Recently, I came across an interesting discussion about using the GE 45600 Z-Wave handheld remote with SmartThings. While the remote has been a reliable secondary controller for my Z-Wave switches and dimmers, I’ve always wondered if it could do more—like controlling smart apps or executing specific actions like ‘Hello, Home.’
I stumbled upon a custom device handler that adds capability.button to the remote, sending button events for each of its 9 buttons. This seemed promising! However, there was a catch: to send button presses to SmartThings, I had to press the ‘SCENE’ button first, and switch back to normal mode using the ‘LIGHT’ button. It felt a bit clunky, but I was excited to try it out.
In my setup, I used the ‘Button Controller’ smart app to trigger ‘Hello, Home’ actions. It worked like magic! The remote now doubles as a versatile scene controller, adding a new layer of convenience to my smart home setup. While I’d love to see native support for this functionality in the future, the custom handler has been a great workaround.
For anyone considering this setup, I’d recommend checking out the custom device handler and experimenting with different smart apps to maximize the remote’s potential. It’s been a fun journey exploring the possibilities of integrating older hardware with modern smart home ecosystems!