Is it possible to combine Lightwave and IFTTT?

If you’re starting your smart home journey, Lightwave is a fantastic starting point. As an entry-level home automation system, it allows you control over your home’s key elements. Sadly, not every smart device works with the system. A solution is to combine Lightwave and IFTTT (If This Then That).

 

By combining Lightwave and IFTTT, you can turbo-charge your smart home system. Integrate a seemingly endless list of devices into a single system. Refuse to use multiple apps when a single app can control every element of your smart home.

 

Before we explore how to use the two together, we’ll briefly look at both Lightwave and IFTTT; and what each system does. Next, you’ll learn how to get them to communicate and what devices you can control using the combined system.

 

 

How can Lightwave make your home smarter?

Designed in the UK, Lightwave is an affordable, entry-level smart home system. Built around a unique protocol, it enables you to control a range of household devices from your smartphone or tablet via Wi-Fi.

 

A Lightwave Link Plus Hub sits at the centre and connects to your Wi-Fi router. The hub sends commands to devices and allows control over them using remotes, a website and an app.

 

Lightwave provides all of the essentials you need to start automating your home. You can power sockets (single and dual gang), lighting switches (single, double, triple, quad) and a heating system (TRV controls, boiler switch, thermostat). They also offer doorbells, sensors, and relays.

 

If you’re good at DIY, there are virtually no installation costs. Also, many of the products are retrofittable. Configuring a system involves pairing devices with the hub and the app. It should only take you a few hours to install and configure Lightwave within your home.

 

Lightwave does have quite a few limitations. Their main issue is being focused solely on the UK market. While on their second generation (read more: Lightwave gen 1 vs 2 comparison) of devices, many have encountered problems getting the two generations to work together.

 

A Lightwave system can have a maximum of 100 devices. Also, you can only pair devices with a maximum of 6 controllers or sensors. These limits are due to a lack of controller memory rather than the Lightwave technology.

 

There are still many devices that directly don’t work with Lightwave including many smart appliances. So, we need third-party software to bridge the gap. A solution is to combine Lightwave and IFTTT.

 

 

What is IFTTT?

IFTTT is an easy, free way to get apps and devices working together without programming a thing. Think of IFTTT as a digital Swiss army knife that can help Streamline multiple different DIY smart home systems and protocols into a single, coherent system.

 

Using the system, you create recipes. These are a set of commands that work together and are triggered by a specific command, measurement, or signal. With the right IFTTT recipes, you can save time, effort, and energy.

 

Combine your Lightwave lighting devices with IFTTT by either using the browser interface or mobile app.

 

 

 

 

Are there any Downsides to IFTTT?

Sadly, IFTTT isn’t perfect. It won’t enable you to integrate every known device into a smart home system. As a web-based service, you’ll always need an internet connection for your applets to run. Another issue is it can be slow as it uses multiple serves to send and receive commands.

 

IFTTT doesn’t offer customer support. So, unless you know someone who understands how to integrate a device and Lightwave using IFTTT, you will be alone and need to experiment. That said,  many web forums offer support.

 

Manufacturers can be slow to update their IFTTT options or refuse to offer support as you’re using their device as part of a system. So be aware that you might end up spending lots of time on forums and experimenting.

 

 

Basic requirements

There are a few basic requirements to get Lightwave and IFTTT working as one. These are:

• Lightwave Hub (all work with IFTTT)
• Lightwave Account
• IFTTT account (with optional app).

 

 

Connecting Lightwave and IFTTT

With the basics in place, you need to connect Lightwave and IFTTT by:

1. Open your IFTTT app
2. Search for Lightwave
3. Choose Lightwave
4. Click Connect
5. Log in to connect your IFTTT account with Lightwave ID
6. Your accounts now are connected.

 

 

 

 

Creating an applet

As the two systems can now communicate, you can try some that have been programmed by others or start to build applets yourself. Here’s how:

1. Create a new applet in Lightwave section
2. Add first condition
3. Select type of condition from the list
4. Select the device
5. Now it’s time to select the consequence
6. Tap Lightwave
7. Choose action
8. Select device/scene
9. You can change the name of the applet
10. Save the applet.

 

 

Triggers, queries and actions available for Lightwave lighting devices

Triggers

• Light switched on
• Light switched off

 

Queries

• History of light switched on

 

Actions

• Fully lock a light
• Lock light
• Turn off light
• Turn on light
• Dim a light
• Unlock a light

 

 

 

 

Controlling smart appliances using IFTTT

The Home Connect system is used by Bosch, Siemens, Neff, and more, and allows you to control smart home appliances using an app (iOS and Android versions available). You can also control Home Connect compatible devices using IFTTT.

 

Just imagine your Coffee Machine starts up every morning on cue thanks to a pre-set sequence that also controls your Lightwave smart home system. Here is a sample applet that will allow you to achieve this:

 

Additional requirements

• Home Connect account (sign up here)

Connecting

1. Open your IFTTT app and go to My Applets
2. Tap “+this” button to add the New Applet
3. Search for Lightwave
4. Select trigger
5. Complete trigger fields
6. Click the blue plus button to add “that” action
7. Search for Home Connect and choose the device
8. Select action
9. Complete action fields
10. You can edit your new applet title. Click Finish
11. Your new applet is ready!

 

 

Does IFTTT create a more powerful Lightwave system?

While fairly limited as to what Lightwave devices it can control, using Lightwave and IFTTT together allows you to take control of an even wider range of devices. The combination of the systems makes building your dream smart home far easier.

 

You might find Lightwave only offer limited support. However, there’s plenty of advice covering IFTTT on web forums. So, spend some time researching, planning and testing. If you experience an issue, ask the Lightwave team, as they should help you.