Specifically I'm referring to their Zen21 switch and Zen27 dimmer. I've installed 7 of the 27s and 4 of the 21s. After the horrific time I had with their Zen25 double plug (which found it's way into the
trash replaced by a blessedly simple to adopt honeywell utrapro) I was pleased with the ease of integrating into my zwave network. Initially these switches / dimmers worked perfectly. Initially. Then the weirdness ensued. On occasion they wouldn't work at the switch but would work via the C7 hub. Generally cutting power to the 21s brought them back but not always. The 27s have the little air-gap plug which I've used many times. Sometimes the 27s will turn on/off but not dim. Sometimes they won't respond at all. Sometimes toggling the remote switch causes the primary's relay to click on and off (but it doesnt turn the light on/off) ad infinitum until I toggle the remote switch then do the air-gap thing.
It's just annoying as hell. Now I will say their support team has been absolutely stellar. Even going so far as to email me back after a few days of my radio silence to check how things are going.
OK, I feel a bit better getting that off my chest.
I have found that these switches can behave very erratically if they do not have a sufficient load or if you are using non-dimming LED bulbs.
A load resistor in parallel with the output or one of the aeotec bypass modules (priced way too high) can help preserve your sanity. And if you are using the zen21 for an exhaust fan, i recommend a snubber.
I've replaced most of the switches in my house with Zooz switches. Other than a bad batch of Zen30s (I had 2 of them arrive DOA but were replaced under warranty and the replacements have been fine) I have not had any issues whatsoever.
Well.... kinda. But it was weird. After I replaced a switch with a Zen26, I noticed the light would occasionally flicker off and back on (not the typical LED flicker... I mean the light would basically turn off completely for a second, maybe two). It was completely random when it would happen and it wasn't very often. Sometimes I'd go days without noticing. But then on a hunch I decided to replace the bulb and it hasn't happened once. So I think it was the bulb that had an issue and not the switch.
All of these switches are low if not very low load (one is 6 watts). I told their support team who said nothing of it. My understanding is that the 27 was supposed to address this?
Embarassingly, I ordered the 21s by mistake, really wanting 27s. Ive been using them (the 21s) on non-dimmable LEDs and the one VERY low light (6 watt accents / night lite type thing). Looks like a can get a 10 pk of load resistors for about $20 on Amazon. Is that the sanity preserving fix to which you refer?
Nope not at all - I've said this elsewhere but have installed a range of versions of the switches from V2-V4.
Considering the price and how well they held up to a surly electrician's "installation" crew I consider it a success for a residential client of mine. Have only had one or two errant devices out of 70+ (Zen23/24). Initial pairing was festive but chalked that up to C-7 (and Zooz) growing pains.
Any issues I knew how to handle thanks to the awesome people here on these forums + home experimentation etc.
My Zen30 flickers between level 45-65 for my dimmable LED load. From my research, it's calling for a forward phase / triac version of the dimmer. The OG Zen30 is reverse phase / ELV. Zooz support has promised to replace it for me when the triac version comes out, but it has been delayed for over 2 months...
Aside from that, zwave is not very stable on these devices. It requires monthly reset / repair while my other zwave devices work just fine. My Lutron Ra2 system on the other hand is rock solid. Zooz lose packets from time to time, or queue up a bunch of commands. Price-wise, Lutron is 125 a dimmer vs 25ish for Zooz. You get what you pay for.
