Hi all,
I have a dilemma atm, currently, I have an Aqara Single Wall Switch which turns on and off some “dumb” lights. I want to dim them with an Aqara Wireless Mini Switch on a long press.
Can this be achievable somehow? Can I achieve this with NodeRed maybe? I’m fairly new to creating custom templates, maybe somebody could help me with this?
Thanks!
First you need hardware which supports dimming; you mentioned you had an Aqara single wall switch. This would have to be a dimmer switch and not a simple on/off switch.
Next you need to understand that the Aqara mini switch can only send three events: single press, double press, and long press. It doesn’t appear have a state for HA to know if it is currently pressed. So if your intent is to hold the button while the light slowly dims and release the button when it reaches the desired dimming level, then this mini switch will not work.
If you are constrained to that mini switch, your option would be to reduce the dimming level by a set amount (e.g. reduce brightness by 10%) each time you long-press it (or tap it or double-tap it; whichever you want). Or perhaps you could tap it to start dimming, and then tap it again to stop dimming.
Regardless, you first need to figure out what you actually want to do and whether you have the hardware to do it.
Yes, this is what I want to achieve. Step by step is alright. Also, I am not constrained to that mini switch, I just want a automation to make this work.
Though, with this wall switch I won’t be able to if I understand correctly?
You don’t mention what zigbee integration you’re using (ZHA, Deconz or Z2MQTT), but Z2MQTT also supports a release action if you’re referring to this device.
The release action should be enough to determine when to stop changing brightness after a hold action, so you won’t need to increase brightness in steps.
However, you will still need some kind of zigbee dimmer module to control your dumb lights - both devices you listed so far can’t directly control your light’s brightness. You also don’t mention if your lights are actually dimmable - this isn’t usually the case for most LEDs unless explicitly written.
It is Z2MQTT and yes, that is the device I’m using. The bulbs are dimmable, and yeah I read all over the place that I will need a smart dimmer, that’s a bummer. Do you know maybe some good ones which are on Zigbee? And also Europe compatible, too bad Aqara doesn’t produce the dimmer for Europe too…
Well, you can’t just use any smart switch, wire it up to a dumb bulb and expect it to be able to dim, because it’s not part of the product description.
As for suggestions, I don’t have any in particular. Have a look here and make sure to visit this page frequently if you’re using Z2MQTT. See which device suits your needs, google a couple of reviews and search for issues on the Z2M github and take it from there.
You might make a mistake or two along the way, but that’s why everyone here has a junk drawer 