Z-wave remote like X-10 Palm Pad

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21

Oh I know nothing is compatible with X-10 these days, and quite frankly, I'm ok with that, X-10 has too many issues, too many limitations, not to mention the technology, though slightly updated throughout its lifetime, is still over 50 years old.

However the one sorta strength was in its simplicity which was just side effect of the technology, the simple device address, on/off command. I've been watching the home automation space for a while, and it always seemed that promising new stuff came around, Insteon, Z-wave, Zigbee, etc.. I was always really close to pulling the trigger on something, but there were always issues that came up, I have a bunch of Insteon/X-10 switches, but they turned out to be a bit fragile, both physically, and in the electronics, so never made the switch to Insteon, which looks to be a very good decision now, and makes me even more determined not to get locked into a single companies proprietary solution.

Yes, you are correct, taking a step away from what I know, and learning something new is always going to be a pivot point, but mostly I don't want to sink a bunch of money into something that ultimately doesn't work for me. I really don't think that's the issue here, more that there are a limited set of options for the specific way I want the system to work (i.e. hardbutton remote similar to X-10 palmpad), without having to add additional hardware and translation layers from one protocol to another.

Again, not sure why these solutions seemed to be available, but are now not very numerous, without having to add more bridges to different protocols/technologies. Part of it is the unfamiliarity of how HE actually works, since I won't know that until I actually get one, I just want to have as much understanding as I can get, before I buy a bunch of hardware.

My current needs are pretty basic, just remotely turning on and off lights, and fans, at least for now. Once I get that working reliably, then I might start looking at more fancy stuff, like HVAC control, fireplace, etc.

It does look like at least in the US, the hard button remotes, are for the most part limited to what I initially posted, and possibly a couple more, which I was hoping there were more but are either discontinued or a victim of the chip shortatge (like the Aeotec Nanomote Quad, the Wallmote Quad is to pricey), but it doesn't seem to be the case, I'll just have to pull the trigger on one, and hope it works.

Ehh, sorry for the long ramble..

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22

Well, You can stick to z-wave and zigbee easily enough. No need to add an additional bridge. I like Lutron because, well frankly they're tanks and they just work. You can go with the Hue button controller and it will pair directly with HE and you can set it to control anything else that is connected to HE eazy peazy... Again, goes back to making it as simple or as complicated as you want. :slight_smile:

That is definitely a factor. I would start first with the Hubitat Compatibility List here... https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=List_of_Compatible_Devices and then check what others are using and reccomending.

Hahahaha You're not rambling at all... Want rambling? Wait till I get a few beers in me! :rofl:

23

I don't mean this in an offensive way, but those X10 remotes to me look like something out of the 70s where they predict what the year 2000 will look like. (I am old enough to have lived that).

Most people now either automate things, a simple button, or more likely (not that I like it personally) a phone or tablet. There really isn't a strong (or any) market for these x10 form factor remote devices.

There is no such thing as "handling an appliance module" in Hubitat. You push a button on any remote, and it can do any action or number of actions you desire. You can use any generic button to open the garage door, or a plug-in outlet for a lamp, a smart bulb, or a light switch. The button protocol (Zigbee/Zwave/Lutron etc) and the controlled module are two independent things. "Rules" (as a generic term) tie a button to whatever. This is very powerful, and has very few if any limitations.

I really like the Pico buttons like everyone else has mentioned if you are in North America. The initial buy-in is fairly steep ($125 or so for a bridge) but the Picos low cost, reliability, and long battery life make up for the price of the bridge. If you were to purchase about 9-10 Pico, the bridge usually pays for itself over the price of a Zigbee or Zwave button that typically cost between $5 and $10 more than a Pico. No button out there will have a 10 year battery life like a Pico, so you probably save money with Picos over their lifetime.

I think you also need to consider automating things. There is very little need for all these buttons if you have things set up so your bathroom light automagically turns on to a very dim level at night and turns on normal during the day. I have dim lights in hallways come on for when I let the dog out in the middle of the night. The kitchen light comes on when I walk into the room. I hardly have to touch light switches anymore. I have motion sensors in every room and doors sensor on every door including the garage, closets, and basement.

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Difficult to find Z-Wave multi-button remotes these days. I have this 6 button Zigbee remote and it's very good.

Most Aqara devices are problematic on Hubitat. They are Zigbee, but non-compliant Zigbee, so they tend to drop off the network eventually, no matter what you do in regard to compatible Zigbee repeaters, etc.

However, these are not made by the same company that makes most of the Aqara devices. They are made by Opple, and they are said by many that have them, to be very stable, but a bit difficult to get paired initially. I must tell you though, I do not have these joined directly to Hubitat. I use a different method for Aqara and other non-compatible Zigbee devices so that I have stable operation and no dropping off the network. Regardless, this is a good controller and very inexpensive.

What's very different from what you are used to with X-10, is the interconnectivity that is made possible by the hub. It really doesn't matter if you have Z-wave controllers and Zigbee devices, or vice versa. Same is true for the aforementioned Lutron remotes. I have Insteon dimmers in my home that are controllable via Lutron Pico remotes and could easily be controlled by my 6 button Aqara Opple controller if I wanted.

Each button of the Aqara Opple controller (and many others for that matter) can have multiple presses. I believe there's one community driver for the Aqara Opple 6 button controller that allows up to 24 different button presses. Personally, I only use 1 press per button for its current use case.