Over time I've been replacing 2016 era GE switches. Just bought a couple of Zooz Zen72s. Haven't gotten them yet. Now I'm in a bit of shock. Is it true that Zooz does not support GE-Enbrighten Add on switches? Inovelli does, so I assumed everyone did. I guess if not, I'll either have to return or swap into circuits without 3-way. This crazy house is over 50% 3 way switches. Thanks, need a sanity check on this.
You can turn it on and off with an ordinary switch.
Not dim, of course.
Not wanting to be stupid here, so the answer is NO I cannot directly replace a GE dimmer with a Zooz dimmer and leave the Add-on switch attached, right?
Correct. Far as I've experienced. I have a house full of ZEN73's, several 3-ways, and one ZEN74 dimmer on a 3-way. I changed over from GE/Jascos.
To me the manual is very clear about this. It’s always good idea to review the device manual when making a device purchase to ensure it meets your requirements. Its the only way i know of to limit the “shock” of purchasing a device and it not doing what you expect. I’ve made this mistake MANY times myself, even when when it comes to devices in the same generation/series from the same manufacturer.
ON/OFF SWITCHES ONLY
Do not connect Zooz Z-Wave switches to anexisting 3-way dimmer, illuminated switch, or an electronic add-on switch. Zooz switches canonly be wired with mechanical on/off or momentary switches in a 3-way or 4-way setting! To simplify the diagrams, we did not include connections for the ground wire. Remember that all Zooz switches need to be wired according to the electrical code, with ground wire connected to the ground terminal.
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Yeah, well if you read my post you'd see that because Inovelli, GE, Honeywell all support the Add-On switch I kind of assumed it was a standard feature. But, yes, I was wrong. And no, I don't think I could live without the functionality and aesthetics of the Add-On switch, especially since I use paddle switches through the home.
You think that's bad, take a look at Leviton, they sell at least four different add-on switches for their smart lines.
None of them interchangeable or compatible with anything else. 
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Couldn't you use an ordinary paddle, ie Decora, type switch? They look similar to Zooz.
Well, the problem is that it doesn't allow dimming. And when it's off you have to go back to that switch to turn it back on. With the Enbrighten plus Add-On you can turn on/off/dim from either end of the circuit. It's a great feature and I guess I'm spoiled by it.
Not true. I just did it on my setup.
You can't dim, is all.
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You could always take the Lutron approach: replace the "remote" locations with a ZEN34 or similar device. (Or literally the Lutron approach and use a Pico, including the new Diva style that would match, although I prefer the functionality of the Caseta-looking ones -- basically what I'm doing, but I'm not sure I'd get Lutron just for this if you aren't already in it like I was.)
But yeah, Zooz does seem to be in the minority on this. The tradeoff is that you don't have to replace any of your existing switches if you're coming from non-smart ones, though you may need to re-wire.
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I did not have to rewire. I think there would be less of a need to, compared with the GE/Jasco aux switch, since a neutral is not required.
I think the issue is that the Aux/Add-On switches aren't directly controlling the light fixture. Instead, they are sending signals to the smart dimmer to tell it what to do. I guess Zooz decided not to play in that arena.
I was disappointed when I found this out several months ago. I planned to use ZEN77 dimmers in a bunch of 3/4-way scenarios, but it was difficult/expensive to do what the other smart dimmers coupled with Aux/Add-On dimmers could do (full independent control of on/off/level from all dimmers controlling a light). Current plan is to use the Leviton ZW6HD (which I've read has its own set of problems) and Leviton Add-Ons. I will still use Zooz dimmers (mostly ZEN30s to get the added relay and LED indicators) for non-3/4-way dimmers.
Let me see if I understand. The Zooz switches are Z-Wave (I would guess Plus). Is the Enbrighten also Z-Wave?
The GE and Honeywell switches and dimmers are manufactured by Jasco so it makes sense they'd be compatible. It seems Inovelli wisely/conveniently decided to support the same add-on switch design--it's a shame this hasn't become the norm for all z-wave manufacturers.
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I specifically buy zooz switches because they can use mechanical switches for n-way. It's a desired feature for me.
If you want a different approach, all switches can be smart and n-way by not using the travelers and using programming.
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You can dim from the 3-way with Zooz IF you use a momentary switch (Zooz sells them as a ZAC99). You also can turn the light on or off from a regular toggle or decora.
If you want the full smart switch feel from both locations, couple options. You could replace the remote switch with a ZEN34 as suggested, which takes batteries. Or IMO the better option is to just use another Zooz dimmer, assuming you have the wiring such that you can wire the 3-way traveler to the line hot and neutral to get power over there. Just make sure the dimmer will work without a load, there was one that needed a load to function.
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Yes, all of these are Z-Wave Plus.
Well, I like the functionality of the Add-On, so the two Zooz dimmers I bought - which I planned to use to replace two of the oldest GE Dimmers, will replace two newer GE dimmers that are in one-way circuits. Then I'll redeploy them to the place I intended to put these. To me, it's a revelation that everyone doesn't support the Add-On switch. I often play the "If I was starting from scratch..." game. And I had decided that I would use Zooz, now I'm rethinking that. The ZAC99 switch is interesting. Almost an add-on but not quite as it seems only the top of the paddle is active so it wouldn't behave the same as the main switch. I have found Innovelli - I have a few - just a bit finicky. And often hard to source. Thanks all.
I think the only reason to use proprietary add on type switches is the cost savings over simply using smart switches everywhere. The zooz optional solution is even greater cost savings and time savings because in an existing nway you only have to swap the load switch. I think you get all that. You do you.
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