All of them make my life worse in some small way. (And none of them in the same way.) Some like to fall off the network. Some just stop working. (Those two could fall into the same category.) One of those likes to send spurious power reporting. And one of those is somewhat tolerable -kind of, I guess 'least intolerable' applies- but, alas, is no longer available. I've had multiples of each installed along the way, and all act the same way among their own models, so it's either not defective units, or it's all defective units.
I don't think I'm missing any contenders (I'm intentionally ignoring some non-household names,) so does this category just suck? I'm at the point that I'm going to start evaluating plug-in models and see how those work. (I'll probably start with the Ikea models.) Only one of my install points is visible, so that may have been a better option all along. I just liked the idea of an 'installed' device, even for a few dollars more.
I have 2 of the GE/Enbrighten ZW+ models (500-series -- I don't think they have anything newer yet) and 3 of the Leviton ZW15R.
The GEs have always been solid performers for me (had them both for many years now), and the ZW15Rs have been solid since I got their beta 1.11 firmware (without it, they would drop from the network).
I'm not using any power-reporting features for any of them though -- they are all set up as vanilla/basic as possible.
I have a small house, so even my mesh ZW devices all typically connect direct to hub, so perhaps either or both models have issues when hops are involved?
But we can all relate to frustration when (supposedly good) devices don't work well in our own network, whatever the reason.
I had many early GE ones as I didn't like the wall wart look.
They were early models, 300 series I think, from the ST days.
I found I spent more time removing them from the wall to re-power and get them back online.
They are all gone now and I use the wall warts.
I do use power monitoring in 2 of them now so 2 would have eventually gone anyway.
Maybe they are better now and, if so, I would have replaced them but only if you could reset them externally.
I have only tried one in-wall outlet myself. The Swidget with a Z-Wave insert. It trips the GFCI it is off of every time it switches.... So not a great experience there. But I have not bothered to swap it elsewhere or install the second one I got. More because I got a good deal and have a ton of plug in outlets rather than any particular distrust.
I wish I could remember why I stopped using the Z-Wave version of the Jasco and moved over to the Zigbee. Something spurred that, but I can't remember what. It may have been as simple as needing some Zigbee repeaters, but I can't be certain.
My Leviton ZW15Rs did better after the 1.11 firmware, but I had 2 that locked up even with it. Both of those were in marginal, but I don't think terrible, areas, so perhaps radio performance has something to do with it.
I do have 1 ZW15R that remains in use, and will for as long as it works acceptably, but it's closer to the hub and is an easy direct connection, even on the C7. When I moved to the C8P, I noticed that the remaining ZW15Rs at the time seemed to have worse radio performance than ZW500 and ZW700 neighbors in the vicinity. This isn't a fact, nor is it a professional opinion, but the radios (and/or related pieces) on those seem to be tick below average on those. (And I have a similar opinion about the Leviton Zigbee outlets and their radios.)
Wildly spurious power reporting. I just installed one and it was sending wildly different power reports every second. Anywhere from 800-1000w for a 60We LED bulb. And it doesnāt want to accept the generic driverās command to stop power reporting.
That makes the 4th one Iāve installed. All have done it. 2 finally accepted the power command after much fiddling.
While smartplugs are not as aesthetic as in-wall receptacles, most of the time they are hidden behind furnature anyway so the smartplugs are not noticed. If you install a smart receptacle, electrical codes require it to be labeled so future owners of the property will know what to expect. Also, some electrical skill is required to install the receptacle properly. Many DIYers make mistakes in installation.
I did install Lutron switches and dimmers throughout the house. They are installed in switch boxes as they are intended to be visible. I have kept my receptacles and employed Smartplugs. My current choice is the Third Reality smartplugs. They are inexpensive; so far they have proven reliable. I have about a dozen in use. For higher power devices such as my sump pumps, washer, and dryer, I use Zooz Zen15 Z-wave plugs. They are not particularly attractive, but they are reliable.
When I want power reporting I almost always use Wi-Fi plugs that support 100% local control. Then I can send as many power updates as I want (within reason, I typically do 15 seconds) without a whole lot of worry about bandwidth.
I use athom ESPhome ones mainly. I like them because I can do minor logic in the device itself (thus not having to rely on the hub at all), like Auto off on my bleach pump, etc but can still fully program/control it from Hubitat or ha..
Misstep on my part from way back. I agree that the Jasco Zigbee are the best of my bunch. When I bought those, I bought power reporting because āwhy not?ā. At this point, Iād trade a kingās ransom for 8 Jasco Zigbee without power reporting, but I donāt think thatās going to happen.
If I were buying new, Iād prefer non-reporting, but thatās not always possible, ref: Legrand. (And I think itās a little ironic that the power reporting is the issue with the Legrands. I donāt want it, but it doesnāt like the āno reportā parameter. /shrug )
Has anyone tried the Eve Energy inwall outlets? They are matter over thread. Both the upper and lower can be controlled separately, which could be good for me in one location.
