Background
The back and forth has very little possibility in home automation in an intuitive way and often requires putting several modules to perform this function. If we want to rely on a Zigbee model, the field of possibilities is further reduced. It is with this in mind that we are pleased to present to you the ZBMINIL2 that SONOFF sent us. We thank them by the way!
Hardware Installation
- Please note that the current in a house is 220V and can be lethal. Remember to call an electrician or at least work after verifying that the electricity is turned off!
Having a house with 5 cm plasterboard walls, I cannot use socket-mounted electrical boxes. Nor can I easily change the electrical boxes. The clear advantage of the ZBMINIL2 is undoubtedly its size. It measures 4 cm wide by 3 cm long and 2 cm thick, making it fit perfectly into my small junction boxes.
The second positive point is that it allows connecting 2 switches to it, either independently and controlling the same lamp, or in a toggle switch system.
Note that it is also Zigbee and recognized natively in most Jeedom plugins, including Zigbee2mqtt, and does not require a neutral wire.
The only negative point is that it is not a Zigbee router (like most modules without a neutral wire).
As for the installation, it could hardly be easier. Power the module with the phase wire and then go towards the lamp. It can then be controlled via an original switch or via a toggle switch by simply connecting them to S1 and S2. In short, nothing could be simpler if you already had a toggle switch not connected to the house! With this type of system being directly controllable, no worries in case of loss of home automation or Zigbee! The switches still work! The best in terms of WAF!
For a simple switch, here are some wiring diagrams:
When wiring without a switch, do not leave the wires exposed like in my photo!
With a switch
For a toggle switch, here are some wiring diagrams: (I took the example on the left in the house)
Pairing
Again, nothing too complicated. Simply press and hold the dedicated button and have your Zigbee coordinator in pairing mode for it to be instantly detected. With Zigbeelinker, it’s magic! Reactivity is guaranteed whether via a physical switch or a computer trigger.
Zigbee2mqtt frontend
on Zigbeelinker
Examples of Scenario
1. Turning off after inactivity
As my toilet is often left on, I wanted it to turn off after 1 minute of inactivity.
First, we set the door sensor and the toilet switch as triggers.
Here is the related scenario:
Nothing too complex, but it does the job.
First, we use a “remov inat” to remove the delay if the scenario is restarted.
Then, we set the first condition: if the door is open, it’s dark, and the switch is off, we turn on the light. We make sure to check the “no repeat” option.
To turn off the light, we check if the door is closed. If the switch is on and there’s no movement, we start a one-minute countdown. If, after a minute, there’s still no movement, the switch is still on, and the motion detector has been inactive for more than 30 seconds, then the light turns off. We use the PHP function “lastChangeStateDuration(#[Girls bathroom][Contact Sensor xc][Statut de détection]#,0)>30” for this (to understand the functions).
2. Turning off a two-way switch with a simple timer
The two-way switch function allows us to control the switch’s on/off function via Jeedom without losing the double switch function of the light.
For example, I want my hallway light to turn off after 5 minutes, so I use the device’s gear function.
In this value action, if my switch is on for more than 5 min then it automatically turns off.
3. Off Mode
Again, nothing very complicated here. I have a mode that triggers when my house enters the away or night mode, which turns off all my lights to avoid wasting energy. So all I have to do is add the off function to the off mode.
Conclusion
Thanks to its size, its functionality, its protocol and its design, the ZBMINIL2 is a great ally for home automation of your non-neutral switches, whether they are single or double poles!
In short, we love it!
I hope this product test will give you some ideas and inspiration.
Remember that life is a party.
Loic
