Z-Wave Dimmer Recommendation

[Brian Williams]

I too have standardized on the GE/Jasco switches and dimmers. They are not perfect, in that they don’t always report a state change to XT right away, hence XT On scripts might see a delay. Also, in a 3-way situation, if the change is made at the remote switch, while the light will come on immediately, notice to Vera waits until the next poll. I have 21 dimmers & switches, 5 of which have a remote. I’m happy that I can get black paddles for this model because in some rooms, black is appropriate.

There are other switches that reportedly better performance. Determine as best you can what features you will need, then pick one to be your standard. That will make life easier. Today, I might have gone with Homeseer (I think that that is the one that James favours), but I have chosen to stick with the Jasco since I wanted to be consistent / uniform. In the past two weeks I have ordered 5 more of these switches and dimmers, and 11 black paddle kits. By the end of next week, all, but one switch/dimmer in my home will be these Jasco products. X-10 wireless and wired transmitters are still critical parts of my network. There I have a mix of Insteon, Leviton, and X-10 Pro.

I have some exterior X-10 controlled duplex outlets. I just got a Leviton Z-Wave unit to replace one faulty X-10 unit, but this may lead to replacement of all six outdoors sockets (garden lighting and statuary pump control).

My thermostat is also Z-Wave and recent advancements in XT have improved reporting and control.

I have a mix of plug-in dimmers and switches, the non-critical being X-10, with Z-Wave units where it matters most.

I don’t recall that when I changed from VeraLite to VeraEdge to VeraPlus having to take the controller close to the switch/dimmer for inclusion. Place you controller where it will be for a long time, then work out from there. The network that develops will often have a point close enough to your next installation such that adding a Jasco dimmer/switch device is relatively painless. Some other products are not so easy. I’ve just ordered an Aeotec Z-Wave stick so that I can update the firmware in my ’new' SS6 and MS6. Yes, new from the vendor, with firmware 2 versions out of date, which may be why I am having difficulty with those, especially the SS6.

A new house would be a lot of fun. Think about a parallel 12 VDC system. There are a lot of automotive 12 vdc fixtures that are perfect for home use, especially with 12 vdc motion sensor / relays.

Good luck,  Brian