I just got some Picos for Christmas. In 3 locations, I wired the load to the line and put a blank face plate in place of dumb switch then attached a Pico to the blank faceplate. When used in this configuration, Button 3 that turns on my fan light using Bond is extremely inconsistent. I could attribute that to maybe the electrical behind the faceplate is affecting the Pico's transmission...
BUT Button 1 and button 5 that each control different zwave plugs work fine. Move the remote away from wall & blank faceplate and button 3 works like a champ. This is true for all 3 remotes setup identically in each bedroom (ie each controls the in-room fan/bulb and 2 different lamps on z-wave plugs for that room).
Not possible. Have you checked to see if the issue is between the pico and the Lutron pro bridge or between the hubitat and Bond or between bond and the fan?
I would start by opening up the Hubiat UI and looking at the edit device page for the pico. Press button 1 one time. Then press button 3 5 times in a row with a few seconds in between each press. Then go into the events listing. If you see 5 button 3 pushed events, it's not the pico.
If anyone else was describing this on this forum, I would think that they were crazy but I am living it.
To add to the weirdness, I have found that, when Pico attached to the face plate and button pushed, the status in Bond will change but not in HE. Bond and the light are then out of sync. The button push log entries are identical whether the remote is attached to face plate or in my hand.
I do have a question for @dman2306. The driver for the light has an ON command and an OFF command in Device Page but the remotes for all 4 of my fans toggle the lights; there are not separate ON & OFF buttons. In creating a rule for the remote, should I be using ON and OFF or TOGGLE?
My fourth fan is controlled with an Eria Dimmer and is mounted in its face plate holder and I have no trouble with it.
When you move the pico away, how far away are you moving it? It's possible you're out of range and when you hold the pico, you are partly acting as the antenna.
I would try removing the pico and with green or blue tape, temporarily attach it to the wall (making sure the direction is away from the bridge so you're not improving the result by moving it closer to the bridge) and then try your test again. If you find that the remote not being in your hand, but also not being over the switch box gives the same result, then you are too far from the bridge. In that case, move the bridge closer to the picos if you can or raise the bridge higher if you can.
Do the normal kind of stuff you would do to improve a WiFi signal (i.e. Avoid metal, limit building materials in the way, don't put it in the farthest corner of a basement, keep it at least 3 feet off the floor, etc.).
However reading this
It does sound like your issue is not with the pico at all, but your driver. I would first try the tests that @Ryan780 is suggesting.
Lutron states that the range is rated at 30 feet unless you have a plug in lamp dimmer acting as a repeater. You could try the reverse an try moving the hub closer to the pico while the pico is installed in the wall plate. This would rule out if it’s a range issue. Another possible corner case option is that if you are using the clear plastic pico wall mounting adapter maybe it’s putting pressure on the unit and affecting button performance. But that’s probably low, I have many of these installed in this manner and haven’t had button issues.
Hmm @stephen_nutt, did you by chance break off the tabs in the center of the pico mounting adapters? Those should be left in place if mounting over an existing switch box. The tab should only be removed if wall mounting, to mimic a switch box.
I was asking specifically about the events listing. Or are you saying the problem isn't the Pico now? I still can't tell. The first debugging step is to lock down where the problem is so you're not chasing 4 things at once. Can you confirm whether or not the events page for the pico registers a press when it's on the wall and when it's in your hand?
Okay...so, the pico is definitely not the issue then.
So, next , I would go to the Bond events details and see if the events there are updating when you control it from the edit device page, executing the same command that you expected to occur with the button on he pico. If that does work, then it is somewhere between the button press and bond that is failing. If it does not, then the problem is between Hubitat and the Bond hub.
I would agree but if that was the case, why would moving the Pico cause change? Didnt you comment on another one of my posts that you had problem when sticking a Pico to a fridge? I obviously didn't heed your warning to "potentially save you the hours of my life I'll never get back fighting with the damn thing."
I am probably right at 30ft. I'll try moving the Lutron hub closer to center of house.
I can easily put the remotes on walls in spots other than the face plates. I am trying to fix this purely because of WAF and I hate unsolved technical mysteries like this.
A thought just struck me - when's the last time you changed the battery in that specific Pico remote? Have you tried this with a different Pico remote?
My Picos are coming up on about 6 years now. A few months ago I noticed that one of them would flash green when pushed, but the lights it controlled wouldn't turn off. I changed the battery and that errant behavior stopped.
Battery issues are unlikely then. How shielded is the bridge? Although Lutron's "rated" range for the Picos is 30 ft, I know they work at 2-3 times that distance.
Your other post spoke of sticking it to the fridge with a magnet. I don't believe in this case you stuck it to a magnet or a fridge...so I fail to see why that would have any bearing on what we're discussing here.
But clearly you don't want my help, so i will stop helping you. Best of luck.
There's lots of suggestions in the thread and probably best to try them one by one so you aren't changing too many variables. It is odd that the HE log shows a push, but no action in BOND. I use the BOND integration and it works well for me, but don't use Picos for control .. Actually this time of year I don't use my ceiling fans. Come summer time, I'll have more real world usage.
I use Picos for lots of other types of control and haven't had an issue and several of them are at least 6 years old with no battery problems. I used to use Connected Bulb Remotes on Wink and those did use batteries more rapidly (approx. 2 years). I too hate chasing phantom issues! Good Luck!!!
@ryan780 I think you have completely misread my post. I was simply asking about all of the heartache you went thru when you tried to attach a Pico to a fridge to see if there could be any correlation. I am not sure what I wrote that might have hinted that I didn't want your help. And, I am pointing out that I'm going thru "hours of my life I'll never get back fighting with the damn thing" like you did despite your warning.
