I really wanted to use an Aqara triple rocker H1 remote switch, but (a) the triple rocker isnโt available in the UK at time of writing (and there is no ETA either), I couldnโt find one in Europe, and only the H1M intended for the Chinese mainland could be found further afield, and (b) it turns out that Aqara remote switches are a complete PITA to integrate with Home Assistant using ZHA. As a result, I bought one of these MOES ZigBee Wireless Scene Switches to use whilst working out what automations are wanted in each room when a switch is pressed. So, first impression is that feels much cheaper than the Aqara double rocker that I had tried previously. Second impression is that anybody who prints an instruction sheet using such faint print really doesnโt care about their customers. It is barely legible โ you have to get the light just right and still squint. Third impression (and I should have spotted this in the product details), they donโt even include the battery, so really not thinking about convenience for the customer. The instructions (if you can read them) talk about installing a particular app, which then wants you to be using a particular gateway. Iโm not using that gateway and don't want to use that app. Ignoring the instructions, I paired the switch with Home Assistant using ZHA. It took a couple of attempts for some reason, but got there in the end. After pairing, Home Assistant shows three batteries and nothing else. Go to add an automation and you can then see what is actually available. Short press, long press and double press, battery level change, and device offline, are all available as triggers (not using those names). In practice, the double press seems unreliable, being misinterpreted as short presses, but over time I've found that I've adapted my double press action so that it is more reliable for me (if not for other users). The long press is soooo long that I wouldnโt use it for anything other than a reset (or something else destructive). So, just short presses, battery level change, and device offline, in practice most of the time then, with a double press that only I use. Being battery operated, this is a Zigbee EndDevice rather than being a router in the Zigbee mesh (as would be expected). Physically mounting the switch is simple if using the supplied double-sided tape. You can also screw it into position, but as Iโm just experimenting with it, Iโm not doing that. Four blobs of Blu-Tack hold it well when experimenting. It'll be interesting to see how long the battery lasts, as others report it runs out very quickly. However, for my immediate purpose, itโs meeting a need. When I eventually install smart wall switches throughout the house, I will want something that isnโt so plasticky and clunky. This one is fine, but it's not great. [Edit: The battery lasted over a year of regular use. However, it reported 100% until the day that it went flat...]
