Apartment Setup for Lighting

Other Devices & Integrations Lighting & Load Control
1

I am renting an apartment and would probably not be allowed to replace outlets and switches. Currently, I am using a Vera Lite along with a door sensor for the entrance and an outdoor light controller for my porch lights.

However, I would like some automation indoors as well. I have two light switches in the apartment that control an outlet rather than a direct light source. I would like all of the accent lights that are plugged into external Z-wave switches to turn on and off with the light switch. My idea would be to attach a z-wave light controller to the outlet controlled by the wall switch. Then, I would somehow program my Vera lite to turn lights on and off based on if the light controller was connected or disconnected from the network.

Essentially, is there a way to send commands to Z-wave devices based on if a device is or is not connected to the network?

2

There are several discussions including;
Ping app
Ping plus (by @garrett)
GPS (Geo fencing) using google latitude
Another one based on GPS and iDevice and jailbreaking.

3

Z-Wave networks do not like having devices removed from their mesh. It affects the reliability of the whole network, not just the device that has been disconnected. So you can’t use a Z-Wave device as the sentinel; you’d have to explore more exotic options like Brientim mentions.

Previous discussion: http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=14313.0

4

I totally misread the original post… Ignore my last!

5

You might just stick one of these scene controllers from GE next to your existing light switches:

http://www.asihome.com/ASIshop/product_info.php?cPath=564_570&products_id=4492

They are surface mount so if you use a 3M Command Adhesive you can take it off of the wall without damage. When I was using Z-Wave in an apartment years ago I couldn’t afford Z-Wave switches yet, so I was trying to figure out a way to re-purpose the switch-leg going to the switched outlet to trigger the button on the Intermatic Dimming Module. There would be no voltage involved in the switch-leg it would just act as a contact, but I’d have to flip the switch on/off for on or hold on to dim then switch off when at the proper dim level. I never did it since it involved re-purposing apartment wiring and still wouldn’t give me a good user experience. But now they have affordable stick on scene controllers so…