switch or dimmer. They look similar but are completely different. That is why I was wondering about the part numbers, maybe we could confirm whether this feature is available on a particular switch or not.
This number is available on the device's settings page, in the bottom section Data. Look for the Device ID number.
The Basic Zwave tool above is a good way to set parameters, but I prefer the community drivers for these Jasco devices that expose some or all of the parameters. Search for "Jasco Driver" by JasonJoel. This should take to to the search results where you can find the drivers. Search results for 'jasco driver @jasonjoel' - Hubitat
