It's been a while since I've added devices to my home, so it's also been a long while since I've researched all of the best and latest switches, dimmers, bulbs etc. So, I'm looking for some recommendations. I'll explain each need room by room.
first up, I have a secondary bedroom that now doubles as my wife's office since she has started working from home. She actually asked for some smart lighting in that room!
What I need is:
a smart dimmer (leaning Lutron Caseta here although they tend to be pricy)
a smart on/ off switch (I'd like to go with an Inovelli red switch because of the multi tap/ scene function. I have them in other rooms and love them, but they seem to be perpetually out of stock.)
tunable white/ dimmable smart bulbs (prefer Zigbee or ZWave)
I also want to get a pico remote for this room so that my wife can control scenes from her desk.
So... any recommendations on a multi tap switch or more cost effective options than Lutron devices?
Next room I'd like to figure out is our master bathroom.
I need two dimmer switches, one of which I'd like to have a multi tap scene function (again, the Inovelli red would be perfect here if it wasn't always out of stock.
I also need an exhaust fan switch
and, I would like to have a motion/ multi sensor with humidity sensing so that I can control the exhaust fan and lights with it. (I'd like to get two of these so I can compare the humidity in the bathroom with a sensor in a separate room for more accuracy.)
Next room is a walk in closet.
pretty simple... I need:
a simple dimmer switch
a motion sensor
it would be awesome if there is a smart dimmer switch with an occupancy sensor on it already. I want to be able to set the light to come on at specific brightnesses based on time of day. My wife and I work different schedules and are constantly waking each-other up when we go into the closet at night or early morning with the light.
Lastly I'd like recommendations on a RGBWW light strip controller that I can control within habitat itself. I do not have a Hue Hub and I'd like to avoid getting one just to control these light strips if at all possible.
Also, full disclaimer, I don't have any experience with light strips, so if you have any recommendations on directions to take with these, I'd also appreciate it. Right now, this is the light strip I'm considering going with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R3G56WL/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A35UAT07QG3EC6&psc=1
I'm a huge Lutron fan. Yes, they are pricey, but so is my time and frustration and Just for Men ain't cheap either. For smart on/offs used in conjunction with smart bulbs I just use a Pico. Very inexpensive, helps offset the cost of the other Lutron gear. For smart bulbs I'm a Hue fan, on a Hue hub. I know you said you didn't want to mess with a Hue hub but they're cheap and the Hue stuff is good. Their tech support is HORRIBLE but fortunately you don't need it often. I also like to keep bulbs off of my main zigbee network and that's an easy way to do it. I use Aeotec multi sensors when I need both motion and humidity. I actually have one in the shower for just that purpose. ZWave though.
I do like the Lutron stuff. I've already got two dimmers and a few pico's in our main living room and kitchen areas. I like that anyone can look at them and figure out how they work. I am having issues with one of those though and I think I am needing to replace it. So, I don't have high confidence in them right now and at the price of them... to go bad on me... I was just putting feelers out for other options. But I don't think there is anything else out there with that kind of design. On the other hand, I have cheaper GE dimmers and switches far older than the Lutron ones still going strong.
Phillips Hue as a company gives me the creeps, I'd like to avoid buying into their ecosystem if at all possible. I don't mind a hub to control other companies devices, (I don't know exactly what you can put into that hub) but I'd like to avoid their bulbs and other products.
I already have some colored Sylvenia Zigbee bulbs and I looked it up and they do make some tunable white dimmable bulbs as well, so I might go with those. I also have some Inovelli colored bulbs that are Z-Wave and they are great, but I need 3 bulbs and don't need the colors.... the Sylvenia's white bulbs would be less than half the price of the Inovelli.
I have used the Ge/Jasco motion SWITCH for about 4 years in my wife's closet. It works well. But, about the only thing it does using smart routines is to be controlled by Alexa. Otherwise, the self contained motion sensor takes care of the ON/Off.
Does the closet door get and remain closed when not in use?
If so, I used a smart switch (on/off) coupled with a contact sensor on the door for three closets and the pantry. Her closet is inside the Master bath so the door usually remains open. And, it was one of my first projects, so I wasn't as confidence or imaginative.
I am thinking you could use a dimmer coupled with Room Lighting to vary the light level based on either house Mode or time period. Using a digital trigger like contacts or sensor will allow the light to activate at a pre-set level. So far, nobody has seemed to solve the problem of pre-set light levels using physical switches for activation.
You can create a rule to control brightness based on time of day in Hubitat for the Enbrighten dimmable switches.
On the switch itself set it to manual and then run all controls through Hubitat rules.
That closet door always stays open. If I want it to close, I’d have to add a spring hinge because my wife won’t close it.
I had to do that with a half bathroom door that when left open would collide with the front door when someone would come into the house. No matter how many times this happened, that didn’t change her action to close the door. Not to mention guests would leave it open too.
So, contact sensor probably isn’t the best solution. I could mount a motion sensor above the door
How would I go about controlling the motion dimmer switch in Hubitat?
Here is what I would like to do:
If motion is detected between the hours of 10pm and 11am set lights to 25%
Otherwise set lights to 100%
after 1 minute of no motion detected turn lights off
I tried to look around in "Lights on Motion Plus" as well as Rule Manager, but I couldn't seem to find the settings/ rules I would need to set it up.
Here is something fairly similar - it's an old rule done in Motion and Mode Lighting but it shouldn't be too hard to translate to the latest app. Motion turns the dimmer on, three levels depending on mode (time of day) and stays on for 5 minutes after motion stops, fading down over 3 seconds.
Man! ....It's been a long time since I've written a new rule in rule machine! The last rules I wrote were in Rule Machine 4.0. Things sure do look different in the new version too. It's definitely easier to follow though once you figure it out a bit.
Here is what I have and it seems to be working properly so far.
