Leviton VRCS2-MR

Other Devices & Integrations Lighting & Load Control
1

There have been a couple recent threads about these switches, but I figured if I start new to maybe keep the ball rolling and get a resolution since there hasn’t been one in the 2 1/2 years I’ve been using Vera.

I have multiple Leviton 4 scene controllers…no problems.

My 2 scene/switch is a whole different ballgame as the rest of us who have tried working with them.

Currently, it is working the best I can get it.
The top switch(fan): I must double click it to turn it off. Single click to turn it on. The led does not work unless depressed.
The bottom switch(light): I must double click it to turn it on. Single click to turn it off. The led is always green.
I have an ‘on’ scene set up for each.
In the 2 scene controller settings itself for ‘Activate the following scenes when the buttons are turned on:’ I have the appropriate scene in the drop down menu. In the ‘Activate the following scenes when the buttons are turned off:’ I have them left blank. If I populate these commands then I lose my off control for both.

It does not matter if I activate include mode on the controller or Vera 1st. I have tried every possible combination to include the unit and this is the best result I could get. Everyone seems to get a little different result, but never the correct one.

In any given set-up process I’ve used there is never a problem turning the load on or off using the interface itself.

Also, I have had the same results with UI2 and UI4.

I could care less about the scene part of this switch. I simply have a single gang box that I have to fit 2 switches in that I want to act as two switches only. Unfortunately, you must include the entire controller itself before you can include the switches individually.

For this reason, I believe it’s a Leviton issue and not Vera. The problem I have, as with every other user, is that the switch itself is disabled as soon as you take the 1st step to include the controller. You can not put an individual switch into include mode until the whole unit itself is included. With any other switch or plug-in module, regardless of manufacturer, you tap the switch and it pairs. This is not possible with this particular unit.

I do not care about any other controller, switch, etc. so if you respond, please keep the topic to the VRCS2-MR so we can stick to the matter at hand. ;D Thx!

2

It really is a scene controller with 2 buttons, that also happens to have 2 internal switches in the same physical unit. Those internal switches can only be controlled through Z-Wave, there are no buttons. You can control them from Vera, or any other scene controller. You don’t have to use the button(s) from this scene controller, but you could. Which is your case. Thus, you have to define the scenes that link the scene controller’s buttons to the internal switches (like for any other external switch that you’d like to control with the buttons).

3

“Those internal switches can only be controlled through Z-Wave”…Not true!! Before it is paired with the dongle each button acts as an electronic switch on it’s own. Once it is paired, that functionality is immediately sacrificed. This is certainly not the case with a single load switch. You are not activating a scene when you press that button. In fact, you are not even creating a scene for that matter. You can throw Vera in the garbage and that single load switch is still going to work…on it’s own! Regardless, that is only a minor part of the bigger problem…

If you re-read my scenario of how the two buttons operate…the scenes are not operating correctly, nor are the ‘buttons’ that supposedly trigger the scenes. Case in point, I currently have my 4 button scene controllers set up exactly as I do this one. When I push each button it activates the scene, the led goes green and my light turns on…when I push it again it turns off the light and the green led quits…as it should.

No matter what I have done they simply are not working correctly. If you dig through this entire forum site, you will not find another person that has stated they’ve had any luck either…and if there is someone out there, those are the people I’m looking for.

4

I have them working just fine for me - the top button controlling a scene and the bottom button controlling a load. Only one push required and the LEDs work correctly.

Greg

5

After 4 attempts tonight, taking a break to go play a hold 'em tourney and have a few beers and returning for another 3 attempts(and a year in the making) I think I’ve succeeded!!

Both switches and led’s work as they should. I tried every combination of pairing, configuring scenes, not configuring scenes, etc. What worked?

I put the dongle in include mode before! I put the controller in include mode. (Doing this reversed would immediately kill the local switched load capability and turn the bottom led solid green.) At this point, the buttons still controlled the local load they are wired to.

I then had to turn the dongle off. To pair each switch/load I had to put each button on the controller(one at a time) in include mode before putting the dongle in include mode. The dongle simply won’t allow you to pair them in any other way. At this point I still had control of both loads locally with the switches.

No matter what when I tried any including/excluding with this controller I would lose communication with Vera when placing the dongle back into the usb. I don’t this problem including any other switch or device. I even paired a switch in the garage in between this whole nightmare without an issue. So, I’d learn to unplug Vera before placing the dongle then rebooting. (I have Vera 1)

Now Vera seemed to get a little confused. I also lost control of the loads via the local switch as soon as the scene controller and switches showed up on my dashboard. The scene controller configured without a problem. One switch showed up as it should(2 scene controller(switch)). This one took 2x to configure and grab all the information from the switch. The other first showed up as an appliance module. It configured, reconfigured, then showed up as a 2 scene controller switch, then proceeded to configure and gather info another 2 times. Then, for about a minute both switches worked locally, but then quit again!?!? I got worried.

So I set up a scene for each switch to turn on, assigned them to the controller and wouldn’t ya know they both worked.

Why so glitchy?! Why such a precise way to pair everything? And why did Vera seem so confused when configuring the 2 switches? It worries me that it was part luck with no certainty that I could repeat the same success again. I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has success this or any other way with this particular controller…

@ asterix406: Do you remember your process or any sort of confusion with Vera while setting up yours? Vera 1 or 2? It sounds like it went smooth for you.

At any rate, I hope this may help someone else out if they run into a similar situation.

6

@Double J

I have a Vera 2. I went through this many times until I uncovered the sequence to make it work. I finally ended up without a Scene Controller and with two switches. I use one switch to control a scene and the other controls a local load. This local load can also be controlled by Vera. The LEDs work perfectly.

7

The way that I have mine functioning was to put the scene controller first in include mode then my vera 2, doing this way I end up with a scene controller and two load devices. The local functionality lost, but making the scenes everything works fine, with the vera2 working, if vera is out the lights wont work either. This is why I want to make them work as normal light switches. I will try to include them in the reverse way to see if I can get them included with out the scene controller.

8

@ rnarro,

The way I described above is the only way I’ve been able to get it to function properly at all. At any rate, it seems local control is lost period unless combined as a scene controller. If you end up with a different process &/or result I’d love to hear it.

Vera does have a tendency to go down just like any other router, computer, etc. But at least when I get a call or text from my wife or kids I can tell them to go the ‘old-fashioned’ route and use the physical switch until I can get it back up…Something that is probably my fault for conditioning them to touch screens, phones & laptops. ::slight_smile: I can’t offer that advice with this.

9

@Double J … If one has a Vera2 would you suggest powering it down between the includes.

I too have tried everything to maintain local loads.

10

I don’t have Vera2, but plan on getting one shortly. I’m going to do a home show in spring for my a/v business and want to make Vera part of the display. Although, I can’t imagine it should be any different than Vera1. The only difference I could think of is it may not lock up when you plug the dongle back in. You have to figure you’re using the same software so it would have to be a simple hardware variation to make any difference and i don’t think that’s where the real confusion on these are coming from. I do not plan on using these switches as part of my display, so I can’t say as I’ll ever know until I replace my Vera.

I included everything at once to make it work for me.

Huge update, though! I had my wife unplug Vera yesterday and I tried the switches. BAM! They worked!! The physical switches now control the local loads themselves, just as i wanted and expected. This was NOT the case the night I finally got the right process nor the following morning when loss of control issues temporarily reappeared. Something in Vera worked itself out…not sure if I’ll ever know what, but I’m pretty confident it’s all straightened out.

The best thing I can suggest is follow the steps I described above exactly as I did them and see if you have any luck. Trust me, I’ve spent 3 lengthy segments over the last year to get to this point. I gave up 2 times after I got it only to finally get it over this last week trying every possible combination of inclusion and setup that i could think of. I know I’m a pain in the butt to many around me since I’m so persistent, but sometimes it pays off. :wink: