New Hubitat owner in AU

🌎 Around the World 🇦🇺 Australia
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Hi all,

I just received my Hubitat and am migrating from SmartThings. So far so good, everything is working well with my existing devices (several motion sensors, contact sensors, buttons and Lifx bulbs). I have been super impressed with the speed the contact sensors can toggle my Lifx bulbs (almost instant as it all goes local).

Now for a few questions:

  • I want to build out my Zigbee mesh a bit, I have 2 power plugs already (old SwannOne ones which work fine), but I wanted to get a few more. What is everything using? THe two local options I found were the Samsung Smart Plug or Ikea Tadfri. Any experiences/preferences? (main diff seems to be an actual usable outlet on the Samsung versus a USB port that will not turn on/off on the Ikea)

  • The other thing I'm interested in is enabling my legacy (non-smart) lights to be smart. Rather than replacing all of them, I would prefer to use one of the in-wall adapters such as the Nue Smart Light Controller. Does anyone have any experiences to share using these? What I'm not sure on, is how does it work with legacy on/off switches? Eg. If I turn the light OFF by the legacy switch, can I still turn the lights ON via Zigbee? Does the physical switch just end up being physically reversed after that? A bit confused how this works. I also saw that Fibaro has similar devices but Z-Wave. I prefer zigbee so i can focus on a good mesh but also open to Z-Wave if it has advantages.

  • And then lastly (for now at least!), still around lighting, are there any rocker switches that folks would recommend? I'm not a huge fan of the touch switches like Nue ones. They don't necessarily need to be connected/smart as long as the in-wall controllers/dimmers work as per above, but I guess an alternative would be to just make the switch "smart". As an example, something that looks/feels like this.

Thanks!

Adam

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I hope you've found this area already:

because they will know better than most what is available, reliable and from which vendor.

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Welcome aboard @adamk. Good to see the Aussie group growing as well as the broader community numbers. If you haven't already, you may want to check out the AUS/NZ thread for some of the questions you have.

Hubitat for AUS/NZ Chat

Simon

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You beat me to it :slight_smile:

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I've also not long installed a Nue switch, but am looking to replace it with a Deta switch, nothing to do with the Nue switch exactly, I just chose one for my bathroom that could not handle the load of some heat lamps. Might have a play round with it in regards to the question you had on turning it on and off.

Simon

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Hi mate i have one of the Nue in-line zigbee switches and it works fine but your physical dumb switch always needs to remain on to allow the module to be powered up. Basically if the switch is off the Nue module will have no power and won't be able to be controlled. To get around that i've moved to the Nue smart switches which then allows either the Hub to control the light or just by pressing the switch as normal.

In my house that way works best with the kids and wife who still need a physical switch since they always forget about leaving them on. Also i have a couple of the Ikea repeaters and they also seem to be working well with all my stuff.

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Haha thanks both. Yes I have read a lot of that (massive) thread. I didn't really find the answers to my questions in there (may have missed it though) and wasn't sure if I should bolt onto that thread or start a new one.

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Hi mate i have one of the Nue in-line zigbee switches and it works fine but your physical dumb switch always needs to remain on to allow the module to be powered up. Basically if the switch is off the Nue module will have no power and won't be able to be controlled. To get around that i've moved to the Nue smart switches which then allows either the Hub to control the light or just by pressing the switch as normal.

Bingo, thanks for answering that, I was worried about that. Sounds just like my Lifx bulbs where my kids/wife always switch the power off after which they can never turn on again via wifi. In that case I really would want to look at replacing the switches as well just like you.

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i've moved to the Nue smart switches which then allows either the Hub to control the light or just by pressing the switch as normal.

One other question, are the Nue switches tactile (press them in/out) or just "touch" type buttons?

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Just a touch type, you hear the internal relay click but no actual feel.

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Thanks. Interested to hear if anyone else has had positive experiences with other smart wall switches that work well with Hubitat and are approved for AU.

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Welcome adamk. i personally have had good experiences with the Sonoff ZBR3, works a treat and you can do an entire 'dumb' light circuit for less than $10. Does not dim though, on/off only.
https://www.itead.cc/wireless/bluetooth-and-zigbe/sonoff-basiczbr3.html

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What switch are you using with this zigbee switch? Also, does it pair natively with HE, and work well?

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The SonoffBasic ZBR3, is a power switch that MUST stay powered up at all times to be able to be controlled by Zigbee.
This is typically NOT the desired behavior of a light switch as most people like to have some physical switching in addition to the Zigbee switching.
I have one of them wired into the power feed to an outside light that is ONLY able to be controlled by HE.

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So it doesnt go in the wall, behind a physical light switch? (Like a zwave light switch).

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It could go int the wall but the only connections are A & N in and then A & N out. Not even an Earth terminal.

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in a couple of instances i have it in the wall behind the switch plate, where it motion switches in series with the mech (on the load side of course). works admirably, of course you need a neutral at the switch.
only limitation is if someone turns the old switch off.
benefits are:

  • switch several lights without changing globes, fittings or switches for less than $10
  • you don't have any visible change on the wall.
  • and of course it adds to a stronger mesh (it repeats)
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I have a couple of these on order.
Will post here how they work out, once they arrive.

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When I started building out my system some years ago, I decided to go with Z-Wave. In hindsight, I kinda wish I'd opted for Zigbee (although it may not have been possible, anyway. See more below). It's not that I have any issues with my Z-Wave system, but I've found that I eventually ended up buying some Zigbee devices, due to price and availability, as well as faster response times for motion sensors. So now I find myself trying to build out a reliable ZigBee mesh, alongside my Z-Wave mesh. As you probably know, Z-Wave operates on different frequencies in different countries. Our choice of devices in Australia isn't great, although it has greatly improved over the years. But at the same time, I feel like I've seen the overall range of Zigbee devices expand significantly. There are now so many affordable battery-operated Zigbee devices available from overseas and locally (including a couple of cool homebrew Zigbee shields made by community members). BUT... notice I mentioned battery-operated devices specifically...

I've kept clear of installing any non AU certified mains-powered devices, and this is one area where we in Aus seem to be disadvantaged. In terms of Zigbee mains-powered devices (eg. in-wall switches), we seem to be sorely lacking. Those Nue devices seem to be one of the few options that people seem to be using, but I'm not really a fan (though I've never tried them). I think I read somewhere that Shelly might be working on AU certification, but I can no longer find that reference, so I'm not sure about that. SonOffs aren't certified, they require a neutral wire, and the ZBR3 isn't really designed to be wired into a normal light switch. There are more Zigbee options coming to the market (eg. Stitchy and Mercator), but I still don't see any that would quite match the Fibaro or Aeotec lineup.

In an ideal world, I'd love to have a full ZigBee mesh, including in-wall switches. I think you share my desire to maintain traditional switches that will remain familiar to anybody who comes across them, and also will work even if the Internet/WiFi/mesh is down. If you don't want to mess with uncertified devices, you now have a small selection of in-wall relays available (though I think they all require a neutral wire) and I don't think you have any dimmer options to match the Z-Wave options.

I personally have a mix of Fibaro (the majority), Aeotec, and Qubino in-wall relays and dimmers. Overall, I seem to have the least issues with the Fibaros and Aeotecs. I seem to have some reliability issues with one or two of my Qubinos. I'm pretty happy with Fibaro, but my main beef with them is that they don't provide any way to update firmware without using one of their hubs (or sending your devices off to be upgraded by a service centre). If I were looking to buy more Z-Wave in-wall switches today (that don't require a neutral wire), I'd be tempted to try out one of the newer generation Aeotec devices. However... I've read some negative reviews from people on the forums, so it's not quite a no-brainer choice.

So, in summary... I think I've probably just confused you even more :grin:

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they look good! like zigbee shelly or aeotec nano, but affordable for the unwashed masses. right up my alley :laughing:
i shouldn't ask i guess, i don't suppose you checked out if they have or are attempting RCM (safety, RF) for AUS market compliance?

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