I've got a couple Lutron dimmers that have worked fine for some time both on Wink and for a a few months since I've switched over to the Hubitat/ Lutron Pro hub. Recently, one dimmer started to act up. Often, it doesn't want to go up to a full 100%, especially in scenes... it says that it's at 100% but it's definitely closer to 40%. Sometimes, I have to go into the app or dashboard and toggle it to get it properly to the desired brightness, it won't do it with a scene change or an Alexa command. Also when turning the dimmer on or off, sometimes it does a weird flash before the setting. I checked the settings for the dimmer in both Hubitat and the Lutron hub, and everything seems to check out fine. My next move is to re-pair and/ or reset the device but, if I do that, will I lose it all of my routines and scenes it's connected to? I'd rather not have to go through re-setting all of that if there is another fix and I don't have to.
Any other ideas for fixes or what's causing my issues with the device?
First off, it sounds like a defective dimmer.
You can remove it from the Lutron system without touching it on the Hubitat side. Odds are that it will get the same integration id from Lutron. If it doesn't, you can edit the Hubitat side so that you are using the same Hubitat device. It's a virtual device, so this is possible. If you end up replacing it, the same thing is possible. Ask here again for specifics and I can walk you through the steps.
Thanks for the input!
Thanks!
I unpaired it from the Lutron Hub, reset the device and then re-paired on the Lutron Hub. Everything on the Hubitat side stayed the same and so far, the switch seems to be working as expected when I toggle through the settings on the Hubitat. We'll see if it remains working as expected.
I'm going to re-open this thread. I've done some more trouble shooting and problem solving.
This seems to be an Alexa specific issue.
I can control the dimmer on the main switch, the pico remote paired with it as well as the Lutron app and Hubitat Hub, but when I control it through Alexa, my wife's preferred and most used method I might add, the dimmer goes wonky. Specifically, for some reason, when I try to set the lights to 15% through Alexa. If I try to set them to 15% any other way, I don't get this issue. Sometimes, Alexa can set 15%, no problem... but more often than not, 15% seems to break the lights and then I have to fix it through the hard switch or another method. The light blinks on to 100% for a second, then turn off and that seems to reset and they work fine again. Until, of course, I try to control it through Alexa again.
thanks guys!
Are you using the Alexa Skill for Hubitat to expose this dimmer to Alexa?
Or, are you using the Lutron Caseta Alexa Skill?
I would try whichever one you’re not currently using, and remove the other, to see if there is any change in behavior when using Alexa voice commands.
I’m using the Hubitat Amazon Echo Skill.
I have never tried the Lutron skill.
I have a second Lutron dimmer that operates perfectly fine through Alexa and it’s set up the same way this dimmer, that I’m having issues with, is set up.
Also, I have scenes and groups set up that Include the troublesome Lutron dimmer through Hubitat along with non Lutron devices. If I unpair the device through the Hubitat Skill will that not break my groups? Would I have to make those groups over in the Alexa app instead? That complicates things. I hate the Alexa app for things like that, I’m trying to keep scenes and groups in Hubitat and then bring those as a device into the Alexa app through the Hubitat skill. I’ll do what I have to to fix the issue, it just seems to complicate things more.
Could you post a screenshot of the device page for the dimmer that you are having issues with? The part of the page that matters is the section at the bottom labeled "Device Details". Specifically, the sub-section "In Use By".
Yea, that might complicate things. I was only suggesting using it as a troubleshooting technique.
Are you using Alexa voice commands to activate the Scenes and Groups created on Hubitat? Or just to control the single dimmer switch?
As I believe @aaiyar is alluding, it sounds like you may have the “suspect” dimmer somehow being controlled within some other automations, causing the strange behavior you’re experiencing.
Boy - that's a bunch. I would carefully evaluate each of those scenes to make sure that none of them get triggered by this dimmer being set (under the conditions when it doesn't appear to behave as required).
I'm not sure what would trigger a scene by setting the dimmer through Alexa. The dimmer is named "Living Room Dimmer". So I don't know how commanding Alexa to "set living room dimmer to 15%" would trigger one of those scenes or groups. Maybe "Living Room Group" would be a problem?
Maybe I'm not following what you mean.
When you change the value of a dimmer that is included in a Hubitat Group or Scene, the status of that Group or Scene “device” can change. If any of your Hubitat automations are triggered by any of these Groups and Scenes devices, then it is pretty easy to hypothesize how an unintentional change might occur.
But...changing that dimmer directly on Hubitat, or manually, would also cause those same behaviors.
@ogiewon phrased it better than I could. Basically, I was wondering if the Scene devices were used in other automations.
For instance, are any of the scene devices exposed to the Amazon Alexa Skill?
I definitely have simple automations to trigger scenes. The "Evening Lights" scene is controlled through a simple automation based on sundown, for example. And the "Sleepy Time" scene is controlled through a dashboard button or an Alexa routine through the use of a virtual switch.
Maybe I've overcomplicated things too much.
Maybe, but it could still be a flaky dimmer. I would recommend the debugging approach that @ogiewon recommended. Alternatively, temporarily remove this device from all groups and scenes, and test if Alexa commands to set the dimmer work as anticipated.
And yes, I have scenes "Evening Lights" lights and "Nighttime Lights" exposed to Alexa so that I can voice control those scenes.
I'm doing this sort of thing all throughout my home... controlling groups and scenes through Alexa voice commands. I don't have a problem with any other devices. I'm sure there could be human error on my part through with how I set something up with this dimmer someplace within Hubitat.
I wish I could say "been there, done that". More often than not with me, it's "am there, still keep doing that".
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