Reading Zigbee device status after RF remote change

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1

Hi! I'm using some AJAX GU10 pro bulbs for some motion triggered automation, which is working well.

These bulbs also support an RF 2.4ghz remote which is great for on-the-fly adjustment of colour and brightness.

The issue is that since these commands are not Zigbee, Hubitat is unaware of any change to the device status and as such will report the previous settings. Here's an example:

  • GU10 Pro: Blue, 100% level (accurately reflected in Hubitat device status)
  • Changed via RF remote to Red, 50% level (Hubitat still showing Blue, 100% level)

I thought that as a workaround, I could poll the device somehow or issue a refresh command which would somehow force the device to report it's current status to Hubitat which would then display the actual values (Red, 50% level using my example above).

I can't find any way to do this. Does anyone have any ideas? Surely the bulb is aware that it has changed? Maybe it's not that smart. I had assumed that I just hadn't figured out how to get the newly updated device status from the bulb, but maybe it's still sending out the original Blue, 100% level because the bulb itself is unaware of the change?

If I really wanted to go down the rabbit hole (which I'm not sure I want/need to), I could investigate sniffing the RF signal somehow and triggering a routine to issue a Zigbee command to Hubitat to effectively synchronise Hubitat to what the bulb is literally set to.

It's not massive. I can work around this and deal with the limitations. But until I rule everything out, it's bother me!

The above setup is perfect for rooms that aren't motion controlled as you can just use a switch to turn on or off the bulbs or set the colours and then use the RF till your hearts content.

Any help would be appreciated.

2

I would have thought that doing a refresh would have worked. Sounds like it is not an option on the driver you are using? Are you using the Hubitat “Stock” driver or a community driver?

3

Thanks for your reply. I'm using the Advanced Zigbee RGBW Bulb driver. I could try another driver that supports that feature to see if that picks it up. Can you recommend one to test out?

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4

You could try the "Generic Zigbee RGBW Light" driver. After changing the driver "Type", click SAVE DEVICE. Then click the CONFIGURE button.

If this driver does not help, you can always revert back to the previous driver using the same steps above. Always click CONFIGURE after you change a driver Type, in order to send the proper status reporting configuration commands to the bulb.

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5

Thanks. Yeah, configure is important here! I tried the generic one as suggested and that doesn't result in Hubitat reporting any colour/level changes done via the RF remote either, which is to be expected.

I set up a rule to run every 10 seconds on the bulb and to trigger a capture action. That doesnt do it either.

I can't see any other actions within Hubitat that can be used to get the bulb to retransmit it's status. I'll have a play around. I'm interested to see if I change level via Hubitat if the level status is displayed accurately but the colour not.

6

Yes, these AJAX bulbs do not update the zigbee coordinator when color changes are made by the RF remote. Unfortunately, the workarounds I've seen require the purchase of a zigbee color remote.

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