How To: Use Z-Wave Controls

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Did you know there’s a number of (perhaps less commonly known) ways to access and modify Z-Wave products that are connected to your Wink Hub?

They’re called Z-Wave Controls and they can be found and triggered in the Wink app. 

Many of you have asked for more information about Z-Wave Controls, so we’re breaking each command down so you know exactly what they do and how they can make controlling your smart home more efficient than ever:

Accessing Z-Wave Controls

  1. Go to the main Hub page within the app.
  2. Select the settings icon in the upper right corner.
  3. Select your Wink Hub.
  4. Scroll down and select Z-Wave Controls.


Z-Wave Network Rediscovery

Z-Wave Network Rediscovery prompts the Wink Hub to rediscover and redraw its map of the Z-Wave mesh network, and forces each connected device to update its own internal map of the mesh network.

Primary use case: You’re connecting new Z-Wave devices to Wink or moving existing ones to new locations and want to improve speed and reliability.

Caution: During a network rediscovery, large amounts of Z-Wave network traffic are created as each device rediscovers which other devices are nearby. During this process, normal commands (such as attempting to control a device) may not operate as reliably.


Reset Z-Wave

This command resets the Z-Wave routing table, effectively erasing all connected Z-Wave devices and corresponding automations.

Primary use case: You’re taking your Wink Hub to your new home but want to leave your Z-Wave products behind for the next occupant. 

Caution: All Z-Wave devices and their automations will be removed from your Wink Hub and Wink account. After performing a reset, each Z-Wave device that was previously on the network will need to be individually excluded from the network before it can be included again.

Inclusion mode

Inclusion mode broadcasts a message from the Wink Hub to nearby Z-Wave devices saying it’s ready to connect a new product. This is essentially the same command that is sent when you reach the final step of the “Add a Product” instructions. 

Primary use case: You’ve already paired a Z-Wave switch to the Wink Hub. Instead of going through the “Add a Product” instructions to connect a second or third switch, this button can be pressed along with the appropriate device-specific commands for faster setup!

Exclusion mode

Exclusion mode removes a Z-Wave device from the network. 

Primary use case: If you have a Z-Wave product that was previously connected to a another platform’s hub, it must first be excluded before it can be added to the Wink Hub. By pressing “Exclusion Mode” the Wink Hub sends a message to the device telling it to forget its original network in preparation to join a new one.

Learning Mode & Shift Controller

Both Learning Mode and Shift Controller are more advanced commands. In short, Learning Mode allows the  Wink Hub to be included into another Z-Wave controller’s network (including but not limited to Wink Hubs). Shift Controller transfers ownership from one Z-Wave Controller to another. 

How To: Transfer Products From Your Wink Hub to Wink Hub 2

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If you’re an original Wink Hub owner considering an upgrade to Wink Hub 2, we’ve made it quick and easy to move all of your connected devices, automations, and personal settings from the Wink Hub to Wink Hub 2.

Just make sure you have version 5.1 of the Wink app installed, follow these steps (the Wink app will do the heavy lifting), and the transition will be effortless.

Hub Transfer Process

Step 1: Make sure your original Wink Hub is plugged in and updated with the latest firmware version. 

Step 2: Plug in your Wink Hub 2 and the Wink app will automatically detect and connect it to your Wink account. Wink Hub 2 will then complete an update so that it’s running latest firmware version.

Step 3: Once the update is complete, the Wink app will then ask if you would like to transfer the products from your Wink Hub to Wink Hub 2. You may begin the transfer immediately, or choose to do it later by tapping “No, I’ll use both Hubs.” The transfer menu can later be accessed from the Hub Settings page within the Wink app.

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Step 4: Enter your Wink account password to initiate the transfer. The transfer typically completes in a matter of minutes and in no more than ten minutes.

*In the unlikely event there is an error during the transfer process, the Wink app will prompt you with an error message.

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Step 5: Once completed, a success message will appear in the app. All of your products and settings, including the Hub name, will be restored under your new Wink Hub 2. Your original Wink Hub will revert to factory settings.

Reconnecting Lutron Products

The transfer process will migrate all Lutron products, and the automations you've created with them, over to Wink Hub 2. After the transfer is completed, Wink will prompt you to connect each of your Lutron products with one tap in the Wink app, and one quick physical interaction on each product. The reason for this is that Lutron's proprietary radio does not allow for direct product transfer.


Step 6: Once the transfer process completes, you will be prompted to reconnect your Lutron products. Tap “Reconnect” and you will see a full list of your Lutron products. You can also do this at a later time (just keep in mind that Lutron products will remain offline until this is completed).

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Step 7: Tap “Connect” next to each Lutron product and follow the in-app prompts.  If you decide to do this at a later time, you’ll be prompted with a banner the next time Wink detects you have Lutron products that need to be reconnected.

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Step 8: After each Lutron product is reconnected, a green checkmark will appear next to it. Once all of your Lutron products have been reconnected, tap “Done.”

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Then you’re good to go!

 

How to: Use Wink Without Opening the Wink App

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It’s late, you’ve just come home from grocery shopping, and your hands are full. Fumbling once you’re through the front door to find the light switch is a hassle. So is searching for your phone before you get out of the car. Luckily, there are a number of ways you can leverage the power of Wink to make everyday tasks in the home a little bit easier to carry out without even opening the Wink app: 

IFTTT

IFTTT (If This, Then That) is a web service that lets you turn many different products and apps - from Instagram and Dropbox, to Google Calendar and Jawbone - into triggers (IFTTT calls them Recipes) for other actions. IFTTT is a great way to expand the depth of your smart home. For example, you could set up an IFTTT Recipe that turns off the lights, locks the door, and adjusts the thermostat when you’re in bed and set your Jawbone UP to sleep mode. Read more about how to use Wink + IFTTT here.

Wink Robots

Robots can be created within the Wink app to make your connected products and even your location a trigger for other actions to take place (similar to IFTTT). You could set one up that triggers the downstairs lights to turn on whenever the sensor on your front door detects it’s being opened, or another that shuts the garage door, locks the door, and shuts off all the lights after you pull out of the driveway every morning. Read more about how to create a Wink Robot here. 

Wink Schedules

With a Schedule, connected products can be set to turn off products at a desired time, or at Sunrise/Sunset. Particularly handy if you’re someone who often works late into the night, but want to create the illusion that someone is home by having the lights turn on. Read more about how to create a Wink Schedule here.

Amazon Alexa

The Amazon Alexa voice assistant allows you to put many of the automations mentioned above into action, with a simple voice command. You can ask Alexa to turn on/off or dim a Wink-compatible lighting product, or adjust the temperature of a Wink-enabled Nest Thermostat. You can take this a step further by creating a Shortcut within the Wink app (Shortcuts let you control multiple connected products with one tap), activate the Wink Shortcut and Alexa channels within IFTTT, and create The Recipe: “If Alexa is triggered, then activate Wink Shortcut.” 

How To: Create Schlage Lock User Codes

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Smart locks are a great addition to any home. They combine flexibility and convenience with high quality security so you’re always in the loop on what’s happening back at the ranch. 

A great feature of the many Wink-compatible Schlage locks is the ability to create user codes. Say you’re going on vacation and need to provide the house sitter and dog walker access to your home. Or your family has a knack for losing their keys, rendering them stuck outside while you’re away at work. User codes are an easy way to grant or revoke access to whomever you choose, while eliminating a little stress along the way. 

User codes can be created directly from the lock’s keypad, or remotely through the Wink app. You can even set a reminder within Wink to delete a code if it was created for someone who only needs to get inside once - a babysitter, for example. 

Getting started is easy:

1. Go to the Locks screen and tap the arrow next to the lock to access the User Code Settings page. You will be asked to enter your Wink Account Password in order to proceed.

2. Select Add User Code to create a code of your preference. New user codes will have to be entered twice for verification. Note - all of the codes you create for a given lock must be the same length (4 digit minimum, 8 digit maximum). If you enter a new code that is longer or shorter than previous codes, those older ones will be deleted.

3. Next, add a name to the user code, along with an optional reminder (you can choose when it is sent) to delete the code if you wish to revoke access. 

That’s it! Once a code is created, it will appear under the User Code Settings page and you can reference it at any point. You will not be able to edit a code once it is created, however you can delete the code and re-create it to your liking. 

To extend the functionality of user codes further, try setting up a Wink Robot that triggers certain actions when a particular code is used. For example, if you typically get home late from work, your user code could be set up to automatically turn on the downstairs lights. 

Creating a DIY Security System with Wink

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One of the main benefits of having a smart home is that you can use it to amplify your home’s security in new and meaningful ways. It doesn’t require expensive, professional installation or the monthly fees common to many third party security providers. With a few products and a baseline knowledge of the different features available in the Wink app, you can quickly and easily create your very own DIY security system. In this post, we’ll outline a few common security use cases, along with the products and setup instructions to get started.

1: AUTOMATE LIGHTS SO IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE IS HOME AFTER DARK

If you’re someone who regularly works late (or has a very active after work social life), it’s likely you’re pulling into the driveway or walking into the apartment after it gets dark. With Wink, it’s easy to create the illusion that someone is always home.

Within the Wink app you can create Schedules that prompt single (or multiple) lights to turn on and off at predetermined times. You can also sync a Schedule with Sunset, so that regardless of changing daylight hours throughout the year, Wink will always turn on a porchlight or living room lamp at dusk.

What you’ll need:

  • One smart light bulb (or multiple, depending on the size of your home)
  • One Wink HUB (if required to connect your light bulb with the Wink app) 

How to get started:

  • Check out our blog post on how to setup a Schedule for in-depth instructions here.

2: CONTROL WHO IS ENTERING AND LEAVING YOUR HOME

Our homes can be a zoo of activity with people constantly coming and going. While you can hand out keys to friends and family, a few smart products and the Wink app can make it much easier to not only see from afar who is at the front door, but when they’ve arrived and left. 

The Ring Video Doorbell and a smart Schlage lock (multiple models available) enables this. Within the Wink app, you can create a Robot that notifies you whenever Ring is triggered or when motion is detected (the sensitivity of the motion detector can be changed based on environmental factors near your front door). From there, you can see who is at the front door and if you have a Schlage lock installed, either unlock the door remotely to let the dog sitter, or ignore the pesky salesman and go back to your day.

What’s more, with a Schlage lock you can create separate user codes for the individuals you want to grant access to your home. Once the codes are established, Robots can be created to notify you when a particular user code is used. The activity feed of the Wink app will show you who and when someone comes or goes, so you can breathe easier. 

What you’ll need:

How to get started:

  • Create a Robot to send you an email and push notifications when Ring is triggered or detects motion. For step by step instructions on setting up a Robot, check out our blog post here. 
  • Create another Robot for when your Dog Sitter’s user code is entered. 

3: SURPRISE AND WARD OFF Possible INTRUDERS

In the unlikely and unfortunate instance that someone enters your home that you don’t want there, automating a few sensors and smart lights might just surprise them into running away. 

GoControl’s security suite comes with door and window sensors you can affix anywhere, and monitor their status accordingly through the Wink app. The motion sensor identifies movement up to 50 feet away, while the loud siren and flashing light warns intruders if the alarm is tripped.  

Say you’re going on vacation for a few weeks. Within the Wink app, you can set up a Robot that triggers your smart light bulbs to automatically illuminate if the motion sensor detects movement or the front door sensor is triggered. Take it the extra mile by having the siren go off as well. You’ll get alerts automatically on your phone so you can jump into action and investigate.

What you’ll need:

How to get started:

  • Create a Robot for when a door opens, turn on the lights and trigger the siren. 
  • Create one Shortcut that enables the Robot and one that Disables the Robot. You can find step by step instructions for using Robots and Shortcuts together here. 
  • Create a Widget for each Shortcut. Instructions for creating a widget can be found on the bottom of the Shortcut blog post here. 

How To: Use Wink with IFTTT

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“If This Then That,” more commonly know as IFTTT, is a web service that connects all your favorite apps into one so they work better for you. “Recipes” are set up within IFTTT to trigger specific actions given a certain set of criteria. For example, you could create a Recipe that texts you the weather at the beginning of each day, or one that automatically saves every Instagram photo you post in a Dropbox folder. 

IFTTT also works wonders with the smart home. The Wink channel on IFTTT allows you to activate Wink Shortcuts through a variety of triggers, ranging from ESPN alerts to Google Calendar events. For example, using IFTTT, you can activate your smart home camera when your Google Calendar notifies you that it’s time to leave for vacation through a Wink Shortcut. 

Creating and utilizing the Wink channel within IFTTT is easy. Let’s follow along with the vacation example and start with how you sync with the IFTTT Wink channel:

Step 1: Download the IFTTT app and create an account (this can also be done via the web interface).

Step 2: Tap the “Recipe” button in the upper right corner. 

Step 3: Select the gear icon in the bottom right corner. 

Step 4: Select “Channels,” and you will see a menu with all of the compatible IFTTT channels. 

Step 5: Type in "Wink" and select “Wink Shortcuts.” 

Step 6: From this menu you can connect to the Wink Shortcuts channel within IFTTT. Once you press “Connect” you will be prompted to enter your Wink account email and password. When the connection is successful, the channel will display “Connected as ____”

Now let’s create the Recipe that triggers your Wink Shortcut to activate your smart home camera when the Google Calendar event "Vacation" starts. 

Step 1: Activate the Google Calendar channel within IFTTT.

Step 2: Select the gear icon in the bottom right corner.

Step 3: Tap the “Create a Recipe” button at the bottom of the screen.

Step 4: Select the “if +” sign and then tap the Google Calendar channel. You will want to select the event within your calendar that you want to have trigger the event. 

Step 5: Tap the “then +” sign and select the Wink Shortcuts channel. 

Step 6: Choose the “Vacation” Shortcut.

Step 7: Tap “Finish” and your Recipe is complete!

This is just one of many examples through which IFTTT + Wink Shortcuts can be used to further elevate what's possible in your smart home!

How To: Create a Wink Robot

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Wink Robots are a simple way to automate your home to run on its own. With a few taps in the Wink app, you can program your products to work together automatically based on triggers, such as location or activity.

USING LOCATION TO TRIGGER ROBOTS:

Let's say you want your lights to automatically turn off when you leave the home:

  • Step 1: From the home page of the Wink app, select "Robots" at the bottom of the screen.
  • Step 2: Tap the "New Robot" button. Then, name your Robot (let’s call this one “Leaving Home”) and choose the desired trigger for the Robot. In this case, the trigger will be you leaving your home.
  • Step 3: Under "If this Robot detects" select "Something" and then "My location." You now have the option to choose if the Robot will trigger upon arrival or departure from the location of your choosing. For this example you would select departure.
  • Step 4: Under "Then:" press "Make this / something happen." Similar to when you set up Shortcuts, you will see a complete list of the products you’re using with Wink. Select the products you are interested in having the Robot trigger and choose their desired state. Here, you would select “All Lights” and set their state to “Off."
  • Step 5: The "For longer than" option is an additional feature that is not required when creating a Robot but can be very useful. If you want your lights to turn off, but only if you’ve left home for 15 minutes or more, select "For longer than" and your desired timeframe. 

USING PRODUCT ACTIVITY TO TRIGGER ROBOTS:

In addition to location, you can also use your products to trigger Wink Robots. Following the example above, say you'd rather the lights automatically turn on once your front door is unlocked:

  • Step 1: Go into your "Leaving Home" Robot in the Wink app.
  • Step 2: Under "If this Robot detects:" select "Something," then "Front Door," and change the settings to "Unlock."
  • Step 3: Click "Make this happen" and select all lights to the "On" state. 

Get notified when a Robot is triggered:

We all want to know what is going on in our homes, especially when something out of the ordinary occurs. You now have the option to receive a notification when a Robot is triggered. To do so, simply go into the "Make this happen" button within Robots and choose "Send a Notification" or "Send an Email" so you're always in the loop.

Wink Robots may not retrieve your mail or pour your coffee in the morning, but they can make some of life’s little inconveniences a bit more manageable. 

How To: Create a Wink Shortcut

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Shortcuts are a great way to easily access and control a group of Wink-compatible devices. They can make a lot of things happen within your smart home instantaneously with a single tap in the Wink app. If you’re not familiar with Shortcuts, here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can set one up.

Say you’re about to fall asleep and want to make sure the living room lights are turned off without having to leave your bed. Here’s how to avoid the trip downstairs by creating a Shortcut:

  • Step 1: For iOS users, select "Shortcuts" at the bottom of the home screen within the Wink app (top of the screen for Android users).
  • Step 2: Tap the "New Shortcut" button.
  • Step 3: Then, name your Shortcut (let’s call this one "Good Night") and choose the desired action such as turning off the living room lights. To change the icon, tap the "Choose Icon" button at the top and select a relevant image. 
  • Step 4: Click "Make this Happen." You will then see a complete list of the products you’re using with Wink. Select the products you are interested in adding to the Shortcut and choose their desired state. For this example, select "All Lights" and set their state to "Off."
  • Step 5: You’re all set! Just don’t forget to save your Shortcut by selecting "Done."

Adding additional products to existing Shortcuts:

If you want to add other products to your "Goodnight" Shortcut down the line, you can do so in a pinch. Say that in addition to your lights going off, you want to make sure your front door is locked and bedroom thermostat lowers:

  • Step 1: Select the "Shortcuts" menu on the home screen of your Wink app.
  • Step 2: Press and hold down on your "Good Night" Shortcut to add products to it.  
  • Step 3: Select "Edit Good Night."
  • Step 4: Select "Make this Happen" and add both your front door and bedroom thermostat, selecting the desired outcomes for each product. 

Access your Shortcuts even quicker with Widgets:

Widgets allow for almost immediate access to your Shortcuts. Android users have the Widget Bar, which can hold up to five different Shortcuts in one menu. You also have the ability to place a single Shortcut on any page of your device in the form of a Widget. 

iOS users have a Wink Shortcuts Widget where you can scroll through any active shortcut. This is located in your notification window and can be accessed even if your mobile device is locked. 

Creating a Shortcut is easy, fast, and with a wide variety of Wink-enabled products at your fingertips, the possibilities for home automation are endless. 

How To: Create a Wink Schedule

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You’ve purchased a Hub, a few lightbulbs, and maybe even a few other connected products and you’re left thinking; “What’s next?” 

While turning products on and off with the tap of a button may be convenient, creating a Wink Schedule makes home automation even easier. Wink Schedules allow users to maintain peace of mind that their devices will operate at a certain time in whatever pattern of days or weeks they choose. Scheduling can also be used to operate your connected devices via Wink’s   “Sunrise/Sunset” feature. With a schedule, you will never come into a cold house after work or leave the lights on at bedtime ever again! 

Creating a Schedule may seem tricky at first, but we’ll walk you through it in this example. Let’s create a ‘Leave for Work’ Schedule to turn all the lights off at 7:15am. 

Step 1: From the Wink App home screen, press the ‘Lights and Power’ icon to bring up all of your connected lights.

Step 2: Click the gear icon (three blue dots on Android) in the top right corner of the Lights screen. Scroll to the top of the page until you see the ‘Schedule’ button and select it. 

Step 3: Press the “+” sign in the upper right corner of the page. 

Name your Scheduled Event by typing ‘Leave for Work’ in the ‘New Event’ space. 

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From this menu, you can also toggle your Wink Schedules on or off as needed. 

Step 4: 

  • For iOS- Tap ‘Start’. From this menu you may select the date and time you’d like the Schedule to fire. 
  • For Android- Tap ‘Date’ to choose the start date of the schedule. Then tap ‘Time’ to set when you would like the Schedule to fire. 

For this example 'Today at 7:15 AM'. 

Step 5: Since we want this Schedule to occur every day when we go to work, we are going to click the ‘Repeat’ button on the Schedule setup page. In this menu we will select each day we want the Schedule to occur. 

We are going to tap all weekdays in this example to ensure the lights turn off Monday- Friday. 

Step 6: Finally, we are going to choose our Schedule action. Select ‘Make this happen’ and you will now see a full list of connected products.

Step 7: Press the product that you are looking to automate and toggle the desired action.

Toggle the light to off by dragging the icon to the left for ‘Off’. Repeat this step for all desired lights. 

Step 8: Don’t forget to click Save/Done! 

You will now see this schedule appear on your calendar as a blue circle. There will be five other circles on the calendar because you have set the Schedule to trigger Monday through Friday. You can scroll through the Schedule calendar to see any events you have set for the current week or individual day, or click on the List page to see any active Schedules or previously fired Schedules. 


I want to turn something off at Sunrise, and back on at Sunset. How do I do that? 

Another popular feature involved in scheduling is the Sunrise/Sunset timer. Under the ‘Start’ menu in the Schedule setup page, along with the date and time scroller, you will see an option to select either Sunrise or Sunset for your Schedule time. On Android, this option can be found within the “Time” menu, directly under where you would select the time you’d like your Schedule to fire. 

If you would like to turn something on and off with a Schedule, you will create two events. One event will turn the product on, and one will turn the product off. 

A great example of this feature is outdoor or porch lighting. A user can create a schedule to turn the porch lights off at sunrise, and back on at sunset. To do this, they will want to create two separate schedules, one for ‘On’ and one for ‘Off’. 

Home automation may seem intimidating to a non user, but with the Wink app, creating a smart home is easy! With a plethora of products and tools available within one app, your imagination can run wild. Life can get crazy, but with Wink Schedules there is an easy way to ensure that you and your home are on the same page day in and day out.