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Costco Feit BR30 LED only Dim to 20% with WD-100

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    #16
    The current schedule is April 20th for this change, but that could change (sooner or later).

    The change will make the switch work like the earlier 100 series where you can dim down lower. I tested an led with the older firmware and I could dim it so low you could barely see that it was on.

    I am not aware of an issue with our switches where it keeps the load on when dimmed all the way down.

    Originally posted by jlrichar View Post
    Is this a firmware update or a driver update? How soon will you have this?

    The reason I ask is the swmbo (thanks rprade for this term) is not happy that the patio LED lights do not turn off fully with the older GE switches. Trying to decide on which switch to get that will both offer broad dim range and fully turn off when off.


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      #17
      We are only altering the lower dim level, and affecting range. Many LED bulbs act differently, so it will be hard get it to dim evenly with all bulbs.

      Originally posted by rsonedecker View Post
      When I heard this from Mark, I was like "Wow, I'm impressed. That's customer service..." I feel so much more confident thinking about switching my entire house over to Homeseer. Picking a controller as we speak.

      However, not to be greedy, but will this happen to allow for better control across the entire range - both the lower dim issue (getting below 20%), as well as the upper dimming issue (where the bulb reaches max brightness at 50%, and 60% and above is the same as 100%)?
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        #18
        Originally posted by rjh View Post
        We are only altering the lower dim level, and affecting range. Many LED bulbs act differently, so it will be hard get it to dim evenly with all bulbs.
        When you have time, can you elaborate a little on what this parameter is planned to do?

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          #19
          The parameter simply changes the voltage at the lower range so the bulbs will dim to a lower level. This may cause some bulbs to flicker in which case you can use the parameter to use an alternate voltage range.

          Originally posted by rsonedecker View Post
          When you have time, can you elaborate a little on what this parameter is planned to do?
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            #20
            Any update on the new firmware? Should I see something on the firmware download page when it is released?

            I put a couple WD200's in to test and experienced similar trouble with the lowest dim not being low enough, specifically on the Philips LEDs. My Costco Feit flickered too much at any setting. These are A19 bulbs I bought a little over a year ago.

            Tomorrow I am going to put in a GE/Jasco 14294 and Leviton DZ6HD-1BZ dimmer in 2 other rooms to compare the performance with WD200s. I really like the status LED and central scene features of the WD200, but need to prioritize the dimming performance. I am about to swap all switches in the house once I finish testing. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the new HomeSeer fan controller so I can compare that to the GE as well.

            I would prefer to go HS everywhere if possible. Partly because firmware updates are even a possibility. I don't expect GE or Leviton to bother, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

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              #21
              Keep us updated on your testing. I've just bought a bunch of the WD200+'s and having similar issues and not happy about it

              Originally posted by dilbert View Post
              Any update on the new firmware? Should I see something on the firmware download page when it is released?

              I put a couple WD200's in to test and experienced similar trouble with the lowest dim not being low enough, specifically on the Philips LEDs. My Costco Feit flickered too much at any setting. These are A19 bulbs I bought a little over a year ago.

              Tomorrow I am going to put in a GE/Jasco 14294 and Leviton DZ6HD-1BZ dimmer in 2 other rooms to compare the performance with WD200s. I really like the status LED and central scene features of the WD200, but need to prioritize the dimming performance. I am about to swap all switches in the house once I finish testing. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the new HomeSeer fan controller so I can compare that to the GE as well.

              I would prefer to go HS everywhere if possible. Partly because firmware updates are even a possibility. I don't expect GE or Leviton to bother, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

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                #22
                We have a test version and it works, needs one change, should have it available soon.

                Originally posted by marcusone View Post
                Keep us updated on your testing. I've just bought a bunch of the WD200+'s and having similar issues and not happy about it
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                  #23
                  Comparing the Jasco and WD200, the Jasco does seem to have better performance. I was able to use my Costco Feit A19 bulbs and while there was a slight flicker, it was not nearly as bad as on the WD200. The change in flicker surprised me.

                  After installing my first WD200 I replaced the Feit bulbs with Philips Warm Glow. They had no flicker issues and could dim all the way to 1%. When the Philips bulbs are installed with the Jasco switch they do seem to go dimmer, but my fixtures are not identical and in different rooms.

                  I was disappointed with the Leviton switch. I like the separate paddle for dimming as it is more intuitive, but I dislike the speed at how quickly the switch dims up/down. The WD200 and Jasco switches take slower steps so it is easier to dial in the brightness you want. I am also disappointed in the build quality of the Leviton for the price. Both the HomeSeer and Jasco switches allow the insertion of wires through the back which makes installation quick and easy. The final annoyance with Leviton is that HomeSeer does not build the status graphics configuration automatically so I needed to manually replicate each dim percentage defined on the WD/Jasco.

                  I needed black faceplates where I put the Leviton and am using incandescents since it is a home theater and we want very low dimming capability. I could have used Jasco here since they also offer a black face plate. I have 2 more switches to replace in the theater room and have not decided which way I'll go. A white switch would really stand out on a black wall so unfortunately the WD200 is out.

                  Hopefully the upcoming firmware will enhance the dimming performance. Between these 3 I for sure prefer the HomeSeer design. Jasco is a great performer, but I dislike greatly that there are no status LEDs to indicate dimming level. Without LEDs the switches are not at all intuitive to those that are not already aware they are dimmers.

                  Originally posted by marcusone View Post
                  Keep us updated on your testing. I've just bought a bunch of the WD200+'s and having similar issues and not happy about it

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                    #24
                    Originally posted by rjh View Post
                    The parameter simply changes the voltage at the lower range so the bulbs will dim to a lower level. This may cause some bulbs to flicker in which case you can use the parameter to use an alternate voltage range.
                    In testing, which bulbs performed the best? I've been holding off buying dimmers, awaiting this fix.... if the legwork has already been done, I'd prefer to buy the right bulbs, instead of doing a bunch of R&D....
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                      #25
                      I have one WD200 for testing. I use a lot of heavily dimmed LEDs.

                      Soraa makes a true PAR30. Hyperikon makes my favorite budget PAR-like bulbs. I have no problem getting these bulbs dim on both 4th and 5th gen Nortek dimmers (GoControl, Linear, Evolve).

                      I do like the speciality Philips bulbs too, especially in antique fixtures. I use the warm glow type in an antique ceiling fixture with exposed bulbs and it looks great.


                      I will test both of these in the next few days with the WD200. I hope that more expensive bulbs made for commercial lighting design, like Soraa and Philips, are more resistant to flicker at low levels.

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                        #26
                        Originally posted by rjh View Post
                        We have a test version and it works, needs one change, should have it available soon.
                        @rjh - how soon? :-)

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                          #27
                          Originally posted by Tomgru View Post
                          @rjh - how soon? :-)
                          I ditto the "how soon"?

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                            #28
                            Originally posted by rsonedecker View Post
                            I ditto the "how soon"?

                            +2

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                              #29
                              On March 26, 2018, I once again brought up this issue with Matt Cave, support@homeseer.com and here was his reply: "We do not have any of those bulbs here in the office, and we currently do not have any plans for adjusting the firmware in our dimmers. I understand the reluctance to replace all your bulbs, and apologize that our hardware doesn't mesh well with them."

                              I then made the decision to spend over $1,500 on Lutron wireless Caseta dimmers, switches, hubs along with a HomeSeer plug-in which work well. However Lutron technology does not support mesh technology and Lutron appears to offer little assistance with the excellent Homeseer plugin developed by Donmor.

                              If I had been given any hope that Homeseer was working on a solution, I would have waited for as long as it took. Now it too late!

                              That said; I think HomeSeer Automation is by far, light years ahead of their nearest competition and we need to make sure we continue to support this outstanding company. If this issue is eventually resolved I'll be back buying HomeSeer products in the future.

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                                #30
                                Originally posted by Irishman View Post
                                .............

                                I then made the decision to spend over $1,500 on Lutron wireless Caseta dimmers, .......
                                There is no reason to use Caseta if you have neutral wires to support z-wave dimmers. The most advanced z-wave dimmer/"3way" currently available are the 5th generation goControl models. Unfortunately Homeseer has a disincentive to support the central scenes feature in these devices.

                                Jasco has a smaller feature set compared to goControl. Both Jasco and goControl are nicer mechanically compared to WS200. But all other features being equal I would trade nicer mechanical functioning for the WS200 LED feedback.

                                If the WD200 can dim lower than the current firmware allows and adds direct association it will be the superior device. But trading off those core features for blinky lights is a disappointing compromise.

                                This is a stressful situation when deciding on dimmers and 3-ways for a whole house. Anyone know if dimmers will need to support z-wave security 2 to pass encrypted commands (as a routing slave) to locks?

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