Surface button with indicator light? I ordered the wrong one AGAIN

Hello everyone,

I’ve been searching forever for a surface-mounted push button that has a built-in LED to indicate ON/OFF status. I want to be able to control the LED as needed, meaning the device should expose an LED entity. Ideally, it would use Zigbee.

Now, I found this switch and thought my search was over:

However, it turns out that this device barely provides any useful functionality via Z2M (see here). The LEDs only turn on while the button is being pressed—which is probably the most pointless use case. If I’m pressing the switch, I obviously know it!

Does anyone know of a device that offers the functionality I’m looking for?

Best regards,
Julian

Wall mounted buttons, if I understand what you mean correctly, are basically remotes. They do not have a status light for the thing they control, because they do not know the state of the thing they control. Buttons just fire events, they are not on or off, they are pressed and released. That is probably why you cannot find them with a led that shows a state.

Also, their batteries are usually a small cell. The continuous burning led would shorten the battery life.

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That’s right. There’s a light in these…


But it only flashes to show the command has been sent.

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I am using these ones, if you might consider using mains power supplied devices. Surface mounted, battery powered, will not probably give you the funcionality you want:

Any zigbee device that is battery powered will have very limited (if any) functionality in terms of controlling their LEDs, as battery powered devices are normally sleeping even for several minutes without listening to the radio unless their buttons are pressed.

:zap: :skull_and_crossbones: Manipulating mains powered devices is dangerous and may lead to severe injuries or death, please make sure you are either qualified to do it or seek for a professional electrician’s help. :skull_and_crossbones: :zap:

BSEED Smart ZigBee Light Switch

These come as single / dual / triple switches, plus courtain / blinds controllers, dimmers, etc.

I am not in general using them really as switches, as most of my lights are power suplied zigbee devices, but I use the switches as buttons and control my lights via automation instead.

One drawback of this model is that it does not support binding to zigbee groups (or at least I have not been able to), so you will depend on your HA automations. I use, as backup, some IKEA remotes directly bound to my lights to be able to control them in case my Z2M/HA goes down (even if they are in the end permantently in a drawer…)

You will need both line and neutral wires to power them up. If you buy the non-neutral switch version, you will need in any case a neutral wire and a bypass capacitor (like these ones: I am using 220nF X2 bypass capacitors).

MIGA 20 Pezzi Polipropilene Bypass Capacitors 0,22µF 275V X2

Whatever capacitor you buy, make sure it is X2 rated (required open-circuit fail mode safety, as directly bypassing mains power).

:zap: :skull_and_crossbones: I cannot stress more that doing this requires either being qualifed to do so, or getting a professional electrician to do it. :skull_and_crossbones: :zap:

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@Edwin_D

are basically remotes

correct

they do not know the state of the thing they control

Makes sense. Thats why I was hoping for a device which exposes the LED. That way I could use it in an automation.

batteries are usually a small cell

yeah, that seems to be a major problem. cr3032

Thank you for the detailed reply!

I already use wall mounted, mains powered switches. However, cant use them in the scenario I am thinking of.

Cheers

If you could give some hints on your scenario, maybe we could help. :slight_smile:

Via autmation you can make it “as complicated” as you wish.

I.e, my switches are in groups and updated by an automation when you push one (so if you turn on/off one, all of them get turned on/off in the same group), and also get updated when you directly control a light that is “attached” to a specific switch group. (Just the debouncing is a little tricky…).

In the end, as far as you keep the switch standalone without any bulb connected, it will behave exactly as a a button (or maybe I am missing something).

BTW, if you find a zigbee button that has a LED that works independendly of the button, I would love to know, as I was also looking for these and I am somehow resisting to do them myself (I think I will end up doing them if I cannot find anything… but I’d prefer not to)

I have Philips Hue remotes (pictured earlier). They have an “identify” function which makes the LED flash without turning the light on. As far as HA is concerned it’s a button entity separate from the on/off switch. You might be able to exploit that?