Z-Wave Remote, Scene Selector, etc

[HAdiy]

Just finished adding some additional z-wave light switches and fan controllers to my system. It is currently being controlled by my 2gig alarm system. This is my first real introduction to light home automation and so far I like the functionality. I love being able to trigger activities based on certain events occulting (ex: foyer light turns on when front door opens). I also like being able to create scenes and being able to turn off all lights with the push of one button is becoming quite beneficial.

However, when I utilize my iPhone or iPad to control the system there is enough of a lag to make it annoying. When controlled directly from the 2gig system there is no delay. Thus, I'm looking for a z-wave remote control/scene controller that I can utilize in lieu of my ios devices to control the fans and lights. It would be nice to have the functionality to control the dimming of the lights and the fan speed of the fans.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I looked on amazon and didn't find anything I liked.

Thanks in advance!

 

[FlyingDiver]

The Vera systems (http://getvera.com) seem very popular if you want a stand-alone controller.  If you want a software based one you run on your computer (24x7), the best OSX one is Indigo.  I don't do Windows, so I don't know which is most popular on that side.

 

[HAdiy]

Thanks. However, I'm not looking for a new controller as I like the fact that my 2gig controller allows me to have my security and home automation (via z-wave) on one system (and one app).

What I'm looking for is a handheld remote control for on/off and dimming to use when the iPhone/iPad become to cumbersome.

Thanks.

 

[FlyingDiver]

The problem is that part of the delay you're seeing is caused by the scene actually being processed on alarm.com's servers.  You can set up the panel to handle scenes locally, but then you loose the ability to program the scenes via the website.  It has to be done on the panel, which is much more limited.
 
Other than that, the only Z-wave devices that can send commands are Z-wave controllers.  I can't find anything resembling a handheld controller.  The closest I can find is a key-fob device which is meant for arming/disarming the panel, or initiating a fire or panic alert.  It's possible you could program the panel to do something else.  Or you could use some sort of generic RF relay device wired into a takeover module (http://suretydiy.com/product/2gig-super-switch-take-over-module/) to initiate the scene changes.

 

[drvnbysound]

Handheld Zwave controller(s):
 
http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/SectionDisplay.jsp?section=44144&minisite=10251

 

[HAdiy]

Just found this product that fits my needs:

http://2gig.com/products/ts1-touch-screen

It has the option to be tan on AA batteries which makes it mobile. Has anyone ever used one of these in conjunction with their 2gig?

 

[FlyingDiver]

Handheld Zwave controller(s):
 
http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/SectionDisplay.jsp?section=44144&minisite=10251

 
But will it work as a secondary controller in a Z-wave network already controlled by the 2Gig panel?

 

[FlyingDiver]

Just found this product that fits my needs:

http://2gig.com/products/ts1-touch-screen

It has the option to be tan on AA batteries which makes it mobile. Has anyone ever used one of these in conjunction with their 2gig?

 
I've seen that item, but I don't recall ever seeing anything about it working off batteries.    You can get the installation guide here:  http://suretydiy.com/product/2gig-ts1-wireless-secondary-touch-screen-keypad/

 

[drvnbysound]

But will it work as a secondary controller in a Z-wave network already controlled by the 2Gig panel?

 
I'm 99% sure they can also work as secondary controller(s). I haven't used one of those (yet), but I've used a GE remote which could be configured to be a primary or secondary controller. The Leviton remotes are much more capable, so I'm just assuming that they can act as secondary controllers as well. In the Leviton system, the VRUSB-1US is really the only primary controller, which I don't use at all, other than initial setup. After that, all of my commands are run through the Leviton VRC0P-1LW.