Z-Wave Remote Button Controller for Bali Shades

[david.kusek]

Hi - new here and new to home automation. The community here is great. I've used various support discussions to get up and running. Iv'e hit a wall and need some guidance.

I have Bali motorized shades with Z-wave. I was able to add each of my shades and my multi-channel remote to the Hubitat. I am able to control the shades via the device screen. The issue is that these shades are dual sheer shades. This matters because the "open" position of the shade needs to be exact. I've messed around with setting the device as a dimmer and attempting to find the perfect position with % open.. no luck.

One very useful features of my multi channel remote is a "home" position button. Instead of using the open button on the remote I use the home button which puts each shade to an exact open location.

I want to replicate this home position when the shade is activated with hubitat. I found a thread to do just that! (35731)

Now for my current issue. The digital button press on my multi-channel remote is not working. In the events I can see the physical button pushes which do activate the shades. So I know the remote is connected to the hub. When I replicate the same button push via the interface nothing happens with the shades. What am I missing?!

Thanks for reading my question.

[neonturbo]

Hello, welcome to Hubitat!

I am not sure I can answer this, I am not familiar with nor do I own these devices. However, if you can see the button press event, it seems like there should be some way to utilize it.

Did you try Button Controller app, or Rule Machine, or any other app to see if you could detect and use that button press event? You could use a light bulb or something like a virtual device "light" to test this if you don't want to be messing with the shades while you are ironing things out.

And there apparently is a firmware update that helps these shades (but probably not the remotes), see (Resolved) Moving from Wink - Bali/Somfy Shade Woes in Hubitat. Help! I guess I would at least check to see what firmware you are on.

[yashvind]

@david.kusek

35731

If I understand your question, it seems to be the sequencing issue within the channels for the remote. Which multichannel remote is it - Plus or Premium?

This or

OR this

Either way, you need to first include all blinds to the Zwave network, and then add the remote to the network - the steps you seem to have done successfully so far. You need to then configure channels (and home button) in the remote for each shade.

Here's the support article for additional step by step instructions. Look at page 42 as the starting point and then go back to the section of the type of the remote that you have to set up that remote for your shades.

[david.kusek]

Thanks for the response. My remote is the top image. I have the remote paired with the blinds and it works when I physically press the buttons. I also see the button push in the device events. When I push the same button digitally nothing happens.

For now I have the shades set up as dimmer switches and have each of them on a rule to turn on to a certain % open, not the prefect solution but it is working.

Understanding the digital button push and how it works or why it doesn't would be the best solve for my problem.

[yashvind]

Can you share your rule. I am using Generic Zwave shade driver, works just fine with it. So want to see your rule logic to assess why it won’t work with a shade device!

[david.kusek]

Maybe I'm doing a poor job of explaining. I am not even at the rule stage. After I adding the remote as a device I am trying to a digital button push with the remote. That button press is captured but not passed to the shades.

[neonturbo]

@david.kusek

That button press is captured but not passed to the shades.

I think we are saying you can (or must?) make a rule if you want to pass that button press onto the shades.

So you can use a variety of apps to do this. Basic Rules, Button Controller, Simple Automations, or Rule Machine. I am partial to a community app, Advanced Button Controller, for this.

I don't have any shades to do this with, but it might look something like one of these examples: (Click summary to view screenshots)

Basic Rules

Summary

Button Controller

Summary

Advanced Button Controller

Summary

[david.kusek]

Ah ok - because button push 30 on my remote raises 6 shades to a specific position I thought I could create an action to press button 30 on the remote which would raise the 6 shades to the right level. I don't want the button press to be a trigger, I want the button press to be the action.

It seems like this isn't possible and I need to recreate what button push 30 on the remote is doing.

[gcooka]

This doesn't resolve the issue, but just noting that I am experiencing the same situation with the Somfy 2 button remotes that came with my Bali shades -- they pair to the Hubitat hub and Hubitat can see when their physical buttons are pressed, but setting the Hold and Push functions from within Hubitat does nothing.

[dale.boyles]

I've been trying to do the same thing. I think what is needed is in the driver the ability to tell the shade to go to "HOME". Then anything could trigger the shade to go to that "home" position. Could be time of day, some other button press, anything. How do we get that capability?

[gcooka]

If you know in advance what the Home position is and it never changes, you could set it to open to a certain percentage.