I have a Zwave smart plug that HomeAssistant recognizes and classifies as a ‘switch’… is it possible to reclassify this so it shows as a ‘light’, which is truer to it’s actual usage?
Also. What is the source of this classification? does the device itself declare that it’s a switch to the ZWave network according to the ZWave specification or does HA just see a ZWave device and decide 'I see that you are a ZWave device and according to my records- it says here that you are a switch, I will name you “zwave_switch.006”?
((edit- I know I can make custom cards and place whatever device under whatever category… I dunno… I think I’m just trying to learn how things work under the surface.))
From a Home Assistant perspective (and many other systems) a switch is something that is on or off, where a light will be dimmable. Even if you think of it as a light, because it only has two states, it’s treated as a switch (because functionally, that’s what it is).
Think about it this way, you’re doing the equivalent of controlling the switch on the wall, not the bulb itself.
And that’s kinda where my logic breaks because in the world of conventional, manual controls, it’s typically the switch that controls dimming and the bulb itself is more of a binary on or off… with the dimming function being handled by the switch undervolting the light.
In addition… as a… I hesitate to say ‘electrician’ because I feel it’s like a cook calling himself a chef… I can wire a house for electricity and while it’s no longer my job, I do still work for a company that employs people and it is their job… and switch plugs and half-switch plugs are a thing where a wall switch will control a pair of wall outlets or even one of the outlets in a duplex plug leaving the other powered full-time…
I kinda feel this is a hold-over from the early days of automation where something like a controllable bulb didn’t really exist much less… we’re still at the point that I have to explain to customers why their energy-saving CFL and LED bulbs flicker when they try to use them with an old-school slide dimmer.