Choosing Z-wave switches and dimmers

[JohnD]

I am very slowly getting back to my unfinished Homeseer project. I just bought some LED bulbs and now have to change the dimmer, I will be upgrading most of my home lighting to LED. I have some grand ideas but am not certain if they are feasible.

I want Dimming switches that have at least basic on-off-dimming capability independent of the Homeseer system. My living room has both 3 way and 4 way switches.

I want to add a light to my bedroom without physically accessing the current switch circuit. I cam power a switch on this circuit if necessary.

I want to add some outdoor lighting. I can not get a wire to the wall switch at all, but can power a switch from the existing circuit.

And of course, I would eventually like to have all of this on the Homeseer system.

Thanks

John

[Patholoraptor]

I just finished doing a ton of research about this issue, including ordering examples from several manufacturers for hands-on comparison. My project was to replace approximately 140 switches my house with Z-wave switches.

Let me save you some time if I can: As of now, the most cost-effective (and probably the best at any cost) Z-wave dimmers and switches are the Homeseer-branded ones. They look nice, they have a good tactile feel, and they (obviously) work well with Homeseer. They are Z-wave Plus certified, which I personally have found to be a nice improvement.

I have changed about 100 of my switches out so far and I like them a lot.

[IanIreland]

I just finished doing a ton of research about this issue, including ordering examples from several manufacturers for hands-on comparison. My project was to replace approximately 140 switches my house with Z-wave switches.

Let me save you some time if I can: As of now, the most cost-effective (and probably the best at any cost) Z-wave dimmers and switches are the Homeseer-branded ones. They look nice, they have a good tactile feel, and they (obviously) work well with Homeseer. They are Z-wave Plus certified, which I personally have found to be a nice improvement.

I have changed about 100 of my switches out so far and I like them a lot.

But they don't fit UK backing boxes :-(

[bebaldin]

I just finished doing a ton of research about this issue, including ordering examples from several manufacturers for hands-on comparison. My project was to replace approximately 140 switches my house with Z-wave switches.

Let me save you some time if I can: As of now, the most cost-effective (and probably the best at any cost) Z-wave dimmers and switches are the Homeseer-branded ones. They look nice, they have a good tactile feel, and they (obviously) work well with Homeseer. They are Z-wave Plus certified, which I personally have found to be a nice improvement.

I have changed about 100 of my switches out so far and I like them a lot.

I was just looking at the new Homeseer switches but it doesn't appear any of them support smart metering. I like to see what my devices are consuming so that is pretty much a deal breaker for me. Wish I could find a switch with smart metering and instant status.

[morrisdlx]

[waynehead99]

I was just looking at the new Homeseer switches but it doesn't appear any of them support smart metering. I like to see what my devices are consuming so that is pretty much a deal breaker for me. Wish I could find a switch with smart metering and instant status.

Only energy monitoring switches I am aware of are the aeotec micro switches that go behind a normal switch in the gang box. Personally I don't like them because you can't manually control the dimming.

[bebaldin]

Only energy monitoring switches I am aware of are the aeotec micro switches that go behind a normal switch in the gang box. Personally I don't like them because you can't manually control the dimming.

Enerwave makes them both binary and dimmer. I have a house full of them.

[Patholoraptor]

Someone more expert than I can correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge you can't connect a Z-wave switch to an existing three-way circuit and expect the circuit to function correctly. The behavior I've seen in that scenario is that when one or more of the the non-Z-wave switches are in the "off" position, the Z-wave switch won't control the load. Bottom line is that you need to use accessory switches specifically designed to work with your Z-wave switch.

I do think the WS15Z switches will work in a regular two-way or three-way circuit but like I said above, they won't do what you want with three-way unless you use one WS15Z plus one or more dedicated Z-wave accessory switches (WT00Z-1).

I will also add that I have had to call an electrician to help me with some of the wiring of my multi-way switches. Everything is simple and can be readily comprehended, in principle, but if you factor in non-standard or incorrectly installed wiring (as I have seen lots of in my house), things can get very confusing. I have actually shocked myself on more than one occasion, despite using a voltage detector, due to me not knowing what I am doing when encountering incorrectly installed wiring. If I could do it again, I'd get a pro to do them all--even the simple ones.

[waynehead99]

Enerwave makes them both binary and dimmer. I have a house full of them.

They make actual switches or micro switches like the aeotecs, which would still have the issue I pointed out? Do you have a link if they are actual switches as I would be curious?