300W are they crazy. The oldest 10X switches i have were 500W most of my lights have multi bulbs 300W would just not work for me. and Floodlights come on. I don't want to use a relay switch. That is a step backward. and No 3-way this is almost a joke 15 years ago I was using X10 500W and 3-way switches.I want to use Z-Wave but with no usable switches avail what are we to do. Come on now we need to get these things beefed up so we will all get some.
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I humbly disagree. I have 8 Z-wave light switches and 3 Z-Wave relays. The relays are so quite that unless your ear is close you will not here them. The light switches are very nice. I only have 3 or 4 lights that are more than the 300 watt limit and those are the 8 flood lights (on one switch) which a 600W switch isn't even going to come close to handling. The fact that 3-ways do not exist is a very big bummer but how long has Z-wave been on the open market? I would venture to say it took X10 a while to get three ways as well. Heck I remember when all you could get was lamp and appliance modules. If Z-wave does get the 3-ways to market it will be a major blow to the X10 light switch market in my opinion. The beauty is they can be used together with no problems and this is a good thing.
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This is why I am going to stick with X10 for now. X10 works great for me, why should I replace the SwitchLinc's and LampLinc's I just paid good money for, with a product that doesn't do what I want? I did purchase the Z-Wave USB interface and one appliance module, and it works, but so do the 2-way X10 appliance modules I have.
I do think Z-Wave, or ZigBee, or something like it, is the way of the future. There is no doubt that RF is better than X10. However until (or I am now thinking IF, since they have delayed, and delayed again the additional products) they come out with something other than a big ugly 300W lamp module, an appliance module or a 300W dimmer, there is no future for Z-Wave.
They do promise to come out with other modules, although so far it is all vapor ware. I'm going to give them six months. If they don't come out with something by then, Z-Wave might not make it.
BillComment
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Bill,
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>... they come out with something other than a big ugly 300W lamp module, an appliance module or a 300W dimmer, there is no future for Z-Wave.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
But Bill there are light switches and relay switches already....
It a good thing everyone didn't have this same opinion about X10 or it would have never made it.
I would feel the same way if I had bought the more expensive X10 devices but luckily I started with the Cheops so the Z-Wave light switches were a nice affordable upgrade for me. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of very nice X10 switches that will be very hard to replace if they ever do. Like the keypadlincs. That's the beauty of both systems working side by side.Comment
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Speed is the big advantage I expect to see with Z-Wave. X10 is so slow. I would like to have a light come on when i trip the Motion not 2 to 3 seconds later.
X10 was slow to take off dispite the fact that the first versions of Switches etc had higher Watt ratings. than the first Z-Wave. X10 had no established market to topple Z-Wave does. The Engineers of Z-Wave don't have to build dimmers with electronic circuits that must pass the Control signals and carry a load. Z-Wave can build a much higher watt device for much less than X10 just because the signal that controls it does not have to be part of the power it controls. Z-Wave could look at what was out there in X10 and made a better switch so as to get sales. But to try to get people to switch to your brand you must have something better or at least as good. The only thing Z-Wave has is Higher speed. But it just don't matter how fast i can dim my lights if the Switch burns out.
AndrewComment
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I would also have to disagree about No useable switches. I have 6 switches now and will be buying several more as money allows. There awesome the response time is instant when needed to turn a light on or off. If the computer hangs it can still react. With no ugly receivers everywhere.
Z-wave is definitely the way I'm going with everything
BrianDComment
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BrianD:
With no ugly receivers everywhere.
BrianD <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
If you use a Wireless X10 receiver such as the w80032 etc there are no ugly receivers everyware.Comment
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And MOTION DETECTORS!
I will probably go to attaching a wireless security unit to my Ocelot and use security grade wireless motion detectors. I am afraid that when/if ZWave does come out with them, they will be as minimally useful as the MS16a. Need better false rejection. Also, by going through the Ocelot, I can program it to limit the number of motion triggers that get to HS.Comment
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I completely agree with Andrew. A 300 watt switch is of little use to me and it's a big part of the reason I'm holding off on Zwave. Every room in my house has recessed can lights with 65 watt bulbs. A 300 watt switch can only handle 4 lights and I don't have a single room with only 4 lights. Most have 6-10 lights so I need 500 and 1000 watt switches.Comment
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The lack of the 3-way and the > 300W dimmers is still no reason not to get started with Z-Wave if you have a need for a new switch or need 2-way.
I have a large number of > 300W and 3-way applications in my home, but I still have 15 Z-Wave devices installed. (And the dimmers still outweigh the relay switches in number.) The biggest benefit to me was that without shelling out $80 for a 2-way X-10 switch, of which there are numerous debates about how many of them you can have in the home, I am now able to do monitoring and control applications where I could not before. For example, an exhaust fan in the bathroom - one only needs to turn it on before they depart the bathroom after having left obnoxious gases behind, and seven minutes later HomeSeer turns it off. Also, a stairway light that my kids always turn on but never remember/bother to turn off is now handled automatically. It is dimmed to 50% after being on for a minute and then turned completely off 8 seconds later. (Thus giving time for somebody part way up the steps to get their butt in gear.) Oh, another application... I have an electrically controlled fireplace that I can now have turn off after an hour automatically so that I never have to worry about it being forgotten.
Sure I am as anxious as the next person to get more of the different types of devices, but to say that Z-Wave is unusable without those devices is just plain false.
It is much more realistic to say that you choose not to use Z-Wave until more device types are available, but don't classify the technology under the umbrella of an opinion.Regards,
Rick Tinker (a.k.a. "Tink")Comment
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Rick,
I Like the use of the Z-Wave feature in the bathroom. Cool...
Problem is with my house most of the lights I have are 3Way
The Living Room, Stairs, Hallway, Bedroom etc. Dont know why they wired it this way but it is a pain. Posably I could just put a blank faceplate on the remote switch and put in a Z-Wave switch and eliminate the need for 3-Way using Homeseer for Automated control
The other problem is the Main Lights in my house have 6 or more 100W Bulbs in them and 300W will not do for that. And I dont want just an On/Off without dim So I guess No Z-Wave for that.
I realy think Z-Wave would be the better way to go and wish they would make some 3-Way and 600+W switches.Comment
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