Where have all the simple buttons gone?

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1

hi all, recent convert to hubitat here.
i've spent a lot of time searching this forum and searching the web and i cannot find an answer to my question. The information that i managed to find seems to be out of date.
i'm looking to fulfill a simple requirement, perhaps too simple for there to be a market for it.

  • i would like a simple button that i could press to control (turn on) a standard 110V Leviton Z-wave wall socket.
  • i'd like it to connect directly to my Hubitat, i.e. I don't want another hub.
  • I don't want it to have to go through my phone.

I think the Samsung SmartThings button would have been perfect but they seem to no longer be on the market. I don't know if being in Canada is a problem but all sources i find say they are no longer available.

The Flic button is the perfect form factor and would completely satisfy the primary functional requirement but I don't want to buy another hub just to run one button. I don't want to be dependent on my phone being near the button either.

the Ikea TRÅDFRI Shortcut Button is exactly what i want but again, i don't want to have to deal with another hub and ecosystem. I'm guessing i'd have to change the leviton socket as well.

I would be incredibly grateful if someone could point me in the right direction towards a product that could satisfy my requirements.

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Aeon NanoMote

Single and 4 button. Rechargable.

I have one of the Single button type and it's worked fine. My use is 'summertime only' and therefore it sits unused for 6-8 months of the year and I need to recharge it each year. But that's just my weird use case. I have 2 of their WallMotes, which are different but similar enough... 4 buttons, rechargeable. One is mounted via 3M Command about 1 arms length away. I use it a lot more :slight_smile: I tend to use just one button of the 4 (a printer)... perhaps I should swap it for the NanoMote :smiley:

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Hi Robb, welcome to Hubitat.

I haven't used the TRÅDFRI Shortcut Button, but searching the community, there is a community driver for it: [BETA] IKEA TRADFRI Shortcut Button.

Many devices say you need their particular hub, they want to lock you into their ecosystem. However, many devices, if they are Z-Wave, Zigbee, or IP, will work with Hubitat. For instance, I use Hue button controllers, directly from HE. You can check for devices in the compatibility list: List of Compatible Devices - Hubitat Documentation. Also, if you have a device in mind, you can search the community for other people's experiences.

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As @rjwgnr27_hub said, as long as the button is using zigbee/z-wave, they should do. Ikea TRADFRI is using zigbee.

For fancy one, I have Fibaro The Button, which IMO overpriced, but it's one of a kind look.

For economic choices, there are sonoff and tuya buttons (make sure zigbee version). I don't like the fingerprint though.

I have this 3-button one to control my cabinet strip lights, I assume all other Tuya zigbee switch will also work and there are many choices.

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I have 2 of the Sonoff buttons shown above connected directly to HE.
I only need 'push' and 'held' so these fit the bill perfectly.

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Hello, I just received my Tuya 3 button and it works well, and it's only about 12 USD. It works with HE button controller app using a driver from the community. It's about 3 inches long and is listed as zigbee 3.0

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If you use a wall mount tablet as a dashboard, you could install the flic app on it and have your flic button link to it instead of your phone. No need for another hub.

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+1 for the Aeotec Nanomote.....I have 2 of the them (4-button) and they work fine. They are rechargeable, and they hold the charge well. The only comment I have is you have to twist to open the back cover to insert the battery initially. On one of them it was a little hard to twist the cover off...I had to use 2 channel lock pliers. Maybe my hands are getting weak :smile: I have not had to open the cover since then.

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Samsung had some super-nice devices but they have gotten out of the hardware business recently and are no longer manufacturing or selling. You might still find the button on ebay but prices on the discontinued Samsung stuff are inflated.

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I have 4 Xiaomi buttons that work just fine if you don't have Zigbee incompatible repeaters. I removed all my in-wall repeaters.

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Aeotec will be producing them along with the hub. They do not appear to be available yet. I am a fan of those myself.

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Wow, I am blown away with the responses here! Thank you so much, everyone.

@csteele the nanomote one is ideal but i wasn't able to find one and was under the impression that the company doesn't make them anymore. it appears that they just make the 4 button one which i could eventually get but i would much prefer just one button.

@rjwgnr27_hub thanks for the list of compatible devices. i had found another thread here with a list of buttons but not this list. the list of buttons was from 2018 and it seemed like most of the things on it were no longer available.

@mcdull ah, i didn't realize that the TRÅDFRI was zigbee. that's a big step forward. thank you. i may try and get one of those and figure out how to flash it.
the Fibaro would work from a functional perspective but a) it's fairly expensive, and b) its form factor is a bit too ostentatious for me.
the sonoff one seems perfect from a functional and aesthetic point of view when doing my research, i had discounted it but can't remember why. i'll look into it again.
I hadn't seen the Tuya before. i'll look into that one.
thank you for all the info.

@bobbles another vote for the sonoff. i'll revisit those.

@Rxich thanks for the additional vote on the Tuya

@ymerj that's a very good idea as i have a drawer full of older phones. but having worked in the IT field all my life, i try to eliminate potential points of failure in a system rather than add them.

@Sakman thanks for the vote for the nanomote. i would likely get one of these if i could find the single button one.

@ha_migrant ah, so samsung makes a few things and then calls it quits. great management decisions. thanks for the info. now i know why i couldn't find them.

@dnickel i have no zigbee devices so shouldn't be a problem. i found those buttons but for some reason had discounted them. i will revisit. thanks.

@CAZ this is exactly what i'm looking for; small and simple one button. i can hold out for one of these. now to find it! thanks!

once again, thank you all for helping me out here. i, like many others here i assume, dumped that other hub that i have banished from memory for the Hubitat. I have since seen that the HE is incredibly powerful and capable but does require quite a bit of tinkering which is something i am no longer interested in doing. i used to do it a lot but now i prefer the lazier approach; take it out of the box, plug it in, it works! :smile:

now i've got some work to do finding a button! i'll be back to finish this saga.

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I'm shocked, since I looked it up on their website and it is the first pic they show. :smiley: But indeed you're correct, no one is offering it. TheSmartestHouse.com is a reseller and is Zooz owned and @agnes.zooz visits here often... maybe she has some insight. :smiley:

On the other hand, it's Aeotec and they have a (sad) reputation of announcing products 2 years in advance of availability. :frowning: It's possible they are refreshing the line, swapping to 700 series ZWave chip and timing wise, have shot themselves in the foot.

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You're welcome. I forgot all about the Hue buttons. I don't have any but they are compatible and available now on Amazon. Different form factor obviously and I don't think they report temp, but I'm not sure about that. I do use the temp reporting I get from the Samsung. They are pricier than the Smartthings by quite a bit. The Samsung buttons used to be around $15. No idea where Aeotec will set it.

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I just realized that using the TRÅDFRI as @mcdull suggested means getting the driver in the HE, not flashing the device.

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High. Quite high. They've always been inordinately "proud" of their products. :roll_eyes: :man_shrugging:

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Welcome to the best dam community on the "interwebs", my friend

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Alexa used to remind me that it was time to order more of the SmartThings buttons. So I guess I was always ordering 1 or 2 of them. And at $10.99 they were a steal. I have two of them that is just use as temperature sensors. I need a few more and will be interested in what the new price will be when they are reintroduced.

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thanks! i can see that it appears to be a good place to hang out. i might just have to do that and dig deeper into hubitat.

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Glad to know it is NOT me! One of my 2 is almost impossible to open. I thought it was my age, and I almost started crying at my impending demise....

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