Can I turn on a Light from an external device such as a foot pedal or button?

Suggestions for use of an external device with BlueNotes:

• Summon for immediate assistance

• Place a button on the outside of a room that can be clicked when the room is occupied

Start a procedure timer

• Initiate an emergency notification

• Indicate when a room needs to be cleaned

Using Windows Hotkeys

Once you decide on the external device to use, in the BlueNote client that you're controlling with it, open the program and choose Menu > Preferences > Shortcuts. Under "Keyboard shortcut to Activate a new Light with a BlueNote, click on the first "Off" button. You'll want to map this hotkey to something appropriate for this BlueNote client, for example "Help in Room 2", so look for that Light under the first white dropdown menu and select it. If you do not need a BlueNote for this application, leave the second option on "No BlueNote."

With the Light chosen, click the grey 'Change' button. Enter the keyboard shortcut by pressing two or more keys in sequence (i.e. Shift, then A). Once this sequence appears, the Change button will turn orange and become a Save button. Press 'Save' to complete the mapping of one hotkey sequence. Each user may have up to three custom hot keys. Note that shortcuts can only be used to turn lights On, not Off.

You'll then also need to map the external device to the same sequence, so that when the button is pressed, in effect Windows will treat the action identically to the keyboard sequence that was programmed within BlueNote.

Because each device is different, you'll need to refer to that device's setup instructions in order to correlate it with the Windows keyboard shortcut(s) that have been created in BlueNote.

Flic Universal Button Programming Instructions

The Flic button seen in the image above is a simple, battery-operated Bluetooth button that can be easily programmed from the user's personal phone, and then connected to any Windows computer that has Bluetooth enabled. The pricing is around $30 for each button at flic.io. Each Flic may have up to three different shortcuts mapped to the same button with either a single click, a double-click, or a press and hold. Click here to view the external tutorial for using a Flic device as a universal button, or follow the steps below. Note that these steps were last verified in 2022, so they may vary slightly from the process seen below.

1. Choose up to three Windows keyboard shortcuts to add to a Flic button, and map those in BlueNote as seen in the previous instructions above under "Using Windows Hotkeys."

2. Install the Flic.io application to your personal Apple or Android phone from the app store, and create a user account. You will only need the phone in order to program the Flic button; once it has been paired to a computer, the phone is no longer necessary for the Flic button's function.

3. Follow the instructions to connect the Flic button to the phone, then input the same Keyboard Shortcuts that were programmed within the BlueNote client within Flic Universal > Keyboard command in the app.

4.  Once all of the keyboard commands have been programmed, Save and Disconnect from the phone to allow the Flic to now pair with the Windows PC.

5. On the PC where BlueNote is installed, search for Bluetooth and choose Add Bluetooth or other device, and follow the prompts to connect the Flic to the computer, laptop, or tablet. 

6. Press and hold the Flic button to make sure that the Bluetooth signal is active, locate the device in the Windows menu, and click it to connect.

The Flic button should be usable immediately if the programmed clicks match the Keyboard shortcuts in BlueNote Lights, and will function only to turn lights On. The user will need to remove the Flic button from the Windows computer, and then re-connect it to their personal phone in order to change the Universal Keyboard Shortcuts from the phone, because the Flic cannot be programmed directly in Windows.