HomeSeer vs Inovelli Red Series Dimmers

So I have been looking to replace my TP-Link Kasa HS220 dimmers since I have begun to hear an audible buzz on multiple fixtures at lower dimness levels and upon looking around the community it the top two contenders seem to be Lutron, usually Caseta, and Inovelli. I already have a Lutron Pro 2 Hub that I got from a friend for cheap in case I wanted to go down that route, but never pulled the trigger due to the high per switch cost.

I really love the idea of the Inovelli's and their LED bar to show additional data about the room/house but, and correct me if I am wrong, they only support a single bit of data. So I began looking elsewhere and HomeSeer has a similar dimmer but instead with 7 individually addressable LED's and to me that seems a lot more useful than just one bit of data for the light bar.

So what are people's opinions between these two switches beyond just the LED tech they offer? Is one more reliable on the z-wave side or one built better or something else I have not thought of? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I haven't used the HomeSeer Dimmer, but I have used the Fan Controller, which is similar except I think with one or two fewer LEDs. I've also used the HomeSeer switch that is similar except with only one (tiny) changeable LED instead, so...I guess not that similar, but the only product like it on the market when I bough it. Your opinion may be different from mine, but personally I like the Inovelli Dimmer (LZW31-SN or even LZW31) better than the HomeSeer products I've seen. Why? Because while multiple addressable LEDs sounds nice, HomeSeer's are so tiny that I can barely see them from a distance, much less distinguish their position or color. Inovelli's LED bar is larger and easier to see on either the switches or dimmers but especially the dimmers. This makes them far more useful to me. Again, your preferences (or possible lack of colorblind-ness--larger surface area helps me see distinguish better) may differ, but that's my opinion.

Another plus: Inovelli also "gets it" in ways I don't think HomeSeer does if you have any interest in using their products for smart bulb control (HomeSeer doesn't understand why you'd want to disable local control, for example) or having the manufacturer be active in your hub's community forums (Inovelli has a notable presence here plus a forum of their own where they also frequently participate--and more to the point, have made changes based on user feedback). Not saying HomeSeer is bad, just that I think they haven't really kept up with the times in terms of features vs. price and whatnot.

But yes, it is true that you can only have one "notification" active on the Inovelli devices at one time. I've seen users (and possibly staff) suggest things in the forum about whether it might be possible to rotate between multiple ones (or split the bar physically or at least in terms of addressing LEDs--of note, their Fan/Light device does have two, though it makes sense for that device), but I don't think anything has been decided about if or how that might be implemented. But in the meantime, you don't really need to have that handled at the device level; on Hubitat, an app or rule could periodically rotate through different settings (say, depending on device state) on demand. I don't know of any apps that do this (that gives me an idea now for what to do if I get bored!) and don't think I've seen anyone write a rule that does, but it's theoretically possible.

I have limited experience with HomeSeer devices and the current-generation Inovelli devices are (at most) barely a year old, so it's hard to comment on long-term reliability, but I've had very few problems with either so far. (If those weasel words sound concerning: Inovelli firmware updates have, I think, fixed everything for me, and in their defense, it was a new-to-them manufacturer and a brand-new device, not a re-firmwared whitelabel device like some manufacturers sell. My HomeSeer switch also developed a "stuck" paddle that they replaced under warranty. HomeSeer has been around longer, and their devices look a lot like the whitelabel devices that I assume GE/Jasco [well known and generally good reputation], Inovelli, and Zooz may have all used at one point, except HomeSeer must have customized the hardware a bit to add the LEDs...or I could be way off, just guessing based on the look of the back/"body").

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Yeah I am likely going to get Inovelli's for my non-dimming switches due to, as you said, HomeSeer having no real advantage in terms of LED's for their normal switch, and likely also will be getting fan switches from Inovelli as none of my ceiling fans have lines have dedicated wiring for speed control and the canopy module that comes with the Inovelli's seems perfect for me.

Do you think that there will be any noticeable aesthetic discrepancy between the two brands if I do indeed go with the HomeSeer dimmers?

BTW The Inovelli Red dimmers provide some animation to their LED strip;

Regarding aesthetics, Personally I would not put one of each in double or more location.

Ahh interesting, so technically it can have two bits of data, one the color, and one the effect.

If you mean a HomeSeer Dimmer next to an Invovelli Switch, probably not, aside from the fact that they not only look different (which I'm assuming you know) but also have a difference that may or may not be aesthetically pleasing for you: HomeSeer's LEDs are on the left, while Inovelli's are on the right (or bottom right for the switch). I have seen a HomeSeer fan switch mixed with an Inovelli (can't remember if it was a switch or dimmer; not my house) and wasn't terribly shocked, but there are people who like everything to match...

Yeah I assume the LED will be obviously different, I was more talking about the plastic choice, dye color, paddle dimensions and proportions, etc. Basically might one guess if they were next to each other that they were two products of different model lines but may be the same company or are they clearly different?

Ahh interesting, so technically it can have two bits of data, one the color, and one the effect.

Yes, but technically there are 4 bytes of data.

  1. color
  2. brightness
  3. effect
  4. duration

Very interesting, I think I could only reasonably use 2 or 3, depending if duration is a configuation for effect, since brightness would be very hard to distinguish properly and likely I would want to change brightness based on time of day/room presence.

Now you are into the creativity phase. I have combinations of color, brightness and blinking.

For information I may use a lower brightness that for a warning. Not to discern a difference in brightness but to make information easier on the eyes.

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I might be able to get a picture of this setup. That might be better than me judging, since I'm not one to care whether smart switches in the same gang look different (it actually helps me remember what they do: doesn't everyone know what an HS-FC200+ looks like and that it would control a fan, while an Inovelli LZW30-SN is for the lights? :slight_smile: ).

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As promised, here are a couple pictures. I can't tell any sharp distinction in the shade of whites, though the first picture (Inovelli, HomeSeer, and a "dumb" paddle, left to right) kind of makes it look that way. Sorry for the poor quality in the second picture--we needed to put in a bigger box to get the Inovelli to fit and still have to re-paint that wall after the damage and replace the over-tightened plate. :slight_smile: (Also thought I'd try a flash there in case it helped, but as usual it might have made things worse...)

Oh, and if the "mismatched" switches bother anyone (I really don't mind and, again, actually like that it usually helps me remember what I've set up to control what), I have more pictures of Inovellis next to Picos I could tease you with. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Than you so much for the pictures, it seems to me that the Inovelli's and dumb switch are more of a warm white, where the HomeSeer switches look to be more pure/blue white. Is that just the pictures or is that actually how it is?

It's hard to notice (disclaimer: I'm colorblind but swear I can distinguish this), but now that you say it, the Inovelli does appear a touch warmer than everything else. The wall plates are the Easton/Cooper Aspire screwless glossy white ones, by the way.

It doesn't bother me, but I'm also the guy who doesn't care that the designs don't match, either. :slight_smile:

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