A while ago I bought a Zooz to try out and so far so good. It were used in a 3 way and the “easy” way for it to be implemented with minimal wiring, plus it’s smaller block size behind the plate was a nice bonus.
So now I’m looking to buy more switches - mix of 3-way and single pole. In high-traffic areas and barely used ones.
I can get all zooz but wondering if there are other recommendations or considerations for late 2023? (I see now Zooz updated with 800 series - minor change to me).
Innovelli seem much more expensive and still hard to get. The LED on the Zooz is somewhat nice but often my switch locations are in more inconspicuous locations that a status led attached to the switch is of limited value.
Zooz still the way to go? Any cheaper-but-reliable-quality ones to go with - maybe for simpler wiring setups or less used areas?
On a related note - the Zooz zen76 has a wattage rating of 150w. I have two bulb in my garage and can do two of those 60w “3 panel lights”, but would love the idea to expand beyond 60w units if others support higher load?
What exact generation of Zooz products do you have? The 700 to 800 change was silent and, I agree, minor, but if you're on 500 series, some networks may benefit from a 500 to 700/800 upgrade. It sounds like you don't have any particular needs, and pretty much anything should work for you then. If you care about price, it's hard to get name brands cheaper than Zooz, especially if they are on sale.
If you don't care for the LED on Zooz, you definitely won't on Inovelli. (It's bigger and can be used for far more things.) But they aren't as hard to get as they once were, and they come in both Zigbee and Z-Wave varieties for at least some products now, so if having a solid backbone of both (and matching) is important to you, it may be worth lookong into.
HomeSeer and GE/Jasco are the only other major players I can think of, and unless you care for the LED (again), HomeSeer is probably not noteworthy and has historically been more expensive, though it's not quite as stark a difference as it used to be.
The UltraPro branded Z-Wave switches, dimmers, and fan controllers are manufactured by Jasco. And pricing that's typically $25-$35 per device and often cheaper when purchased in two packs makes them pretty tough to beat. They are identical to the GE Enbrighten series and other than a troublesome batch of switches manufactured in 2016, they've been very reliable in my experience. They have 600W max incandescent and 150W max CFL/LED load specs as well, but that seems pretty typical for Z-Wave dimmers. If you need a device that supports a higher wattage you'll likely need to use a Z-Wave switch rather than a dimmer.
I'm particularly fond of the Zooz dimmers. The Inovelli are too "fancy" for me and the programming button is annoying. In addition, the Zooz with the newer Z-Wave chips can be registered with Zooz and the warrant will be extended to 5 years. I say this as a positive, but I've yet had one fail.
I use Leviton’s Z-Wave line. I’m happy with their reliability. I like the fact that their remote switches in 3+ way configuration have the same brightness LED behavior as the primary switch. It’s amazing to me that so many brands’ remote switches are missing that. However, I don’t think they are cheaper than Zooz.
(It's bigger and can be used for far more things.) But they aren't as hard to get as they once were, and they come in both Zigbee and Z-Wave varieties for at least some products now, so if having a solid backbone of both (and matching) is important to you, it may be worth lookong into.
