I posted a similar message but it disappeared so hopefully this one gets some replies… Can the 2gig panel zwave setup (2gig controlls all zwave devices in the house) work with wall mounted switches that send z-wave commands to turn things on/off/dim or set scenes? Basically I want to be able to easily turn on a group of lights without using the ADC app or website to run the house.
If I read everything correctly this is not directly possible. But could be done by adding a proper z-wave controller like Vera or Micasa Verde. Setting them as primary controllers and the 2gig panel as a secondary. My question in this scenario, however, is what do I lose?
I have z-wave sirens for example - will they not work correctly or be horribly delayed in deployment? What about lights and thermostats that have rules in ADC?
Net-net I want to be able to easily control the zwave items without an app or website (wall switches or remotes) and keep the 2gig and ADC integration - is there a recipe book? How about Surety staff working with a group of us users to develop a packaged solution that could be sold? I’m game for working on developing something cool (developing in this case = testing and experimenting, not coding btw).
Disappeared? Sorry about that. We certainly don’t delete people’s posts unless they violate policy in some way such as being offensive or sharing unapproved confidential information.
Yes, that can be done by using another Z-Wave controller as the master and the 2GIG panel as the sub-controller. The Z-Wave devices would be enrolled in the main controller’s network and when the 2GIG panel is added as a sub-controller it has access to those devices. Lights and thermostats work fine like this. I think sirens would as well but I haven’t tried that.
The trade-off is when it comes to door locks. Due to their encryption you have to either enroll them in the master controller or the 2GIG panel. If you enroll them in the master controller then you don’t have access to the door locks via 2GIG or Alarm.com. If you enroll them directly in the 2GIG panel instead then you do have access them from 2GIG and Alarm.com but not from the master controller.
Most people enroll their lights and thermostats in the master controller and enroll their door locks directly into the 2GIG panel so the locks can be controlled via Alarm.com.
I’m not sure what you mean by a packaged solution but I think we’ll see the Alarm.com panels like 2GIG and Qolsys get these features on their own so we won’t need a separate controller like Vera in the near future.
Door locks will be accessible through 2Gig and Alarm.com when learned into a master controller and the 2Gig panel is subsequently made the secondary controller. This has been tested with Vera.
The master controller does not even need to be powered and functioning in order for ADC access, as it has shared the network node information with the 2Gig panel sub controller and Alarm.com in no way speaks to the third party master controller.
Direct testing has not been performed on Zwave sirens, but the process should be identical. Adding a controller like a Vera will permit additional integration with no loss of function through Alarm.com as far as has been tested.
Ryan - first off just a heads up - no insinuation intended, in fact I think it was my fault. Happened twice now. So I’m extra careful when posting
To the rest of the thread, thanks guys. This is great news. Jason you mention Vera, to your knowledge have any others been tested? I would guess the functionality should be identical no matter the controller as long as they behave as proper primary/secondary controllers. I haven’t started my research on which controller other than what caught my eye is what Fibaro is doing. But their solution is very expensive so it’s not likely a choice for me.
As to my thought of a package - just a suggestion for another line of revenue for Surety in selling a tested/supported solution. I know you guys pass the costs onto us at little to no margin for which I’m very grateful. But perhaps this would be good additional revenue.
Cheers and let me know on the choices for alternate controllers please.
I have not personally tested other main controllers, and I am not advocating Vera over another controller. It is simply what I have used in the past and what I test here in our office.
For other controllers, I would love to hear any feedback. The main things to make sure of (assuming these are even factors which might change from one controller to the next) is that:
A. It is a Zwave radio controller.
B. It can assume primary control of a secondary controller. (The 2Gig cannot be primary, for example)
C. It can assign the secondary controller through standard Zwave wireless pairing procedures. (For example, with Vera, you reset the 2Gig Zwave controller, then perform the 2Gig Learn Controller function, then press the Add Device button physically on the Vera.)
As far as the package goes, we love to get user-submitted ideas, and if users are interested we can put together something based on tested equipment.
As far as switch control for lighting, there are a number of options without going with a second Zwave controller since Alarm.com allows Sensor Activity to initiate rules.
I personally have a retro-gang box mounted in my bedroom that controls (through ADC rules saved to my alarm panel) a downstairs lamp module. There are no physical wires running to the gang box, it is just to house an RE201 wired to the on off toggle switch. Trip the sensor via the switch, the lamp turns on. (I despise blindly feeling around for light switches in the dark, so this was my cheap solution.) This also allows, in the case of having numerous Zwave lights, a user to customize the function of the switch on the fly through Alarm.com.
(I should say it is a double gang box, as the RE201 is slightly too big for the single ones I looked at. I think a 2GIG thin door contact would fit however.)
Heh - love the hack on the RE201, very yankee engineered! I see how that would work because the communication is via the alarm channel. I assume, however that using z-wave buttons doesn’t work this way? I.e. no way to send a command via something like one of these:
I have never tested these Leviton wall switch plates. From the instructions I would guess it may be possible if the following is true:
The Leviton Vizia RF+ Switch plate can be learned into the Master Controller as a switch (or multiple) and 2Gig can control it as a switch. If 2Gig can’t control it, as long as the primary controller can, you would still have scene control locally. Leviton tends to have some goofy proprietary requirements with their devices, so far as I have experimented. Similar to Nexia, they like to make equipment that works with their own system.
You have a Controller with a method of associating two nodes together, as that looks to be how the Leviton you linked controls other lights. At a glance it appears to be a transmitter rather than controller. We’ve used an Aeon Labs Minimote in the past to associate transmitters to switches in a Zwave network, which has worked well.
Hi Jason - poor choice on my part. I am with you 100% on the leviton issue - they’ve been that way forever on anything they make!
What I was going for is that style of switch where there are 4-5 buttons that can be set to do “something” when pressed. I can probably build my own using one of those button switches rigged to something like an RE201 - but are there any alarm sensors like that which will take 4-5 wired inputs and be small enough to install in a single gang box? This would be great because then I’d have the longer range of using the alarm freq to trigger zwave and keep a single controller. Perhaps resolution products can build us something like this?!
Aside from that my research so far has shown the following as leading players in the controller arena:
Micasa Verde
Vera
Wink
Schlage’s offering
Revolv (no longer available)
Fibaro
I can’t find a comprehensive comparison of features so may build my own and share back to the forum unless someone has a lead on a good one. (hint)
Still haven’t decided which direction will go. One thing I’m very curious about though - can ADC control zigbee devices that are on one of these outboard controllers? For example, use Wink to be primary, 2gig secondary. Have zwave switches on the Wink and also Philips Hue via zigbee. Can ADC rules reach out to the Hue since it’s on the network so to speak? I guess the question is can Wink expose Hue as a zwave device or offer a trigger for it. Any experience in this regard? I have a large Hue collection that is now collecting dust because I’ve gone zwave.
You would never be able to directly control any devices not controlled by the Alarm panel Zwave controller, so at face value, no, you would not be able to use ADC in that regard.
Alarm.com can only communicate with the alarm panel (using 2Gig as the example.) The 2Gig panel does not send a command to the main controller (using Vera as an example) to change a state of the device, it communicates with the device. As stated in a post above, the Vera does not even need to be powered for you to be able to control what has been shared with the 2Gig panel by the Vera controller.
The command is sent by Alarm.com to the 2Gig panel. 2Gig panel to the device. Vera only gets a status update from the device.
Now, all that said, it may not be impossible to rig certain controls. If for example you have a controller which can accept a Zwave device state change as a trigger for some sort of rule activation and that controller also has a zigbee or other radio, you could possibly make something happen. But this is more like falling dominoes than direct control, and I don’t know that any controller has this capability.
As for the switch and a sensor with 4-5 inputs, it may take a bit more effort, but rigging a sensor to activate a light could be replicated with a Takeover module. This would give you up to 8 individual switch controls, but would also require 8 of your 48 wireless sensor zones on the 2Gig panel. You would likely need to run the wire into a closet or basement as a takeover module would certainly not fit in a gang box.
