In addition to being able to turn on/off water via my phone, I would also like to easily be able to have anyone be able to turn it off when they leave the house and back on when they come home.
What would be the best way to do this?
The first thing that comes to my mind is to have a switch by the door to turn it on/off. This is where I get a little confused. Is it possible to buy a switch that is battery powered that one can just ‘stick’ anywhere on a wall? This switch would then send the signal to the valve? Or would I have to replace a light switch with a multi-button controller?
Not real sure how the wall controllers work. I assume one of the buttons would be used to turn the light on and off and the other ones could be programed to control z-wave devices on the network?
Most Z-Wave multibutton wall controllers are scene controllers. GE and Cooper make wall scene controllers that are battery operated and surface mount. Leviton has Zone Controllers which have more of an On/Off button arrangement vs the single action buttons of scene controllers, but they require an electrical box to mount them in and power them.
You might consider some of the solutions on the forum for a home/away monitor or trigger so that it will automatically happen when people come and go. Possibly using a scene triggered by the door lock, or a motion sensor, or even RFID. Heck you could even use a battery operated door sensor and wire it to a standard wall switch (no voltage, just to trigger a scene to open/close the valve).
There are several ways to do this. You can buy battery powered switches that you stick to the wall, or you can replace a single light switch with a double Z-wave enabled one, using one switch for the light and the other for the valve. I don’t have experience with this valve, but it seems it works as a simple “on/off” device to which you can pair whichever type of switch you decide to use.
If you are getting a Vera, and if you’re planning to later expand your Z-wave network, it is worth looking into one of those scene controlling switches, i.e. a switch that has the ability to trigger a scene in the Vera. That way, you can set off all manner of actions depending on whether you are home or not. Besides turning the water on and off, you can turn off all lights when you leave, turn down the heat, arm motion sensors and turn on camera’s, that sort of thing. I have pushbuttons mounted next to my front and back door to do that sort of thing.
GE and Cooper make wall scene controllers that are battery operated and surface mount.
Is there anything like this available in Europe? The only EU scene-capable device I have found so far is the Homepro/ACT ZTW range of switches, and they require mains power.
[quote=“intveltr, post:3, topic:169520”]There are several ways to do this. You can buy battery powered switches that you stick to the wall, or you can replace a single light switch with a double Z-wave enabled one, using one switch for the light and the other for the valve. I don’t have experience with this valve, but it seems it works as a simple “on/off” device to which you can pair whichever type of switch you decide to use.
If you are getting a Vera, and if you’re planning to later expand your Z-wave network, it is worth looking into one of those scene controlling switches, i.e. a switch that has the ability to trigger a scene in the Vera. That way, you can set off all manner of actions depending on whether you are home or not. Besides turning the water on and off, you can turn off all lights when you leave, turn down the heat, arm motion sensors and turn on camera’s, that sort of thing. I have pushbuttons mounted next to my front and back door to do that sort of thing.[/quote]
[quote=“shady, post:2, topic:169520”]Most Z-Wave multibutton wall controllers are scene controllers. GE and Cooper make wall scene controllers that are battery operated and surface mount. Leviton has Zone Controllers which have more of an On/Off button arrangement vs the single action buttons of scene controllers, but they require an electrical box to mount them in and power them.
You might consider some of the solutions on the forum for a home/away monitor or trigger so that it will automatically happen when people come and go. Possibly using a scene triggered by the door lock, or a motion sensor, or even RFID. Heck you could even use a battery operated door sensor and wire it to a standard wall switch (no voltage, just to trigger a scene to open/close the valve).[/quote]
Thanks for the info. I may look into home/away trigger for this.
Which scene controlling switch are you using? And is it possible for one of the buttons on the switch to simply turn the light on and off - like a regular switch - without having to program a scene?
I still haven’t found a good scene-capable switch in Europe except the ACT ones (which I didn’t want to use here). As a workaround, I went with the Fibar FGS221 switch (http://www.hashop.nl/a-20255971/schakelaars/relay-insert-2-15-kw), and wired it up to a regular doorbell push button. The Fibar switch pushes the state change to Vera instantly, so I can use that to trigger the Away scene.
This ACT switch (http://www.hashop.nl/a-15746649/schakelaars/homepro-dual-wall-switch) has two paddles, one of them capable of switching a load, so you could use that one to turn the light on and off without any programming, and use the second paddle to set your Home/Away status. I’m not sure if this switch is fully compatible with Vera though, you might want to check the forums. If you’re in the USA, you’ll have more devices to choose from but again, make sure they work with Vera before buying one.
For 908.42 Z-Wave you would want to look at the VRCS4-MR or the VRCZ4-MR 4-Button Controllers with local control - the 1st button can be wired to turn on and off a light or receptacle
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