In wall off/on z wave switch with power monitoring

[calinatl]

Can anyone clarify if either the GE/Jacco Ultra Pro (54897) or the Zooz On/Off Zen71 have the ability for power monitoring on Hubitat?
Neither of the product websites list power monitoring as a feature of the device, but I'm unclear if this feature is a function of the hardware or software.

If neither do, what is the lowest cost yet reliable Zwave in wall switch to control on/off (don't need dimming, but not a problem if the switch has it) and monitor power?
If both do, which one is more reliable?
Thanks.

[aaiyar]

@calinatl

this feature is a function of the hardware or software.

It’s a function of the hardware. If you can use a zigbee switch, I know the GE Enbrighten in-wall switches support power monitoring.

[velvetfoot]

Can power monitoring be disabled on these GE switches? If not, and all the switches were replaced, that could lead to some reporting busy time.

[aaiyar]

@velvetfoot

Can power monitoring be disabled on these GE switches?

Yes.

Although, in general, zigbee meshes are way more resilient to higher traffic than zwave meshes. The bandwidth is 250 kbps, and there’s no limit on the number of hops. I use zigbee power reporting extensively.

[calinatl]

@velvetfoot:
Can you please help me understand / explain what you mean by this:

If not, and all the switches were replaced, that could lead to some reporting busy time.

[velvetfoot]

I meant that enabling power monitor can lead to a lot of reports being sent which could slow up a mesh. If all the switches in the house were replaced, and they all had power monitoring going full bore, this could happen. I'm not familiar with these switches and if it's possible to adjust the power monitoring.

[calinatl]

Interesting.
So does anyone know if the Inovelli switches, which include power monitoring, slow up a mesh network, or does Inovelli (or any other mfg that includes power monitoring on their switches) have a way around this?

[aaiyar]

@calinatl

So does anyone know if the Inovelli switches, which include power monitoring, slow up a mesh network,

It depends on how power reporting is configured on the device page. And how many such devices are in the mesh. I have several power reporting devices - both z-wave and zigbee. I am careful in configuring the magnitude of power change used to indicate a new event.

For example, I use a Samsung plug to monitor my washer. It is configured to report power changes that are 30 watts and greater in magnitude.

Over a 4 minute span, these are the power reports generated. This doesn't affect my mesh, but while the washer is running, it is the only device that is frequently reporting power:

If I had set the magnitude of change to be 60 watts, I'd have even fewer events, which would probably work for my purpose. However, I'm satisfied with how things work with these settings, so I haven't changed them in 3 years.