Hello! I’ve been driving myself nuts with trying to decide on the right switches to put in my house. I want switches that don’t feel cheap and also look nice. I also want all my switches to match. Consistency is key
I’ve looked into Zooz, Inovelli, GE, Eaton, Lutron, etc.
I was really considering the zooz switches but I can’t stand how their dimmer switches look like normal on/off switches. Id like it if me and my guests could tell which lights are dimmable just by looking at the switch. My other “big to me” issue with zooz is that I have a few three way setups in my house and them not offering a companion switch ruins my “consistent” design approach. I refuse to have their “fixed rocker” style switches accompanied by basic “non fixed rocker” switches.
Inovelli looks nice but they can’t seem to keep up with demand. Idk if they even plan on releasing more zwave switches.
GE suffers the same problem Zooz does. Can’t tell their dimmers apart from the on/off switches. They do offer a fixed rocker companion switch tho which does fix my consistency issue that the zoozs switches have which is a plus…
Lutron is nice but they are pricey and I refuse to use a pico in a three way… I’m sorry Not to mention I want to strengthen my zwave mesh with switches.
This leads me to Eaton. Their dimmers and on/off switches can easily be differentiated by simply looking at them and they offer a companion switch that matches their aesthetic. But the issue is that there doesn’t seem to be that many reviews on them. Idk the reliably and longevity of their newer zwave plus switches. So does anyone here have experience with them? Or does anyone have any suggestions for my dilemma?
I’d really appreciate any insight you can provide!
Inovelli has the zigbee Blue series about to land (pre-orders clearing customs now) and more supply coming as fast as they can crank them out. Their corresponding zigbee White-series aux switch looks great (also should be widely available soon along with the Blues).
It sounds like they are now solidly on their way to having a z-wave version out by early next year with the 800-series chip.
By all accounts, Inovelli is back and their new stuff looks amazing.
I have Eaton dimmers, switches, and companion devices through out my home. We like them and they have been reliable (no failed devices). Some don't care for them because they don't have 72 ways to tap them. Frankly, my SAF would be in the basement if i setup anything that required anything more than a single on/off. It is also nice that the dim function is a separate control. I would try a couple and see what you and your family think.
Another option would be Lutron Caseta. They're tanks and very easy to tell diff between switch or dimmer. Plus you get to use PICO's which are great for creating 3way situations.
I just recently discovered that the Eaton companion on/off doesn’t connect directly to the three way? If this is true, how are they tied together? Strictly software?
Thank you! I remember reading this. I’m glad it can be done but I think I’d almost rather have them wired together so perhaps Eaton isn’t the way to go… at least with my 3-ways.
When about did you put in your switches? (Just trying to find out if they are the old Z-Wave or the new Z-Wave Plus.)
I have the old Z-Wave version and I've tried just about everything to try to get Switch A to consistently pay attention to Accessory A. Sometimes it's a 1/2 second lag (which still isn't the best from the SO's perspective), but sometimes it can be 15-20 seconds or more.
You’ll have this issue with zwave switches/dimmers. The only real solution is to replace them with newer hardware that supports instant reporting. Zooz, iNovelli, and Jasco have popular zwave+ offerings. There are also zigbee choices from iNovelli and Jasco. And multiple product lines from Lutron.
