How to add secondary controller?

[gergles]

I can't figure out how to add a secondary controller - I have a basic GE remote (this one http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Products/45600/manuals/45600-Manual-Eng.pdf) that I want to use to turn lights on and off. I've already added the devices to the Almond+, but now I can't add them as well to the GE remote, and I don't see any way to have the Almond+ send the network data so that I could add the GE device as the secondary controller. I think I want to do a 967 on this remote, but I don't know what to do on the Almond+ to "put it into programming mode."

It turns out, just telling the Almond+ to add a device seemed to put it into programming mode, as the remote reacted appropriately when I did the 967 operation while the Almond was in that mode. However, it looks like the Almond+ doesn't recognize the device correctly. It sat on a screen saying "Getting Sensor Info Please Wait" for quite a while (until I hit 'scene' on the remote), then it did let me include it in the network, calling it "UnknownDeviceType #4".

In the web GUI, it shows up as an "Unsupported Device!" with a little "no" symbol next to it. Has anyone been able to add secondary remotes yet? I really want to be able to use one, because the web GUI is not the most convenient for all the lighting in my house.

Final edit: the All on and All off functions of the remote DO work, which is good enough for right now, though I'd love to be able to manually control the devices in the future. However, the Almond+ doesn't seem to properly poll the devices, because it still shows them in their old state -- I have to manually push the button in the GUI until it gets to whatever their real state is before the GUI controls start working again.

[LGNilsson]

Right now we don't actually have support for secondary controllers, but it'll be added in a future firmware update. I just don't have a timeline for when this will happen, but hopefully over the next couple of months.

[beller]

Due to the delay with the shipment of Almond+ device, i have buy a different Z-wave controller, of course, now i can do something with Almond+ Z-Wave controller (pro is the cloud feature, but i don't have nothing about time/weather/scenario/ecc. and i think more need to do before it become a good and extendible device), i think at Almond+ as a secondary Z-wave controller if and only if it can archive this feature.

For my vision, Almond+ can become a UI Z-wave good secondary controller for home in different place of the home that can be very usefull to extend the range of the WiFi area too!, i think securifi need to implement asap the secondary controller feature because it is a mode to sell more Almond+, i personally can take a new Almond+ if i can use it as a secondary Z-Wave controller.

More backers can be in the same situation, if you are in the same situation, please post your comment here!

[Rhynri]

Seconded.  I intend to use mine as a secondary to my home security system.

[jsharpe]

+1 on adding the ability for the Almond plus to be a secondary controller.  However, for other people who intend to use the A+ as their primary, I would expect that being able to add secondary controllers to the A+ z-wave network would be more important.    Since it's still rather early in the development of the A+ firmware, at least for z-wave control, I would expect that there are many more of the former type (i.e. wanting to use the A+ as a secondary) than the latter, since other existing z-wave controllers currently have a much richer feature set.

[LGNilsson]

I think it's more likely that we can add secondary controllers to the Almond+ first, than having it act as a secondary controller, as the latter would require a lot more work from our side.
Please keep in mind that we're a small team and you're asking for quite complex things that other manufacturers have had years to develop and perfect.

[The-Wal]

I think it would be great if you could have all your z-wave / zigbee units setup on the primary device and control them from the second, third or even more units.

[xAPPO]

I already have a Z-Wave primary controller that is far more functional ( Vera3 scheduling / logic etc)  than Almond+ so I would like the Almond+ to be a secondary controller to my network just for the secondary control.

[LGNilsson]

Sorry, but that's not going to happen for now.

[abhinavk]

Hi,
I also intend to use Almond+ as secondary controller as I have a mature Z-wave network and it think it will take some time for almond+ to reach the level of apps, integration available in other products.
@Lars, I am totally with you guys and understand the limited resources you have. I believe that makes it even more important for Securifi to conduct poll with users to rank the feature requests.

[Jkyle]

I'd also like to see the Almond+ act as a secondary controller (as I have an old Logitech Harmony 890 remote that can only act as the primary controller), but I can wait. I know you guys are busy. I just wanted to register my interest in this ability.

[Amritendu]

@Jkyle, noted your interest, but as Lars said, it probably won't be happening any time soon. 

[Maragnus]

This hasn't been brought up in a long while but it is very important to my household.  Is there any status or estimate? 

My wife and I are finding it to be far too cumbersome to get into our iPhone app each time we want to flip a switch.  Our options are to get another controller or have two networks, one for scheduled devices and one for our lights that are on a remote.

[treboreon]

I would like to second Maragnus's message and say that this is a pretty important feature for making this accepted in my house as something more than gives us wifi and turns the light on on the front porch. 

[mr23]

This hasn't been brought up in a long while but it is very important to my household.  Is there any status or estimate? 

My wife and I are finding it to be far too cumbersome to get into our iPhone app each time we want to flip a switch.  Our options are to get another controller or have two networks, one for scheduled devices and one for our lights that are on a remote.

While you are waiting you might try http://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/almond-lamp-controller-app-widget.49936/. It has an app form but is primarily a widget and also can exist in the notification drawer. It only controls lamps, making them easier to find and control.