I am looking at Zigbee and Zwave stuff on Amazon. It is actually cheaper than the stuff we already bought. Is one better than the other? Can I mix and match or should I pick one of the two and stick with that kind?
Thank you so much!
My husband is 10 years in and is fighting every day. His neurologist says he's doing great for how long he's had it, but it is a struggle. He does a lot of different things, to dosing his medicine with an exact amount of grapefruit juice (it slows and extends the dispersal) to walking on his treadmill several times a day to using this vibrating platform that helps the brain form new connections. We've read lots of books because you don't get a lot of educational help from the medical community - just increasing dosages of medications with some pretty bad side effects. He is on quite a few forums and mentors the newly diagnosed and if you know someone fighting it, he is a good listening ear. He hasn't given up, which makes a huge difference, though he has some bad days. We also adopted a small, neglected rescue dog from a chaotic home, and an elderly German Shepherd who was dumped in the mountains at 11, and the little guy likes to sit on my husband's lap all day and stare adoringly up his nostrils, while the Shepherd, who is losing her eyesight, thinks she's about 3, plays like a puppy and is a very talented thief. It is hard to be unhappy when you have blissfully happy dogs.
I manage to get most things done, but I do get overwhelmed now and then. 10 years ago the Hubitat would have been a challenge and I'd be up to my ears in the docs and making it do all sorts of things, but now I just took a look and was overwhelmed. You have no idea how much the kind words from you - and all the others who have offered help - really made my day.
Thank you, Doug. Thank you all.
5 Likes
You can mix and match Zigbee and Z-wave, but they both work better the more devices of a type you have. The devices form a mesh, and reinforce or share pathways to devices of the same type. You will also want some powered devices as those act as repeaters where battery ones do not repeat.
Don't limit yourself to new devices, there have been some smoking deals on things like Lowes Iris motion sensors, door/window contact sensors, and plug outlets. There have been multi-packs (4-5 or more) of used (but look like new) devices that were cheaper than one comparable device on Amazon.
Also look at Inovelli, they have or had a great price on their new Z-wave switches. Zooz is also a great source of Z-wave devices at decent prices, but they also have great sales a few times a year.
The only other place I would look for good prices, if you decide to incorporate Lutron devices, is Energy Avenue. The Lutron Pro Bridge has been cheaper there than most anywhere else.
Agree 110% about Lutron Caseta. It is one of the few home automation investments I would do all over again >3 years later. As a rule I use Caseta as much as possible as it always works perfectly, looks classy. Conversely, I have drawers upon drawers of junked Z-wave devices that were problematic, broke, poor interface, etc. Also Caseta Pico remotes are the only remote device I use for any automation application now due to >5 yr battery life and 100% reliability as well as professional appearance when installed on a wall. I haven't found another remote that is even in the same league as Lutron's Picos.
2 Likes
When choosing Zigbee vs. Z-wave, I always choose Zigbee due to better batt. perf and more reliable communications. I wish somebody pointed me away from Z-wave and toward Zigbee a few kilobucks ago. I agree with the above about looking for deals on the Lowe's Iris bulk packs. I use their v2 wall switch/repeaters, motion sensors, and water sensors and think they are perfect so far.
1 Like
Zigbee vs Z-Wave is just a religious argument and not worth much. They both have pluses and minuses and most people have a mixture. You will find a great selection of sensors on the Zigbee side but not much is available for switches and dimmers and other mainstream control devices.
5 Likes
For switches and dimmers and remotes I would take Lutron Caseta over anything Z-wave or Zigbee all day long.
1 Like
And I wouldn't. So just shows everything is a religious war. 
LOL
1 Like
I think the world already has too many religious wars. I prefer to evaluate home automation equipment based on its technical design and functionality. Can you recommend a good z-wave remote that looks professional, has good battery life, and is reliable?
Cheers.
And the FBI is reporting more IOT attacks on telnet IOT devices.
Telnet is an open protocol and provides absolutely no security. Just so I understand, it appears you are implying that Caseta is a poor choice because if it is placed on the open internet people could discover and talk to it?
My personal opinion is if you are basing your security for your IoT network based on having devices that communicate, you should not be using them.
I'm not sure what your technical background is, but to me this is an absolute red herring. Sorry to report I think I hit the end of the road putting time into this forum, for I think it is a waste.
The forum did help me get started with the Hubitat, thanks for that. Have fun having religious wars about if the FBI thinks having a telnet server opens your IoT to attack.
Cheers.
But at least they have to be on my LAN first. If your Caséta or RA2 Main Repeater are exposed directly to the Internet, you should rethink that--especially because until recently Lutron didn't allow you to disable the default username and password that was the same for everybody (and it's also what Hubitat's current integration requires).
Not arguing for Lutron vs. Z-Wave, by the way. I admire the reliability of Clear Connect but like the additional features most modern Z-Wave switches offer, and I wish there were more similar Zigbee options. As has been said, a lot boils down to preference (including my imagined one for something that doesn't quite exist). 
Hopefully no one today would expose a telnet connection directly to the Internet. Unless you are actively scanning your local network 24/7 you have no idea whether you have unwanted visitors. I was not wanting to campaign against Lutron, more to point out that all the technologies some minuses.
Nope, I can't. I don't use remotes, so don't have any input there.
I expose telnet. 
I run a BBS though. Lol
That just made me LOL - I used to run a BBS - with a 9600 baud modem....Good Times!
One thing to be aware of when wiring Z-Wave switches, is that there needs to be a Neutral Wire in the switch box (as the switches need to be powered all the time) - I just moved into a condo and bought all new Z-Wave switches - come to find out, that a lot of the wiring does not have a neutral wire in the boxes...So I ended up using Zigbee Bulbs (Sengled bulbs are recommended). And I use a few Peanut Plug Outlets that just plug into a regular outlet - they also act as Zigbee repeaters and are working great. (Peanut Plug supported on Hubitat? - #5 by Navat604).
Good Luck - everyone is here to help.
Mark
I like the Aeotec stuff (I have a Mini-mote that works great with HE) Nano Mote Quad - Aeotec
Not sure if the Picos can be used standalone without the Lutron integration, if so they look awesome. Starting with Lutron for me was just adding another expense and another integration...I am a big advocate of Keep it Simple - Did you have Lutron from the beginning? Or did you decide to deploy HE and Lutron together? For me, personally I never went down the HUE or Lutron path and I am very happy with the way my house is automated.
Wow... now that's memory lane... I can hear the squeal of modems...
2 Likes
