That's certainly possible as shown by people on this forum including you. But it's not certain. I have all 3 systems with plenty of routes for my mesh systems. Reliability is 1) Lutron, 2) Zigbee, 3) Z-Wave. For me Z-Wave performance is OK but is the most finicky and maintenance intensive. IMO the requirement to run repairs, even on a single device, ever, is about the least user-friendly issue with Z-Wave. It's fine for enthusiasts, but not for non-enthusiasts.
And as I said, a 6,000 sq. ft. house is a different animal. If going Z-Wave I'd wait for 700 series devices to become available for at least their increased range.
Fair enough, I don't have any experience with that large of a home, although I did not have any issue extending my zwave mesh into a detached garage. I have about 50 zwave plus devices (light switches, thermostat, door sensors, water sensors) and about 25 zigbee devices (smart outlets, window sensors, door locks).
For myself zwave has been more reliable, but this may have to do with the fact that each of my zwave devices cost $50 or more, while most of my zigbee devices where around 10 bucks (ikea outlets, and iris window sensors). YMMV (Canadian Prices LOL)
At 6000 square feet would Lutron Caseta do the job (its not a mesh network) or would you have to go the RA2 route? Its a substantial price difference.
There is also issues with Z-Wave in general that has more to do with hub firmware then anything else lately, not devices. Also in larger installation Lutron or Z-Wave would make more sense due to the lower frequency and better penetration of materials.
Personally with such a large house I would just go all RA2 if for anything due to the fact the Lutron has excellent range being in such a low frequency.
Also as far as all these "features" with switches I take a hands off approach to lighting where all my lighting is either motion, time, or action based. Very rarely do I actually have to "touch" a light switch.
This is one factor, but not the only factor. Zigbee is fine in a large environment, as long as there are routes back to the hub, which is fairly easily achievable via powered devices especially in newer construction. IMO Zigbee is more reliable and less maintenance intensive than Z-Wave. Control 4 uses Zigbee as its wireless protocol.
For those of you running Lutron switches, what are you paying for them? Iām finding very little pricing publicly online. I canāt justify $150 or more per light switch over zigbee switches.
I have a few Caseta switches in our basement but due to PAF/FAF (Partner/Family Acceptance Factors) cannot implement elsewhere in the house. My wife thinks they are strange looking and prefers the traditional "toggle" look. The cost for RA2 is just not worth it for our current house. If I were doing a new build I might consider it though - paddles look fine.
In terms of Z-Wave - I've actually had great experience with Zooz V2's which we put in when we renovated our upstairs year ago or so. They have been very reliable. I think the current ZW+ issues are getting switches paired properly but once done they seem to work fine.
To contrast this my residential client bought all their 70+ toggle switches from Zooz during memorial day sale for $19.
Now I agree the Lutron stuff is better / more electrician friendly but similar functionality at less than half the cost is something to consider.
Note: As I mentioned the only issues I've been having is in the pairing / HE Z-wave firmware. Once paired properly things have been working okay. This is still a work in progress however so there still could be trouble ahead.
I hear ya! I just believe strongly in the Lutron platform these days, after having fought with Z-Wave reliability issues for so many years. I am glad to hear it is working well for you.
For me, the one-time cost of Lutron is money well spent. I have not had to apologize to my family even once, since installing them, as they just work without fail. With Z-Wave switches, the WAF was very low. With Lutron, she asked me to automate more lighting. That is PRICELESS in my book!
Here here. My wife/kids are unfortunately grumbling whenever they see me adding/rewiring something. I use mostly Zooz/Inovelli in my house. Their customer service is great but the products are still maturing in my view. Also need to consider its maybe my wiring skills that are to blame.
I do find some challenges with the smart switches to get a tight consistent lock when tightened through the quick connector on each screw in back. I know electricians normally do the bend around the screw. That and some of my early 90's gang boxes are pretty small to fit some of these smart switches in. At least i guess i have neutral's available.
And to that point which model? Caseta or RA2? Dimmers or Switches? Even $60 is much more reasonable the pricing I was seeing. Maybe I can get a better price since I am going to buy like 50+ of those darn things.
I bought most of my Caseta switches, dimmers, fan controllers and Pico remotes from EnergyAvenue, Amazon, and eBay. This was back in 2018-2019, pre-global pandemic supply chain issues.
Iāve purchased from Energy Avenue as well. Good prices. Youāll probably be able to get a good deal from them now. Ashley from energy Avenue contacts me at least once a month to ask if I have any projects Iām working on. I think itās a bot actually
Wow... instant reply. Thanks for that. Based on the helpful folks here and all the good things I've seen about Hubitat, I'm off to buy one from thesmartesthouse.com along with a lot of those plugs to get me started down the rabbit hole... Thanks!
I just believe strongly in the Lutron platform these days, after having fought with Z-Wave reliability issues for so many years. I am glad to hear it is working well for you.
I think itās a bot actually
