I recently bought a few of the Sengled Smart Light Switches and I've not been a fan so far. The buttons are pretty mushy and it's not as easy to walk by them and just whack your hand at them to turn on a light. Compared to my old paddle switches I could easily walk into the room and just flick them on.
I'm currently using magnets to hold the switch onto a Mitzvah, which is covering the old dumb switch (as per the article here). So I'd like to have something that can work like this (trying to avoid wiring a brand new switch into the wall, but am not totally against it).
I'm okay with even just having a single button to toggle the lights (if only the SmartThings button was still in stock). So please recommend your favorite buttons or switches!
How reliable have you found motion sensors to be? Can you just stick one in a corner of a room and have it reliably pick up movement?
Ahh the Picos. I do always see these being recommended. The price has steered me away in my initial research, but maybe it's time to bite the bullet if I want a nice tactile solution. Do they have a magnet in the back? Would I be able to affix them to the Mitzvahs?
These look really promising! The look, price, and I'd probably be able to stick these on top of my Mitzvahs. Would love to see these come back in stock. Have you used these before? Are the buttons actually clicky?
Picos can be mounted into a standard wall switch, but don't mount (at least the one I have) via magnet, they snap into the mount. You can't remove them w/out taking off the faceplate, which I like as they can't get lost. I'm using a pair of them as "3-way" control of a fan/light in our living room from two different switch boxes.
Ya know, they're not the cream of the crop and not everyone has success with them staying paired, but for just a simple button, the Xiaomi Mijia buttons are pretty clicky/tactile and don't need anything other than a driver and no incompatible mains powered Zigbee devices. I've had no problem with most of them. Only one gave me issues, so I just joined it to the Aqara hub where it works perfectly. All the others work just fine on HE directly.
With a few inexpensive IKEA outlets around (Xiaomi compatible repeaters), and the Sengled bulbs you have, they're hard to beat for the price. Plus you get 5 possible clicks and a hold.
I needed a consistent, reliable, and flexible button solution for my family, which for some reason just cannot live w/out buttons. I've tried automating w/contacts and motion and that works for them for some use-cases, but for some things like fan controls, lights in some rooms, they wanted buttons. I have about 15 picos sprinkled around the house, and they always work, can be programmed to do about anything you want, and are small, convenient, and have batteries that should go for years. Family thinks they are sleek and chic.
Downside is the required Lutron Pro hub is about $120. However, the picos are only about $13 each, for me that's a great price on high-quality hardware/software solution that integrates w/the Hubitat perfectly. I have never had a Pico not work. Just never.
You can get the top to tilt outwards and then pry up on the bottom and they will fly out. It is not EASY, but it is not impossible either. They are only held in with friction and a smallish 'hook' on that clear plastic spade on the mount.
Oops...correct. One of mine sits too deep in the faceplate to be removed that way, but the second does sit out enough that removing them that way is possible. But luckily to me that is not obvious and no one in my house has tried to remove it yet. They look enough like regular switches that I don't think anyone in my family would try to remove them unless they were told they could.
Also do the Pico Remotes work stand alone without their respective switch connected to the wall? The Lutron marketing material makes it sound like the Pico Remotes are controlling the switches. Can the remotes just directly communicate with Hubitat and then control my bulbs without needing to install a new switch in the wall?
That kit appears to include the regular bridge, not the Pro.
I believe the model number of the pro Bridge is L-BDGPRO2-WH. This kit does appear to include the Pro bridge, the desription specifically refers to it:
Of course you may be able to find the Lutron Pro bridge by itself or in kits on eBay for cheaper.
I have picos sitting on tables that control light switches and fans, Also have them velcro'd to bedside tables in bedroom to control bedside lamps, our ceiling fan, and other devices- I can also turn outside lights on/off, and turn our whole house fan on from the picos in our bedrooms.
They are extremely flexible.
Correct - you can tell the picos to control your smart bulbs, smart switches, smart blinds, any device on the Hubitat hub can be controlled by a Pico. You don't need to add any Lutron switches or other HW. Just the Lutron Pro hub, and the Pico(s).
Fair Warning: I have found the Picos to be somewhat addictive.
Okay, good to know! So what is the setup flow with these when there's another hub in the mix? Do I pair Lutron stuff to the smart bridge pro via a Lutron app?
Then it seems like I add each Lutron device to Hubitat via these instructions, right?
Set up the Lutron bridge to your network (connects via Wi-Fi, using Lutron mobile app)
Add your Picos to it the Lutron Hub using Lutron mobile app
Add the Lutron bridge to Hubitat (using Telnet) in the Hubitat Lutron Integration
Add the Picos to the Lutron integration - not they'll be available as button devices in Hubitat (five buttons each Pico)
Progam the Picos using an button app you want to control any Hubitat device
If you add more picos later you follow the same process. Add Picos to the Lutron hub, then to Hubitat in the Lutron integration, then program them using button apps.
My favorite button app is this - really well done app w/lots of options.
Your Picos look this this in the ABC app after programmed (each Pico becomes a chile app to the ABC app:
And in each child app you program the five Pico buttons. You can have Pushed and Held events for each button.
The repeaters seem to keep the Xiaomi devices happy. They’re not standard Zigbee and seem to drop more readily if they join directly to an HE hub more than a few feet away.
I live in a small house too. Two IKEA plugs was enough for me. One upstairs, one downstairs.
I'm using a pair of them as "3-way" control of a fan/light in our living room from two different switch boxes.
