Inovelli Blue Smart Switch Upgrades - Best Approach

[user4289]

Hello Hubitat Community,

I’m looking for some guidance on transitioning from GE SmartSwitches to Inovelli SmartSwitches, particularly in the context of my current setup with Philips Hue bulbs and the Philips Hue Bridge.

• What’s the best approach to uninstalling GE SmartSwitches while keeping my Philips Hue bulbs operational?

• How can I smoothly transition from the Philips Hue Bridge to direct integration with Hubitat using Inovelli SmartSwitches?

• Is there a method to ensure my existing rules and automations remain functional with the new setup?

• Would upgrading to the Hubitat C8 Hub at the same time be a good decision? I spent a lot of time setting up my system and it worked great, dreading the process of having to build any aspect of it again.

Any advice or guidance from the community on the above points would be greatly appreciated. I’m eager to streamline my smart home setup and improve functionality while minimizing disruption. Thank you in advance for your help!

[hydro311]

IMO, I wouldn't do the C8 at the same time as all this other stuff -- either do the C8 move first and make sure everything goes smoothly for a while post-move, or wait and move to the C8 after finishing this project.

If this was me, I'd create a virtual switch for each switch and use that for each sw's move... Use the Swap Apps Device (in Settings) to first swap the GE to Virtual, then install its Blue and use Swap Apps Device again to move Virt to Blue. That should keep all existing app/rule/etc connections in place for each switch.

Is your goal to use zigbee-binding with the Blues and the Hues? If so, you'll need to remove the Hues from the Hue bridge and pair them directly to Hubitat. If you won't be using zigbee-binding, then you shouldn't really have to do anything with the Hues - they can stay on the bridge (this all assumes your Hue bridge is already integrated into Hubitat)

[user4289]

Good call on the C8 and the virtual switches.

Is your goal to use zigbee-binding with the Blues and the Hues? I'm not sure. I would ideally prefer to eliminate the hue bridge if I can and bind the bulbs right to switch. My overall goal is to have my lights change color temperature throughout the day/night and to have one switch that doesn't kill all power to the bulbs.

[hydro311]

In that case, I think I'd move the Hues from Hue to Hubitat before doing the switch-swap-- make sure all that goes as planned.

As long as the Hue bulbs/fixtures aren't pretty darn old, they should pair fine with Hubitat. If you do have some very early generation Hue bulbs (I still do), they won't be able to pair.

ETA - zigbee-binding just requires both "things" to be on the same zigbee controller. Hubitat is a controller, as is the Hue bridge, so zigbee-binding isn't possible when lights are still on the Hue bridge. That's not just a Hubitat thing, it's just how zigbee-binding has to work on any platform.

[user4289]

Okay, So every bulb will have to be it's own device on hubitat? That sounds daunting. Any suggestions on grouping. I enjoy the fact that my hubitiat isn't bogged down with a hundred bulbs ie recessed lighting.

[user4289]

Also, when I installed cocohue it appears that my hue app doesnt connect to the the bridge anymore, is that because it's overtaken by hubitat? To move the hue bulbs over do I have to unpair from hue bridge?

[hydro311]

Yes, every bulb (or Hue fixture, if you have any) would need to be paired as an individual device with Hubitat.

Grouping can be done once all paired.

If you decide to move the bulbs to Hubitat, then yes, they must be removed from your Hue bridge. A zigbee device can have only one controller (in this case, Hubitat or Hue bridge).

I'm not sure what's going on with your Hue app -- the vast majority of my Hue devices are still on my Hue bridge and integrated via CoCoHue, and my Hue app (and iConnectHue app) are working fine.

It doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing move though -- although most of my Hue stuff is still on my Hue bridge, I do have a few things (a couple motion sensors and a couple bulbs) that I've paired direct to Hubitat -- those things obviously aren't in my Hue app, but point is that you can mix-&-match to best meet your needs.

[hydro311]

It sounds like you already have a lot of Hue lights installed (true?), so you could just install the Blues and have them work like your GEs do now -- i.e. light control is done via rules/programming. And then just slowly chip away at migrating the Hues over time later.

The main advantage to zigbee-binding (or the z-wave equivalent = direct association) is that those smart lights still work (at least basic on/off/dimming) from the smart switch if your hub is down for whatever reason.

Hopefully that hub-down scenario isn't common, so many folks are OK with rolling the dice on their hub staying up.

I use Blue-Hue zigbee binding in one spot (our bathroom - long story), but that's it... Otherwise, all of our switched lighting is to dumb bulbs/fixtures -- that way, it all still works fine even if my hub is down.

Smart bulbs are neat, and I use them in some of our plug-in fixtures, but for our switched lighting, smart bulbs/fixtures are just too much additional butt-pain and risk... That darn bathroom setup was headachy enough to finally get straight -- I would definitely not want to care-&-feed for something like that all over my house.

[JB10]

I'm one of those the roll dice using smart switches and Hue bulbs together. I just wire the fixture to always on and let Hubitat control the rest (basically similar to Smart Bulb Mode with the Blues; though, they disable the relay rather than always hot). If my Hubitat goes down, then I use the Hue App, Apple Home, or Google Home to get the bulbs off. If the Hue Bridge goes down (either separately or at the same time as Hubitat) then I have bigger problems.

The key is to have a contingency plan for the bulbs in a worst case scenario.

[user4289]

@hydro311

i.e. light control is done via rules/programming. And then just slowly chip away at migrating the Hues over time later.

Good info here, thank you. So you'e suggesting that when I press the physical button "down" I can just reprogram so it doesn't kill power? If so, that sounds like a great solution. Can you share deets on your rule? @hydro311

[hydro311]

If the switch (Inovelli, Zooz, whatever brand switch) is in Smart Bulb Mode (SBM), then the paddles then can't do anything on their own since the whole purpose of SBM is to send constant, 100% load power to the smart bulb/fixture load. That way, the smart load is always up & listening, participating in the mesh, etc etc.

So then you need a hub (like Hubitat) to program what you want the switch paddles to actually do via rules (on/off/dimming, scene control, pretty much whatever you want with that load and anything else).

In Hubitat, I prefer to use the (native) Button Controller app, since it has all the power of Rule Machine, but it's all packaged up in a UI that's easy to use for managing switches and buttons in particular.

At a minimum, you probably want to program that load's on & off and dimming when applicable. Then you can go crazy with double-taps etc to do other things if you want.

Here's an example of a Button Controller setup kinda like that -- you may notice from my "Notes" section there that Inovelli uses a proprietary button-mapping regime... That full mapping is in their online manual somewhere.

Summary

If you were to use zigbee-binding, that would cut the hub out as the middleman for basic on/off/dimming. And that can definitely be great as a hub-down backup. But scene control and other goodies like that would still require programming via the hub.

But zigbee-binding can be a headache to set up and manage, and after playing around with it myself, I'm not convinced it's worth it in many cases. But if interested, I'd just suggest you read up on it more -- it's usually pitched as a rosier solution than it really is (IMHO), so before committing headlong to going down that road, just do your due diligence with your own research.