i have been going back and forth and cannot make up my mind.
I had an old zen22 that was never used. Turns out the wires wouldnt lock down on it.
I also had an older GE zwave switch so i installed that. also installed a lutron Caseta and hooked both up to hubitat.
I have neutral wires and both just seem to work. Lutron is way more expensive then anything else. Any suggestions or experiences with these? my eventually plan is to do the entire house.
i love the idea of zooz switches cause of the zwave plus and just solidify the mesh network where lutron would just be connected on its own.
The price really bothers me for the same functionality which is i am asking what i am missing. Already have working picos and the pro bridge. Right now only thing on the bridge is the pico's and 1 light
Also have several places for 3 way setup i would need to use.
FWIW, I've been quite pleased with the Zooz products. The screw terminals are occasionally a bit finicky -- I've occasionally thought one wasn't able to clamp down and actually been on the wrong side of a piece internally. But the functionality is solid and the price is good.
But above anything, it's the support. I've had a couple switches that failed, and they've replaced them without much argument, which is great but really what they should do, so only moderate kudos for that. What really blew me away was the time they said the switch I'd bought might not be the best fit for the load I was using it with, which might be the root of my problem. They recommended a different, more expensive model... and offered to send me one. (Also doesn't hurt that they actively engage here; @agnes.zooz.)
They've recently extended their warranty to five years, which is well beyond what I've seen on other switches. I'm not actively swapping out any of my older switches yet, but everything new is coming from them.
I have Lutron Caseta for lighting and absolutely love it. Lutron has been around for a very long time, provides extensive products across numerous industries/applications and is unlikely going anywhere anytime soon. They also have 24/7 telephone technical support. Between Caseta and Caseta PRO, there are many possibilities for different applications and types of installations. I have never regretted my choice here.
Having said all this, you make a very good point about strengthening you Z-Wave mesh network. This is very dependent on each different install. Part of my strategy was to ensure I added wired Z-Wave devices throughout the home, mostly in the way of receptacles, to maintain a strong mesh. If you're a little shy on devices, Z-Wave switches and dimmers will likely be a huge benefit.
What I like about mixed technology is knowing that if my hub fails, or I have other problems with the Z-Wave network, at least lighting can be configured in such a way that there is relatively little impact on that portion of automation.
Definitely Lutron would be considerably more reliable. I have installed Caseta in homes as large as 10,000 square feet with 100% reliability. The first lamp module is a repeater and an additional repeater can also be purchased. I have only purchased that repeater in one installation and that involved a large one level house with a cottage and a separate garage.
I have also installed Z-wave and it does take a little babying. The repeating/mesh is not great so a direct hop is the best and hops greater 2 tend tend to have issues. Zigbee has been more successful for me when it comes to hops.
If you are looking for better costs on Lutron go to eBay. I would buy the new Diva and Claro switches over the old ones.
I’ve been trying to maintain a z-wave network for the last 12 years in 3 different homes and they need constant babysitting. My current network is 50+ devices and I haven’t added to it in a year but all of the sudden I have a ghost node. It seems they just take constant maintenance.
Unless you need a z-wave mesh for sensors or locks go with lutron.
I have also had babysitting issues with my Z-wave networks. I have found that direct hop devices tend to be reliable but as hops increase reliability decreases.
Keep in mind the new Claro accessary switch is now available so you can replace any 3 way switch with a Diva or Claro Caseta smart switch and an accessory switch.
I do mix and match most of my homes. I just make sure, if I can, that any Z-wave is direct to Hub; though Caseta is the major lighting protocol used.
2 cents. One way takes 2 hubs the other way takes 1. Some people will say "but my lights still work" from some of my devices. In my OOCCDD opinion it would be worse to me to partial work then not at all. Also I do not believe that anyone reading this would not go crazy just as fast weather they have lutron or zooz without HE.
I am extremely pleased with Zooz z-wave products as well. Especially the new Zen77 model that does not require rewiring 3-way and 4-way switches or add-on switches. With the reliability and functionality I have experienced with Zen72 and Zen77 dimmers, I have no reason to justify spending double the money on Lutron.
They are hands down the best. They are absolute tanks. They have also released a new version that are standard looking which a lot of people love. You also get to use pico's! The only drawback is no smart bulb mode (keeping power to bulb while still acting as a controller). Beyond that I can't see having anything else. Again, they just work! Totally work the cost. I see a lot of the ge/jasco go out (got so bad they had to extend their warranties on them) Zooz and Innovelli are good products as well. But again, out of all of them I think most here even those that don't use them, will say that Lutron is the best.
Sometimes the internal plate slides forward and the wire goes behind it making so you can't tighten it. I would pull it, unscrew the screw out till it stops shake the switch a little and eyeball the plate then re insert the wire. Another option is loop the end of the wire and put it on the external terminal.
I initially installed a few Caseta-enabled devices: Serena shades first with Pico remotes, then I used a Caseta switch to dim my outside lights, and create a 3-way circuit with another Pico. The Picos are awesome.
Then I bought my Hubitat Elevation and started installing Zooz and other Z-wave components, ultimately converting my Caseta hub to the Pro model.
Now, because of the price, I only add Caseta when my switch box doesn't have a neutral wire, which happens when there was no need to run the neutral line from the load.
I haven't had a need to extend any circuits to 3-way, but if/when I do, I expect I'll be able to use a button. But the Picos are awesome for this.
Same for me on z-wave baby still, this is true for me on both zoozs and inovelli reds. Sometimes they just dont want to go off and I need to pull the air-tab to reset.
I exclusively use either Lutron Caseta or Inovelli Blues, both have worked well for me depending on what I want to do. If you like the LED on the Blues and easy scenes controls or the reliability of the Lutron plus pico (love picos).
I think the only thing I still use the Zoozs for is the double switch for fan/light combo, since I can get ones from Inovelli yet.
For external use. At least for the pro-2 hub. Based on your comment I just did a test by blocking the ip of my lutron hub then onboarding a dimmer module. Was fine.
From what I've seen using wireshark, not really anything outside of maybe what switches/dimmer/accessories you have and they're turning off and on. but I only see that when I connect to the lutron cloud outside of the network
You can say that about almost anything. The leap protocol is due to be released to public api this year but I also doubt they'd be dumb enough to turn off telnet.
You can say that about any hub.. (ST is a good example)
