Hi,
I have Savant light switches/scenes in my home, installed many years ago without knowing how bad a choice it was going to be (builder's home integrator recommended it).
I'd like to take these switches out and replace with Zigbee (I think) switches/scene controllers to use Hubitat to integrate them and bring them into Homekit. I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions on this.
From my understanding, each switch location is like any other switch that turns on/off lights. But with the Savant switches and Savant host controller, a button on any particular switch may turn on that light, or groups of lights, as a scene that gets triggered.
Wondering if I'm going about this correctly. Can I swap these out for Zigbee switches, add to Hubitat, and then program the buttons on each switch to activate lighting?
Or does anyone have a recommendation of what I should be looking for instead?
Suggestion on brands/models of lighting switches that would do this and work within Hubitat? I don't see a lot of brands in Hubitat devices related to lighting switches (for instance I was looking at Moes switches and don't see them listed in devices in HE).
Should I even go with Zigbee vs. Thread or Matter to go directly into Homekit?
Any advice would be appreciated on how I should go about this.
Any smart switch can be used as a trigger to turn on any other switch, or group of switches or any other system you can control. Example, I use a wireless Zigbee remote multi-button device to turn on a smart plug that controls an amp/speakers and trigger Alexa connect to the amp to play music on my patio.
Smart wall switches are essentially a momentary button connected to a microcontroller that signals a relay to control the power. The button press triggers the microcontroller which signals the relay to toggle and then send a message to Hubitat that it has changed state.
I have used various brands of Zigbee switches. As long as their Zigbee they "should" work with the built-in generic zigbee switch driver in Hubitat.
No experience with matter or thread so no opinion there.
The one and only switches I have are from Inovelli. I got them a few years ago when they only had Z-Wave. They now have Zigbee too. There are 4 things I particularly like about them:
Besides the normal rocker switch, they also have a small second button on the upper right that is the config button, but can also be programmed. I use this button like a “favorite“ and have done a Hubitat rule to have it turn on its associated light to its dimmest value. GREAT family acceptance factor as we don’t get blinded by the lights in the very early morning or late at night. Having a dedicated button for this is wonderful vs having to do, say, a double tap to do this.
The 2nd thing I love is that there are more multi-press options then you’ll probably ever use. On mine I can have up to 6 presses up or down (“push” or “hold”). I haven’t gone beyond a triple push, partially as it is hard to remember just what they all do then, but you can.
3rd is the colored LED dimmer. You can change the color and how much of it lights up and how right it is. For example, assuming you had a door sensor on a door, you could do a rule to turn the LED a different color or flash if the door was left open > x time.
Options, options, options. You can adjust how fast it ramps up/down, what is the max/min values, how fast does holding the switch for dimming ramp up/down and many, many more.
Their is good support for them here as well as their community:
One other factor is that while it took months for my mesh to really settle, they have been very solid for a long time now. (One factor may be that I had mine installed by an electrician so my mesh wasn’t built up from closest to the hub outwards. Another factor may have been that I was able to move my Hubitat to a better location when I went to a mesh router and a 3rd possibility is that I moved from a C-7 to a C-8).
At the time no one else had anything that could do all that. As I only have the Inovellis I can’t speak at all to the state of other brands now if they can do all of those things.
I wasn't the one asking but good explanation of a use case for pricey switches.
I don't think I could justify $60+ dollars for a switch, much less a use case. I have enough trouble with the WAF and double tap switches.
My use case for automation has always been just repetitive and trivial functions. Window blinds, window lights, landscape lights, sensors, hvac, sensors, etc.
But that's the great thing about automation you can do as much or as little as you need.
Sure, I get it. But considering how long I hope they last the difference was worth it for me, and was still much cheaper than Lutron. Again, YMMV, but the config/favorite button is what gives this great FAW (Family. Acceptance Factor) in my family as they don't have to do double clicks to get that lowest dim value, which we all use almost every day to avoid PCB. (Pre-coffee blinding. :-))
In this setup, the wiring to the keypads/switches is all low voltage wiring that does not directly control the load. The low voltage wiring goes to a control panel, which connects to relays also via low voltage control wiring.
So, in the US, removing a Savant system will require new wiring that directly controls the load to be run to each keypad/switch.
Unless a typical Savant setup in Europe different from setups in the US, you will not be able to swap your Savant keypads for zigbee switches.
What brand/model Zigbee switches have you liked the most? I probably don't need a ton of features, other than: on/off for the light its nearest, couple buttons on each for scenes that relate to nearby (home/away scene at front door; goodnight in master; movie time in living room). And a few with dimming capabilities. So the Innovelli do look great but may be overkill. Moes seem to look stylish and fit with the Savant abilities I have. Any thoughts?
How would I figure out if this is how it's wired? The original contractor that sold me this closed and inferior lighting system, promptly went out of business after the job was done and said "Sorry, any further Savant needs you have to find a new integrator". He provided me with a cable at least for me to plug into each switch when I need to change my Wifi password to reconnect them to the network.
So, a bit more about what I do know about my electrical wiring and the Savant setup:
There is a Savant Host (linux box) connected to my network via ethernet.
Each switch has a USB plug I can connect to from my ipad and Savant Host app, where it'll allow me to update the wifi password/connect to a new wifi network.
All switches are wifi connected, as I suggested above, which makes me wonder if they aren't wired in the way you mention?
When they are not connected to Wifi, or wifi is out, or savant host is unplugged for instance, at every switch, if I hit any button on it, it will control the "dumb" switch, meaning whatever the light switch would control if it was a normal rocker.
I have not seen, definitely know, there is not any other Savant modules, enclosures, SKL-4000, Enc-4000, etc
As far as I am aware, I just have the Savant Host, and about 12 of these Savant lighting switches.
Pretty sure (probably obviously) they are hooked up also with a neutral which allows the slight power to them to be able to stay connected via wifi (which still has a delay or need to be pressed twice to get them to wake and work).
The only Zigbee switches I have used are outlet plugs. Every in-wall dimmer and fan controller in my house is Zwave. Outside of the ZWave in-walls I have only a few Zwave devices of other types. Everything else is Zigbee, which far outnumbers my Zwave devices.
For me, this is a good way to split the protocols, and I have had good luck with the Zwave in-walls. I have several brands; GE, Minoston, Ultra-Pro, and Honeywell. The only brand I had any issues with was Eva Logik, so I replaced those. They would stop repeating and put down my Zwave network.
@kuzenkohome What Zigbee switches do you think have done well for you? And keep in mind, I'm hoping to get some that have multi gang buttons so I can set a button a to a light, button b to a scene, button c to another scene. Similar to what you see in the pic I showed above of my savant.
@Stu_The_K I have seen the Inovelli switches and they really look great, but ever since I found them a year ago, the ones with multiple buttons (gang switched) show SOLD OUT, and seems like they can't keep up with demand. I'll need to be buying like 12 switches, some single gang, some with multiple scene buttons. Both Z-Wave and Zigbee of those are hard to come by. Unless you suggest where I can get them (in the US)?
Looked at the Z-Wave brands from @user2574 and can't find any that have multiple scene buttons. Except the Minostan has one model, but with the detachable remote faceplate, which is battery powered. I don't need and would like fixed switch buttons and not eventually replace batteries in remotes I won't need.
I don't know of any single gang zigbee wired wall switches with multiple buttons like the savant.
You could use one of the MOES brand 1-4 gang but only wire to one of the terminals. The other 2-4 could be used as scene switches. Downside is the relays for the other gangs would click, but that could be considered audible feedback since it is a touch switch. No double, triple tap or held options with this switch.
You would install the zbmini inside of the switch box and mount the wireless button over the opening of the switchbox. Or a more convenient location if desired. You would designate one of the buttons to control the zbmini. Only downside to this is if your hub goes offline for some reason you have no local direct control.
The zbminis do have the capability of connecting to a conventional electrical toggle switch for local control and can still be used with the wireless button.
I just received one of the referenced MOES switches and it paired right up to my hub, as do the zbminis. I never used the referenced wireless button but shows its compatible with hubitat.
yeah, I've been looking at the Zooz switches. They look like they'd work, although I have one switch that controls a fluorescent tube light w/ ballast (I assume) which these say they don't work with. Maybe an Inovelli for that particular switch, or maybe I'll just change out that one fixture since it probably makes sense to convert to a normal fixture from tube light (its at the bottom of an exit stairwell where it doesn't need to be fancy).
Thanks for all the suggestions. And great to know about the ZEN75. I'll be starting off small to replace some of my Savant switches and see how it goes. FWIW I'll post back here on the success (hopefully) of converting over from Savant.
I am a big fan of Zooz switches, they are reliable and well supported by Hubitat. I recently installed some Kasa switches and lights. They are WIFI and also work well.
