Tag Archives: lighting control

Moar automation

Got a few more bits added this weekend:

GE 45609 Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control On/Off Switch
GE 45614 Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control 3-Way Switch Kit
Trane TZEMT400BB3 Remote Energy Management Thermostat

Used the normal switch for our ceiling fan/lighting fixture in the den, was hoping for something to be able to control the fan and lighting separately but the module for that is almost 3x more expensive than the switch so decided it just wasn’t worth it for now. The three way switch I installed in our downstairs hallway. Installation there was slightly trickier than a normal two way, but a few minutes with a multimeter got me up and running.

The thermostat was the most interesting of the three pieces to install, mostly since the installation manual assumes a level of familiarity with home cooling systems that I didn’t have going in. It’s really meant to be installed by a professional, but a little google research filled in the missing pieces. One note here, the thermostat I replaced was modern enough that the wiring was done correctly and was nicely labeled. If not for that, I would have had to spend significant time tracing wires and potentially running a common 24v wire to provide power.

Once installed, all three devices paired easily with my controller and I was able to get em included in a few more scenes without issue. The more I play with this stuff, the better it seems to get…

Initial Automation Success

Got my various HA bits in this morning, was able to get the Vera Lite controller set up (dead easy) with my lamp plug and dimmer switch. All paired without issue and was able to set up a few rudimentary scenes to begin playing. The Vera web ui is well laid out, very straight forward and commands executed there are reflected almost instantly.

I’m using the Home Buddy beta app on my android devices (link) which works well. It does both spoken scene commands as well as allowing for control via Tasker (untested, but next on my list).

Home automation experiment begins

Got a few bits on the way to start this little experiment in HA off:

Mi Casa Verde Vera Lite Home Controller
GE 45606 Z-Wave Technology 2-Way Dimmer Switch
GE 45603 Z-Wave Technology Wireless Lighting Control Fluorescent Light & Appliance Module

For now I’m just looking to control the lamp in my den and overhead lighting in the adjacent kitchen. Nothing too exciting really, just enough to get my feet wet and be able to do a simple scene around watching movies. Hopefully amazon will get the stuff here tomorrow so I’ll have the weekend to play…

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