As I move my devices over from ST and realize that the decision I made to go with zwave may be outdated, I'm wondering what people are now thinking is the best play. Seems like I went from x10 to zwave which at the time was all we had but are networks lacking transparency and configuration (layman's view).
Wifi switches given that we now have wifi mesh seem to be much easier to track the hops, network strength, issues on. Is that a fair assessment and if so is there a network switch people prefer. I have a wemo mini but I'd rather have one that is generic and native to wifi if that terminology is correct.
In general, we prefer to stay away from WiFi at this time. The future may bring changes that alter this opinion, but today, the limited battery life of most products and proprietary API means that "all the good stuff" cannot be attached.
I have a simple WiFi Thermostat.. Hubitat supports thermostats BUT the only method available to control it is via the cloud. In other words, the API of the cloud server(s) is known, but the means to communicate Locally, on My LAN, to this device is not available. One example of so so many.
@csteele Damn Still feel that way for wired switches? Ie. controlling lights that are on a plug? Assume so since there are none out there that are not cloud-based?
I am staying with Z-Wave Plus switches. You have with association groups, mesh routing and it's a network that doesn't support other activities like Wi-Fi does. Plus the new 700 series devices and their security protocols are a bonus.
For switches/dimmers I would do Zwave Plus or Lutron.
No wifi, unless you are going to do something exotic that still allows for local control (which means it will always be a "one off" or tinkerer's domain).
Why would you want to put that stress on your router? It also doesn’t matter how many wifi nodes you have, the device limit for WiFi doesn’t increase, so mesh WiFi doesn’t improve anything but signal strength. I personally prefer Zigbee switches to z-wave. Easier to setup and migrate, faster than z-wave plus, has group messaging, more battery friendly, wakes up faster, etc.
I've had x-10, Insteon, Zwave and Lutron Caseta for switches/dimmers. Hands down the clear winner for me is Lutron. The look, feel and quality is way above all the rest.
Sorry, yes, I should have been clear that mine are Plus.
I agree there. Spendy critters though. The funny thing is that they were my first choice when I started back in January (finally ditched the X10 stuff) but I shunned them when I read "bridge needed" and "cloud". Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I heard about the deal where you buy the older, non-working Pro and they upgrade you for free to the new Pro. So I did that and bought a few Pico remotes and found that the cloud is only needed when adding/changing end devices so I'm good with it and block the bridge at my firewall the rest of the time.
Agreed, that’s what all 60 of mine are except for several GE/Jasco 26931 / 26933 Smart Motion Switch/Dimmer devices using @JasonJoel’s excellent component drivers that decouple them into child switch/dimmer and child motion sensor devices and allow the operating modes to be changed by rules.
My Lutron lighting system is by far the most reliable piece of home automation technology I have ever bought. My Caseta Switches, Dimmers, Fan Controllers, and Pico Remotes have been 100% reliable. And Lutron Caseta integrates directly with Hubitat, as well as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Logitech Harmony Hub, Ecobee, Ring, Sonos, Node-RED, HomeAssitant, and more.
So, while Lutron is slightly more expensive than comparable Z-wave offerings, it does provide a lot of functionality.
I've had full blown Lutron (HomeWorks not Caseta), GE Z-Wave, and Leviton Z-Wave. Believe it or not, I've had the best overall experience with the Levitons. YMMV.
The only think I don't like about the Leviton switches is that they lack an air gap. The dimmers have one, but not the switches.
Of note is that Leviton has started moving to the 700 series chips. The 700 series receptacles and fan controllers are already shipping. No dimmers or switches yet...
Inovelli has some Z-Wave products that people seem to love. They just came out with a fan/light combo switch that does not require a wire running to the fan. They provide a canopy module that communicates directly to the switch. Also their dimmers and switches have a ton of functions as far as double tap, triple tap, etc. They also have LED bars on the switch that serve as notification lights and have some have a scene button as well I believe.
Okay, this is interesting. I have several fans that are not connected to a wall switch at all (Just the lights on the wall switch), and the rest are lights and fan in the same (dumb) switch. As such, I have smart bulbs in the fans and have to use the pull chain to run the fans.
Would those new switches be usable in either of those situations?
I do not know for sure, and the pull-chain is the reason I am hesitant. The communication comes from their canopy module, so if your fan does not have one currently or does not support that, I would look down other avenues. They have a pretty active forum much like here and the CEO is on here every once in a while, so maybe ask around there for pull-chain support.
They do mention pull-chains in the user manual so maybe take a look at see if you got lucky.
Also a thing to note, if I remember correctly, these switches do not contain an internal relay, the switching action happens on the canopy module, so if you want to control lights not connected to the module, but connected to the switch, I do not think that will work.
I actually just saw that. It looks like I may be able to use it on the ones that stay powered all the time. I have a feeling that the ones that lose fan when the switch is off may not have enough wires. I am going to look into it for sure though. Been wanting to set up fan automations based on temperature for a while..... Now that I am not spending all my time troubleshooting, I may have time to play with something new.
Could you not just short the switch so that the fan is always powered behind the switch? I think the normal operation for these switches are for fans that have wires running to the switch, so you may actually be fine.
Still feel that way for wired switches? Ie. controlling lights that are on a plug? Assume so since there are none out there that are not cloud-based?
