My first post here. I'm excited to join the community!
Just moved into my new home (built with within last 10 years) and I would like to choose a non-wifi/non-cloud light switch ecosystem to get into.
My needs are basic: I need wired smart dimmers, smart switches, and add-ons. I don't use smart bulbs nor really plan to,
I am flexible on whether it is zwave or zigbee, but I am looking for a manufacturer that has a track record of support for the habitat community in the form of good documentation/response to inquiries, regular firmware updates, etc.
I am currently vacillating between the Leviton Decora Smart® Z-Wave Plus, Enbrighten Zigbee, Innovelli Blue or Zooz 800 Series Z-Wave.
Right now I am leaning Zooz / Innovelli as its product manuals actually reference hubitat and it's firmware supports tapping and lots of extensibility.
Any care to play devil's advocate against Zooz or Innovelli?
Inovelli and Zooz fit this very well. I've seen some refer to issues w/Inovelli sometimes being out of stock on items, but maybe someone who is a regular Inovelli user can comment on that.
Zooz has been present in the forum and well loved by many here. Lots of options and flexible controls. The community also has an active Zooz driver developer (@jtp10181) who has created a bunch of Zooz-specific/compatible drivers that extend functionality and in some case fix issues that Inovelli/stock drivers don't. Both Zooz and Inovelli have options to change LED behavior/color, which is nice. Zooz is all Z-Wave, Inovelli has Z-Wave and Zigbee, though some here have had issues w/their Zigbee line. GE is mostly Z-Wave, there may be some Zigbee floating around but pretty limited.
As for devil's advocate, I'm a long-term fan of GE/Jasco/UltraPro switches and dimmers. Not as feature-rich as Inovelli and Zooz, but for me they they have been drop-dead simple and reliable. Just work, never had to do any FW updates on them or fix any issues. (There were some capacitor issues on an early model years ago but those switches are no longer around.) One of our forum members (@JasonJoel) has created some excellent drivers for them, and @jtp10181 also has drivers that work w/these switches. Both add options for multi-tap actions and other features. IIRC some of the newest GE swiches/dimmers may offer more control over the LED.
Had to go wrong w/any of those three, IMHO.
If you go Z-Wave I'd recommend looking for Z-Wave LR as they don't rely on mesh connections, less complicated. However, if you do go LR for Z-Wave switches/dimmers you'll need to consistently use LR for your other Z-Wave devices (or add some Z-Wave repeaters) as you won't be building a strong Z-Wave mesh for non-LR devices. Z-Wave Locks (non-LR versions) in particular need mains powered Z-Wave repeater(s) near them to function effectively/reliably. If you go w/Zooz they have a great Z-Wave LR contact sensor that is very small, fast, and has been very reliable for me outside >100 feet from my hub.
I have Zooz, Inovelli, Lutron Casseta and one older Jasco Switch. I had Leviton’s and more Jasco’s but got rid of them.
Inovelli is great if you want lots of configuration option, or a great full-featured Zigbee dimmer. They keep their firmware up to date and are continuously working on new innovative products. They do have a hard time keeping their devices in stock - they have a tendency to under-estimate their sales… so they are very often out of stock. Their switches have 7 configurable RGB leds and their switches have 3 buttons that support multi-press. (Up and down support up to 5 presses.)
Zooz have a good range of Z-Wave dimmers and switches. On top of what @danabw sayd, they are currently the go-to for 5-button switches.
Lutron have limited features and require the Lutron Pro hub (local integration), but they have a great 5-button remote and are the most reliable option. (They ALWAYS work!)
Along with some others here, I highly recommend Lutron Caseta devices. They are not cheap, but they are highly reliable. The operate using a proprietary protocol called Clear Connect. The signals are less affected by RF interference than either Zigbee or Z-wave.
I have replaced nearly all my dumb switches in the house with Lutron Caseta switches or dimmers. I even have a few plug-in dimmers.
Other than the reliabilty of Lutron, some of the things I really like are:
Two-way, three-way, and four-way wiring is easy. You use a Caseta switch or dimmer as the primary wired device and then use Pico remotes that are paired with that device in other locations. I even converted a two-way installation in my dining room to a three-way setup by adding another Pico.
The Lutron devices work seamlessly with Hubitat as long as you purchase a Lutron Pro bridge (not the regular bridge). The Pro bridge uses Telnet to communicate with Hubitat providing quick responses.
Finally, the Lutron devices will continue to work even without the Lutron bridge, Hubitat, a LAN, or the Internet. Thus, when I sell my home, the Luton devices can stay and continue to be used by the new owner, even if they have no interest in home automation. The only issues is that batteries in the Pico remotes need to be changed about every 5 years.
Zooz is hard to beat on a dollar to value ratio. Inovelli is a bit more premium, in both features and price. It is hard to go wrong with either. They both are active on numerous online forums, and support their devices through firmware updates and after sale service in general.
Lutron Caseta is a good choice, but has a very high initial buy-in. I love the Pico buttons, and have dozens throughout the house. I did have a dozen or so Caseta dimmers, but I have replaced many of those with Zooz because I like the Zooz form factor better, and because Caseta doesn't support multi-taps, scene control, smart bulb control, or have two switches in one gang for fan and dimmer of a typical ceiling fan like Zooz. I have also don't like how the Caseta dim without a neutral wire, and their dimmers with neutral costs more than replacing with 3 Zooz dimmers. On the other hand, the Caseta/Pico 3-4 way dimming is amazingly easy, you can put a Pico anywhere in the house even if you don't have a switchbox.
Lastly, GE/Enbrighten/Honeywell/Jasco are at the bottom of my list. I have had lots of reliability issues with them in the past, and I think they lack features at that price point. I consider them mediocre at best, I think there are many better options than these. I would even use the word uninspiring to describe them.
As @neonturbo noted, the Jasco line is "uninspiring". That said, their light switches have been solid as @danabw pointed out.
Zooz are solid, inexpensive (relatively) and very well supported! They also innovate, and have introduce a number of great products in the last year or so.
Inovelli is great too. Availability is always a problem, but they come up with excellent products with features that are unusual in the marketplace, which can make them very compelling.
Having said all that, if I started over again, I would 100% go with Lutron for my light switches. Everything else? A mix for sure, probably leaning towards Zigbee.
