Zigbee..... I'd buy everything, as long it was zigbee.
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I'm looking to get started as well. Was planning on the Leviton z-wave, but after reading comments in this thread, I'm backing off that. I'm writing off Lutron from a cost perspective (per switch, as well as needing their hub right?), so it seem zigbee is the way to go. Is there a difference between leviton, ge, and innovelli if I'm going zigbee? I gotta admit, i can see the innovelli notification light being useful....is that controllable by hubitat?
Sorry, I knew from reading their page Innovelli was z-wave.
Does Inovelli make Zigbee stuff? I thought it was only Z-Wave..
I have all Zooz Z-Wave+ switches (toggle style not paddles) and they are great. Inovelli is awesome too but they don't have toggles unfortunately. I have installed both and I think it comes down to features vs price (and style).
I like Zigbee for motion sensors / plugs / bulbs as they seem to be faster.
edit: GE/Jasco has some new Zigbee switches you can check out if thats where you want to go. I also like their Enbrighten line of Z-Wave switches.
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Not yet, but they had a Zigbee line planned if I remember correctly. Not sure when they will release though
If you go zigbee, there are far fewer options for wall switches. That's why I ended up with z-wave, despite all the complaints on this forum.
I have a C7 with a mix of Leviton z-wave plus and Zooz devices. They're both great. The Leviton devices are not scene controllers, though; if that's something you want, stick with Zooz. I came over from smartthings and already had a bunch of Leviton Wi-Fi switches, so matching them with Leviton Z-wave was cheaper than replacing all the Wi-Fi devices. If you're starting from scratch, just get all Zooz. They're cheaper and better.
I tried the Honeywell devices (GE clones), but I didn't like them. They took too long to respond to button presses and I found their instant status to be not quite instant.
I had a lot of trouble with my z-wave network in the beginning, but now it's rock solid. The things that helped me most:
- There's no such thing as too many z-wave devices (ok, there is a limit of 254), but if you have too few, the mesh won't work properly. If you find your devices are behaving inconsistently, just add another one. It feels wrong to be doubling down on something that seems to not be working, but that's exactly what you need to do.
- Assume that your Z-wave signal will not be able to reach anywhere near its maximum range. There are many things inside your walls that can interfere.
- If you've added all the devices you need in one room and your mesh is still inconsistent, think vertically. Add devices to the room above (or below).
- When writing automations, write defensively. If I have a timer automation that says "at time T, turn on", if the switch is Z-wave, I'll add to that "... While the switch is off, wait 1 minute, turn on, repeat until the switch is on". I haven't had a light fail to turn on since I added that logic.
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Looks like Zooz is the way to go, especially given their pricing right now. Thanks. And thanks to @erktrek as well.
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+1 for zwave plus and zooz (customer service is also great) their prices are also good just keep checking thesmartesthouse.com from time to time.
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One thing to note when choosing Zooz vs. Leviton: Leviton's devices have a much more versatile electrical rating. Their devices have no minimum load and can handle a maximum of 300W. Zooz is rated for 150W at the max -- a lot of their devices are rated for less -- and some also have a minimum load requirement. So make sure Zooz is compatible with what you want to do before you buy one.
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Thanks! I apprecaite the heads up @dsegall. I didn't think to worry about that, but looks like I"ll be fine. We don't have any switches that run a significant number of lights. That said, can I run into a problem with mixing led's and incandescents? We recently replaced some exterior lights and have a combo of led and incan one one switch.
With leds you wont be pulling much loads. Also if you leave the breakable fins alone (act as heatsink) you will be fine.
The newest hardware revisions of the Zooz don't have breakable fins, and Leviton never used them.
Be careful you aren't under the minimum load of the Zen21/22, if you go that way.
I'm not an electrician, but I think you'd be OK as long as the total wattage of all bulbs is less than the max LED wattage.
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Thanks for the note about the min load (even tho I missed it the first time you said it). I didn't think getting the switches would be this complicated, and went with a couple z22's. Might have to Adjust where I want to install them.
