i was curious - what are the implications of not having the heat sinks/tabs on the switch? can there still be more than one switch in the same box or no, or does that depend upon the lights being used?
The red switch doesnāt factor the heat sink tabs (even though it has them) into the specs, so Iām guessing they were omitted from the blue switch for the same reason. There shouldnāt be any reason you canāt put multiple switches in a multiple gang box. Youāll just be limited by the max rating of the switch.
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The blue series dimmer and switch do not have heat sink tabs. Only the red series dimmer requires heat sink tabs.
Max Wattage: See below ā maximum will vary based on bulb type and whether the heat sink tabs are removed or not
Heat Sink Tabs Not Removed: 400W Incandescent, 300W LED, 150W CFL
One (1) Side Heat Sink Tabs Removed: 300W Incandescent, 200W LED, 150W CFL
Two (2) Sides Heat Sink Tabs Removed: 200W Incandescent, 150W LED, 100W CFL
Nice, yeah it would be likely a royal blue similar to the box. Hopefully that doesnāt make you hate it lol!
This may be it ā let me confirm with Darwyn.
@Darwyn_Inovelli ā can you add this to the list too? These were the last ones we discussed back on Sept 5th. Is it still accurate?
Great question ā confirming what @Bry and @stu1811 mentioned ā no implications. The heat sink design was an older design that allowed for heat to dissipate better based on older parts. With new technology, we were able to remove them and the heat will dissipate via the front metal portion (by utilizing a lower surface area). Good news is youāll be able to use 300W LED whereas with the Red Series when both tabs were removed, it bumped it down to 150W LED.
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thank you everyone for the quick replies and responses. iām new to all this and appreciate the information!
sounds like as someone that utilizes Hue I should wait for the Blue Series switch to be released.
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No worries, happy to have you along for the ride! Hue was actually one of the first smart home products I bought and I wish I had some help when I first started bc I had no clue what products worked with what and ended up having to scratch everything bc my network was slow and buggy (although it couldāve been Wink).
oh i completely understandā¦
my home assistant install started as a āletās see how this works and what it can do,ā and in the best IT tradition itās now become āproductionā - lolā¦
weāre doing a major expansion of the hue ecosystem as part of a remodel and thatās what led me to inovelli in the first place - canāt wait to see the blue series!
Not gonna lie. Am getting a little excited about these switches!
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Update: Just tested a bit on Amazon Echo Show 10 and it works flawlessly ā I actually love it!
Sorry for the vertical recording ā I couldnāt get the right angle horizontally.
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@Eric_Inovelli Yes, this is the room left for the pin headers to burn updated firmware.
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Soooā¦
Here is my question now that you have had chance to test it out, what is your initial impression compared to your z wave switches?
And are you testing it out with thread as well or are you holding off until you have polished off your zigbee firmware?
Thatās an excellent question! Initial feedback is, āwe have a long way to goā from a firmware side of things, but that was to be expected given it was just a 3D printed sample that had a bonus ZigBee chip in it. From an aesthetics and touch/feel standpoint, I think theyāve nailed it. This is only a 3D printed sample, but it looked and felt way better than any other 3D sample Iāve ever received.
The one thing that I actually got semi-emotional about was it pairing directly to Amazon Echo. I know this sounds dumb, but for me personally, Iāve always wanted to make the best products and reach as many people as possible to share the excitement of what weāre all building with them. Right now we only reach a very niche market because the majority of people do not use a specialized hub.
Having it connect directly to Alexa opens up that dream of mine a bit. I think once we get it successfully paired to Philips Hue, I will be over the moon.
In terms of Thread/Matter, no we will likely start building that once we know more about the actual release of Matter. If we can make a Thread compatible switch easily, using the same chipset, that may be a bonus as Iād love for it to work with HomeKit/Google Home.
@Darwyn_Inovelli ā do you know if the MG21 can run Thread on it? It looks like itās possible from Silicon Labs website, but I wanted to confirm with you. This may be an opportunity where we can release multiple protocols at once making our volumes higher.
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Would love to pre order these switches running Thread!
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Yes it can support Thread.
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Ok, awesome, we can talk about it via Teams ā maybe itās worth writing Thread firmware and creating a test batch to see the demand.
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Well, I was fine flashing the firmware. I have to say I am liking this community led development, it makes me look forward to what may come next.
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If you guys make a thread & Zigbee version of your dimmers and market the heck out of them, in my opinion there would be no better Switch/dimmer to buy. The only reason I still use any z-wave devices with Hubitat is because of Inovelli. I use Homekit for the frontend/gui and presence detection with Hubitat I donāt use their dashboard or phone app. If I was able to use your switches with thread led bulbs and light strips that I only have paired with homekit for obvious reasons that would take things to a new level of dependable home automation. Zigbee/thread dimmers such a win for everyone.
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I think Iām going to start a new thread (pun intended) to discuss HomeKit and Thread. I think Iāve been convinced that we need to do a Thread version. I just need to learn a bit more about HomeKit and the ins/outs of Thread and itās relation to HomeKit.
Iāve done some preliminary research and it looks like only certain products are compatible with Thread from an Apple side, but I also spent maybe 10min researching it on my phone waking up in the morning lol.
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Hi Eric, Youāre right thereās not many thread devices atm. Nanoleaf bulbs and LED strips, eve plug in outlets and maybe a motion sensor if Iām not mistaken. The Thread Protocol seems to be just as good as Zigbee when it comes to speed and reliability. I havenāt been effected by the lack of thread devices because I use homekit with home bridge which ties everything together except being able to control thread devices. The lack of a good thread switch/dimmer might be a good thing for you guys though if marketed properly and sold on amazon, I think they would sell like crazy. Apple Home-kit is easy to setup and Iām sure lots of people already have a hub/way of running home-kit. Oh I think all hue devices will tie in with home-kit as well. I use hue bulbs, motion sensors and outlets. Iām sure some people just want simplicity when it comes to home automation and a sexy highly configurable thread dimmer/switch from inovelli would surely help them achieve that.
Forgot the main benefit if you guys decide to make a thread switch. Not having to use smart bulbs. A in wall switch to control non-smart lighting is priceless. Thereās no way of doing that currently with home-kit alone if Iām not mistaken.
Very excited about this project!
Sounds like the Beta list is filled, but please keep me on standby if the need ever arises.
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