I want to replace my in-wall mechanical 15-minute countdown timer switch that controls my bathroom exhaust fan with a z-wave controllable digital timer switch.
I’m not having any luck finding a z-wave controllable in-wall countdown timer switch. All I can find are on/off switches. Where are the timer switches?
The reason I want a specific timer switch in the wall is so any non-technical bathroom visitor can still control the fan by simply pushing a button that’s labelled for example “15 min”, and the fan will stay on for 15 minutes. They should also be able to press an “Off” button and it always turns off. But, I also have a humidity sensor in the bathroom, and I want z-wave to automatically turn the fan on when humidity is above say 70%, and automatically turn it off again (if it was triggered by the scene) when it’s below 70%. And, here’s another catch. If z-wave turns the fan on automatically, there should always be a way to turn it off at the in-wall switch.
Which states in the description “HET06A … can be multi-ganged with other devices, such as Z-Wave devices and Switches.”
Does that mean it can be controlled by a Z-wave module? If so, what kind? How is it wired together?
What’s confusing is the Enerlites web site shows a model HET06A-R, but not HET06A, and in its installation instructions, it clearly states “The HET06A-R is not suitable for 3-way switching.” Am I being led astray by the description on amazon that it “can be multi-ganged with … Z-Wave devices and switches”?
So far as I am aware of, no such Z-Wave timer exists. The typical method of implementing this type of scenario with Z-Wave is to use a standard On/Off Z-Wave switch to control the fan. Then on Vera, you create a scene that is triggered by the switch being turned on. The scene has a delayed action to turn the switch Off after 15 minutes.
The HET06A that you linked to is not a Z-Wave switch and cannot be directly connected with a Z-Wave switch so that either switch can control the other. Their reference to, can fit in any standard wall box and can be multi-ganged with other devices, such as Z-Wave devices only means that they can be in the same gang box. It’s a strange description, but it doesn’t mean that there is any real relation to Z-Wave.
If you chose to, could use both a Z-Wave switch and a HET06A to control the fan in parallel. This way either switch could turn on the fan, but the switches would not interact with each other in any way. The Z-Wave switch could not turn Off the timer and the timer could not turn Off the Z-Wave switch. Having two separate switches to control the fan, seems excessive to me, but your needs may differ.
As Z-Waver indicated, I’ve done a similar thing with outside lights but I’m using the Countdown Timer plug-in using a scene. I have an exterior light coming on when someone pushes my doorbell and have the Countdown Timer set to turn the light off after 3 mins. You could easily do the same thing with a standard zwave wall switch… really useful plugin!
My concern with a scene-controlled timer-to-off solution is hub downtime (which…happens). During downtime, at the very least, someone can walk across the room and still turn off the lights by pressing the in-wall switch. The same should hold true for a countdown timer. If the hub triggers “fan on”, and for some reason the hub goes down, it should not leave the fan in the “on” state. Similarly, the in-wall switch should not be simply on/off. The non-techie end user should be able to press a preset timed countdown button. IMHO, the hub should trigger the preset countdown operation of the in-wall switch, such as a preset 15 minute button, for example. But, as you say, this product does not exist, so I guess I’m just dreaming. I’ll add this one to the list along with “why are there no z-wave toggle switches?” Is it just me, or is there a conspiracy among manufacturers to only offer one solution?! ???
A non-techie end user in my house won’t even turn on the fan when its supposed to be on. Either they turn it off when they leave and it needs more ventilation or they take a shower and never turn I on.
I have two on/off switches one for lights and one for fan, but the fan will auto turn on if the bathroom door is closed with the light on for more then a few min. It will auto run after its turned off for 5 min also. A non techy doesn’t even have to touch the fan switch and it will work. I use PLEG and timers and such all function when vera comes back up if it had an unsuspected reboot. So I’m unsure what you mean about down time. If power when out then the fan would be off anyways.
Qubino inwall relays (with 1/2 relays) have count “down” and count “up” timers.
Parameter no. 11 & no. 13 - Automatic turning off output Q1 & Q2 after set time
Parameter no. 12 & no. 14 - Automatic turning on output Q1 & Q2 after set time
I do something similar using a JASCO/GE On/OFF switch. Turning on the switch manually starts a 20 minute timer in PLEG. When the timer expires PLEG issues the OFF command to the switch. The door also has a door/window sensor, when the door is CLOSED the light goes ON, and when it opens it starts a two minute timer in PLEG. When the timer experts it issues the OFF command
These guys get it. They’re not just using Z-Wave to control a switch, they are implementing automation. The end user shouldn’t have to do anything counter intuitive or think of anything. They don’t even have to turn on the fan. The automation does it all. Additionally, if the hub is down, the On/Off switches work manually as expected.
Of course Z-Wave switches, motion sensors, and door sensors cost a lot more than a standard $15 timer switch. Why isn’t that adequate again?
P.S. PLEG timers survive hub downtime/restarts. Though there shouldn’t be much of that. My last Vera restart was 6 months ago, with LUUP restarts at ~2am everyday.
leviton makes an excellent count down fan timer with humidity sensor built in, no z-wave needed. Does exactly what you are looking for and no hub outage to worry about. This worked well enough for me didn’t bother making part of home automation. Search for Leviton humidity fan timer.
Also GE/Jasco does make a toggle style z-wave switch and dimmer. They are newish. Search for z-wave toggle.
The Fibaro in-wall switch modules, if they are available in your region, have a parameter which can be set to turn off the switch after a configurable period. I use this feature on my garage door opener, which needs a momentary contact closure to operate the door.
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