What happens if the SmartKnob fails?
The SmartKnob is the control centre of Camper Jarvis: this is where you see everything, and this is where the dashboard, scenes and automations run. But your lights and your most important loads do not depend on it alone.
Ampy and Lighty keep working
Your wall push buttons are connected directly to Ampy and Lighty, and their settings are stored in the device itself. If the SmartKnob fails, has been removed or has no power, you simply keep switching and dimming at the push button. Electronic fuses as well as undervoltage and overvoltage protection stay active. Both even respond to their push buttons without any setup at all, which is handy for the first test during installation. More about Lighty in "Lighty without a SmartKnob".
This is a fallback, not a permanent state: without the SmartKnob you cannot change settings such as fuse values, and dimming only works with push buttons, not with switches.
What pauses without the SmartKnob
The display, the dashboard, scenes and automations and the double tap for all lights, because it switches several modules at the same time. The wireless push buttons from Häfele also need the SmartKnob, without it they do not respond.
A deliberate exception: the heating element
Without the SmartKnob, a heating element in the boiler switches itself off after 10 minutes and stays off until you deliberately enable it again. This way your boiler never heats unattended. The fridge and lights stay on. More on this in the article "Heating element protection: your boiler never heats unattended".
Switchy
Switchy has no push button inputs of its own and is operated via the SmartKnob or the dashboard. Loads that you also want to be able to switch by hand at any time are therefore best put on Ampy or Lighty.
What comes next
We are working on a backup function: if the SmartKnob fails, one of the modules takes over the complete dashboard and the communication between the modules. Then the whole system stays operable via phone and tablet even without the SmartKnob.
Tip for planning: lights, water pump and fans belong on Ampy or Lighty, with a wall push button nearby. Then the most important things in the vehicle always stay operable.
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