I am begining the process of purchasing Z-wave enabled devices. Would I be better off buying the Aeotec Dual nano rather than z-wave outlets since I already have wall outlets? Curious of the pros and cons before I pull the trigger on 10 of these.
Note, I don't have any of these, although I've looked at them a couple of times....
My feeling is that if I had a double gang set of sockets, this might work out well. 1 relay for each gang.
Otherwise, the cost ($54-57) seems a bit high when compared to a GE/Jasco 14288 ($39), or Leviton DZR15-1RZ sockets ($32), both of which can handle 15 Amps vs the Aeotec 10 Amps....
Besides youll be digging in the box either way to wire these in! And unless I misunderstand how these are wired, you'll have several jumper wires to squeeze in to your box as well as the device!
There are a couple threads discussing them, and the Amazon reviews are a bit interesting...
Again, I don't have any, so my opinion is a bit suspect!
S.
The 15 amp is a good point! I had not considered that.
My issue is I have a bunch of outlets with 2 usb that I want to keep.
So looks like Swidget Swidget Z-Wave Control + USB Charger Insert - Make your outlet smart has the option of a single usb and it is rated for 15 amp. I like having the USB in my kitchen and next to bed/couch so it is easy to charge the little devices without needing a bunch of Cubes sticking out everywhere.
Interestingly, as of yet, I have very few Smart Outlets.
I had one in a place where I plugged in a charger block and actually removed it in lieu of a Togreener dual port USB and AC outlet combo.
I have some Zooz Powerstrips, and a fair number of Peanut and Samsung plug in Zigbee outlets, but few actual in wall outlets.
In my case I'd really like to have Zigbee outlets so I can get rid of all the plugin outlets. So....I'm waiting. Light switches, fan controls and sensors are where the bulk of my stuff is!
Those swidget are going to end up costing you a TON per outlet. For usb plus zwave it will cost $100 per outlet.
All my light switches are Lutron. This makes it difficult to be able to cover my hone properly unless I throw in a bunch of repeaters. I have 4 kids in the house and anything plugged into an electric outlet somehow gets unplugged . Especially any usb cubes so having usb built in takes away the issue.
Yes they are expensive! Why I have not purchased any. Realistically I might only need 3-4 and the rest don’t have to be smart depending on how I spread them around.
And what will happen is I buy them and then someone like zooz will come out with a cheaper one!
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Dual Nano or Nano Switch are typically products that you want to use if you want to keep a specific outlet look/design or keep something that you already have converted to Z-Wave uses.
Some general specs to be aware of.
Dual Nano Switch
- each output supports up to 5A maximum each output (maximum 10A)
- Dual Nano switch is best fit only if you want to individually control the 2 outlets.
Nano Switch
- supports only one output up to 15A current.
- In some cases having Nano Switch would be best if you only have one application to control or the full outlet itself.
controlling both outlets on a single gang outlet is fine! That is great as I dont have to replace the outlet and I still get the USB functionality! I am really interested more in the energy usage of the devices being plugged in.
You would not get usb functionality independent of the outlets if you put in the nano switch before the outlet. What the nano does is control all power going to the outlet. So, the USB port would only have power if the nano was on. That's the one limitation of using a nano to power the outlet.
ZW116-A may be up your alley as a single output Nano Switch. If Nano Switch is connected to your outlet, its likely to cut power out from USB and both outlets depending on what the outlet allows in terms of wiring.
If you just leave ZW116-A in an ON state, you could just use it as a metering device in your network. I would recommend these settings:
Parameter 101 [4 byte] = 15 //report all energy values
Parameter 111 [4 byte] = 240 //report the above setting every 240 seconds (adjustable to however you want as low as 1 second)
I am more concerned with energy usage and all on or all off!
The other one is to be able to control the outlets in my kids rooms. I have also had customers ask me how they can control the power to the outlets for their kids rooms. Xbox, TV, Playstation etc. This makes it possible and prevents them from circumventing a time limit for tech usage.
I would be careful with that. If the power is cut to those kind of devices without a proper shutdown it can do a lot of damage to them. An xbox or PS4 is just a small computer after all.
Well then those kids better pay attention then 
Maybe I can trigger a warning message sms or email to sms letting them know of the impending power down. Another option is Z-Wave to IR Extender.
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