Zipato Rules Creator Overview

Creating rules in the Zipato Rules Creator

This article is to review the Zipato Rules Creator and to show a basic rule and how it’s put together. The intuitive graphical programming tool eliminates the need for complex programming or cryptic computer code. With the Zipato Rules Creator we can create the simplest rules like If:Then and we can even scale that up to conditionals and more in depth rules as well.

Requirements

• Zipato controller
• Z-Wave devices compatible with the Zipato controller
• Computer and web browser (Firefox / Chrome is recommended)

Content

First you will have to register with Zipato. Beyond that, then, you will need to register a hub and add some Z-Wave devices. Once that is done and you are ready to start creating rules we will go ahead and navigate to the right side panel of the Web interface and click on the Zipato button. (shown below)

This will keep that side menu open for working on the rules. Once that menu is open we can then click on “Blocks” and start building our rule.

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Here is a basic guideline for building rules.

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First you will want to figure out what you want to do. In this example we will do (WHEN: Door contact is open / THEN: turn light on) We can use this rule for something like a closet door. When the door is open then the light will be on.

The first step in this process is finding the ‘Control’ blocks you will need. To get there we click under ‘Blocks’ and the first tab underneath is ‘Control’. We will select the first block.  Right now we only need the “When” block at the top of the image pictured above. To select it you will click and drag it onto the main page.

Once you have picked out the “When” block you can then add the action to the rule which is under the action tab. (Above) For this example I will use the action block on the top.

The last piece of the puzzle is the ‘Sensor’ block which is under the sensor tab. The sensor is interchangeable with the ‘Trigger’ of the scene. This will be the block for the device that is starting the rule. (Side note: if you want a rule based on time you will use the ‘Scheduler’ block.)

Once we have all of the main parts together we need to decide what devices we are using in the rule. The rule below will have a Jasco switch that is controlled by a Zipato Door/window sensor. When the door sensor is opened the light will stay on. We will then setup a rule that turns the light off when the door closes. To find most switches, they will be located under 'Actuator' within the devices tab. (See below)

Once we decide what controlled devices are in the rule we can then look for the sensor that will be triggering the rule. In my rule, i used a 4-in-1 door/window sensor. (See below)

At this point, you will have to sync your hub with your interface (See below) and your rule should now be working. If there is an error within the rule then you will get an error message when saving.

Keep in mind that these rules will not deactivate; only activate. So in this example, i will need to set up a rule that when the door is closed, the light turns off. (See below)

If you have set up everything correctly, then when you open your closet door then your closet light will turn on and when your closet door is closed then your light should turn off. If you have any issues with the rules activating correctly, then make sure your devices are configured correctly and if you need to, you can remove and re-add the devices that are giving you issues.

This article was written by Joel DeYoung