Could someone please tell me the correct, tidy way to deal with multiple switches for one device?
I’ve got a few examples of this with RFXCom 433 devices but could see the same with Zigbee devices I might buy:
Two wall switches and a switchable socket with a lamp.
Two battery powered remotes and a switchable socket with a 3D printer.
I’d like to be able to control just the single device from HA but also have it recognise the devices status if it hears a control from either physical switch/remote.
That’s the problem with 433 RF hardware (and infra-red), no state feedback. Solution: get better hardware. Zigbee will have state feedback for everything except the remotes (which you won’t need for this, the socket feedback will be sufficient).
The only place I still have 433Mhz wall switches in use, I replaced the relay with a Sonoff-RF (flashed with Tasmota), so I get the feedback from the ESP-part.
Thanks guys. I’m both loathe to replace devices and keen at the same time. There’s certainly a couple of devices that are giving me problems either with reliability or not properly supporting LED bulbs as a switched load. Actually, come to think of it, both could be the same cause. Those I’m replacing. The others that work ok as they are, I’ll see if I can play with automation to sync up the state. I’ll let you know if I get anywhere!
Ok, slowly getting there and tidying up the dross I’ve left lying about where I’ve got things wrong or changed my mind!
Changing the device that actually powers the light/item for a zigbee device has helped even though I’ve kept the switches. I’ll do some more of that once more sockets turn up!
What I’ve settled on, I’ll detail the most interesting case.
My son’s bedroom lights. It was previously a 433MHz stick-on wall switch for the lamp and a physical light switch for the ceiling light. Then there was a 2-gang stick-on wall switch for both by his bed (top of a ladder, other side of the room). The lamp was on a 433MHz socket.
I’ve:
ditched the single stick-on switch
swapped the physical light switch for a Yagusmart 2-gang Zigbee switch (identifies as TS0012 by _TZ3000_zmlunnhy with Tuya quirks).
swapped the 433MHz socket for a Zigbee socket.
I’ve got two automations for the ceiling lights that are easy. 433MHz wall-switch on, ceiling lights on and vices versa. The stateless nature of the switch is no hinderance here.
The lamp is more complex since the switch does not directly control it - it may be possible to bind the two but I’ve not worked that out yet and this works:
A pair of automations triggered by either wall-switch on/off → Lamp socket on/off
Another pair of automations for lamp socket state on/off → Zigbee wall switch on/off
The wall switch physically closes a relay so it clacks but it doesn’t seem phased by the fact there is no actual load on it. There is no neutral and no capacitor but the ceiling light is 6xGU10 5W LED bulbs (it used to be my office). This switch does have state for both the relay and also the LED that show each switch on/off so the second pair of automations keep its state in sync if the lamp is switched from the 433MHz switch or the app.
The joy, of course, is working out when you should be referring to a device and when it needs to be an entity…or a helper-entity…or not an entity that no longer actually exists!
