Zigbee / Matter Motion Switch | Project Linus (Blue Series)

Inovelli mentioned in another LTT video! https://youtu.be/QoC8R3KHk8E?t=551

Heā€™s really applying the pressure haha ā€“ love it!

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In my primary bathroom, I have one Blue switch setup as a dimmer controlling the sconces, another Blue setup as an on/off controlling the overhead lights and a third blue controlling the light in the shower. Thereā€™s an Aqara P1 that I use, mounted above the door, to detect motion and automatically turn on the sconces for three minutes (brightness of the light is based on time), assuming someone is going in for a quick visit if the door is left open. If the door is closed, then the three minutes doesnā€™t start until the door opens again. So far, so good with that. I havenā€™t yet had to break out the flashlight or yell to my google assistant to turn on the bathroom lights. The light thatā€™s on the 30 minute auto-off timer is the one in the shower. If thatā€™s on and the door is open, its set as a condition in my automation with the motion detector to still keep the lights on as well. Again, so far so good with this, but it would be great to have a mmwave switch in there to accurately (hopefully) detect occupancy even while in the shower. The first two switches are near the door into the bathroom and the shower light switch is right in front of the toilet and next to the glass shower doors.

This bathroom was just completed with these new switches in mind. Next project on the hook is my kitchen and again Iā€™m strategically placing switches in areas that would be able to pick up on motion/occupancy.

Sorry this was long winded, but Iā€™m definitely looking forward to ordering a bunch of these, or testing them out if you guys still have room for more testers.

Edit:

Also, do you know what the viewing angle will be for the mmwave sensor?

Donā€™t worry if he wasnā€™t I was going to apply the pressure :stuck_out_tongue:. My house has 10 Red switches (to be replaced with project phoenix), 20 Blue Switches, and 20 dumb switches (to be replaced with project Linus). I am curious are you making a version with Zwave for linus or will his copy be zigbee as well?

Iā€™m just worried I wonā€™t be able to buy the switches since Linus will bring a FLOOD of people fighting for limited stock. Any plans to allocate some stock for or allow long-time Innovelli-customers to pre-order a limited number of switches before the general public?

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With the timelines for Linus we will have plenty of time to preorder. You will hear him talk about a video they shot on the wan show then a month later it gets posted.

Haha, I love it!

Thatā€™s the game-plan. I think moving forward what youā€™ll see is Z-Wave will always be the constant, whereas Zigbee/Thread/Matter will be the variable, with the ultimate goal being a Matter switch. In other words, in the end, we will always lead with Matter as that is where mass market is, but we will always have Z-Wave copy what is done on the Matter product as Z-Wave is in its own niche and is vastly different than Matter.

If we do pre-orders correctly (big if hereā€¦), it shouldnā€™t be an issue. I think how weā€™ll do it this time is have a Phase 1 (call it, ā€œEarly Birdā€ or something) opening where this is before we place our order with the manufacturer and this will last maybe a month or so. After that month expires, those are guaranteed to be made in the first batch. We will likely order more of our own on top of that, but at the very least those in Phase 1 will be guaranteed to get them. Then we will open up Phase 2 that adds an additional 8 weeks onto after the first batch is delivered.

I think thatā€™s basically what youā€™re saying, right? Sorry, I had this written up earlier and am now coming back to it lol

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A zwave mmwave light switch :heart_eyes: :heart_eyes: :heart_eyes: :heart_eyes:

Yeah. This would work for me! Thanks!

Time to open up that kickstarter page.

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Hi,

If these dimmer switch with mmWave sensor comes into the market, iā€™m definitely in for a early bird buy!

I will subscribe to this thread to be sure to get the latest news and get the chance to buy them first!

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@Eric_Inovelli How are you all making out with these beta devices? Iā€™m very curious to hear how theyā€™re performing.

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Would it be possible to make an EU version of these switches? Iā€™d love to have these switches since theyā€™re pretty much exactly what I need.

Never say never, but based on what I know about Inovelli, I think itā€™s unlikely theyā€™ll be expanding beyond the US market soon. Disclaimer: Iā€™m just a user with no non-public knowledge whatsoever.

My understanding is that an EU version of these switches would need almost everything to be different:
Physical size/shape: different (right? My recollection is that european switches and electrical boxes look quite different from North American ones.)
Voltage: 230V instead of 120V
Frequency: 50Hz instead of 60Hz
Certifications: Totally different regulatory bodies. And for the motion/presence sensor specifically, does Europe have different regulations around mm-wave radio emissions? Maybe?
Device firmware: Mostly the same
Radio frequency: I think ZigBee and Thread use the same frequencies globally, so this wouldnā€™t be a change, but thatā€™s not the case with Z-Wave. But the different regulatory bodies may well impose different requirements
Safety Certification: With all the above changes, Iā€™d expect to need to start from nearly square 1.

Donā€™t get me wrong: a global product would be awesome. I love Inovelli, their integrity is impeccable, and they make great products. I just donā€™t see a viable near-term path for them to expand beyond North America until they solve some of their production and capitalization challenges.

Thatā€™s a great question and we do hope to expand there some day. But, @mbbush nailed itā€¦ unfortunately, we just donā€™t have the capital (yet) to start a completely new project overseas for a few reasons:

  1. New everything as suggested:
    Tooling, UL (or the EU equivalent ā€“ not sure what it is), and engineering fees. The reason weā€™re able to pull this off in the US is because it shares a lot of the same hardware as our current 2-1 Switch so there are virtually no tooling fees nor engineering fees (a little to adapt the mmWave sensor, but thatā€™s all)
  2. Lack of knowledge of the EU Market:
    This is probably the main reason ā€“ I just donā€™t know anything about the EU (regulations, how to market effectively, logistics, taxes, etc). Weā€™re very familiar with the US/Canada market as weā€™ve been around for almost 7yrs here, but Iā€™d be so lost overseas.
  3. Lack of overall resources:
    Unfortunately there are only 5 of us at this time and weā€™re struggling to stay in stock in our own market :frowning: ā€“ now add another resource overseas to help with customer support and it just becomes hard to maintain

Now, that said, I do think weā€™d crush it in the EU market and I keep telling the investors that itā€™s such an untapped and underserved market that I know we could come in and sell a ton, but it unfortunately just comes down to money, which stinks, but Iā€™ve learned the hard way that cash is king and hopes and dreams and even the best sales pitch only go so far.

Sorry, I wasnā€™t trying to be a Debbie Downer, just wanted to give you a straight answer ā€“ I really do hope that one day we can get over there. Same with Australia.

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@Eric_Inovelli, how has the testing for the beta devices ben going? Iā€™m pretty stoked about the possibility of these switches.

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Whatā€™s new with this? Eagerly waiting to see whatā€™s new. Been holding off on upgrades for far too long!!

@Eric_Inovelli I know I am way late to the game, but please tell me the sensor is actually in the middle of the paddle? I havenā€™t seen pictures of the actual beta devices floating around. These new switches should still be uniform. The paddles should not be shorter or skinnier, and the config button and LED should look the same. The middle fulcrum lever is really wasted/dead space and it would fit perfectly. Altering the used space (by dumb switches and other smart switches) will give users the feeling that something is off which is a negative experience. Either keep the hinge to the left and right of the sensor our cut it out completely and make the top and bottom buttons their own lever.

From what Eric mentioned on L56, the mmWave sensor should be right beneath the paddle ā€“ unlike PIR it does not need to be exposed outside. There would be difference in air gap/lux sensor but those are minor. Has this changed later in beta testing?

That is fantastic. I havenā€™t been here for a while and saw the under the ideas post they thought about a config button/sensor combo. which I assumed they would need to make bigger. I am excited for these to replace some of my older switches that are limited to 80% brightness and then moving those to a place I can get brighter bulbs.