I will soon be building a new home, and I was wanting y’alls thoughts on what brand would be best for lightswitches, sensors, etc. I already have a shelly CNG sensor that was easy to work with, and some hue lights, but thats about it for that side of things. I would like a brand that is easy to work with, budget friendly (I’m going to be doing the entire house so…), reliable, and preferably a brand that has other products I can use (lights, sensors, etc) although thats not strictly necessary.
I know geography plays a part as well. I’m in the USA.
For me the best vendor is Inovelli and meets your criteria. They make both Z-Wave and Zigbee devices and are ultra configurable and reliable. My next favorite has always been Fibaro, they make great devices that last and are designed very well.
The biggest problem with Innovelli is actually buying the things. Seems like they are constantly running out of stock.
My opinion, the best bang for buck are Zooz. I have a number of them that are several years old (~20 installed). The only issue I’ve ever had was one that would not play nice with a bathroom exhaust fan. Two days later and I had a replacement after opening a support ticket.
Benefits:
Smart bulb mode that disables controlling the power relay with the paddle. Keeps people from killing power to smart bulbs.
Whole lineup can double as a button device.
Same aesthetic as off the shelf switches.
3 and 4 way setups do not require a special add-on switch.
Right now it’s looking like Zooz is the forerunner, I took a look at their product lineup and they have all sorts of fun things. Light switches, plugs, power switches, garage door openers, flood protection, sensors, etc. Anyone else have suggestions? It also seems like Zwave is the most popular protocol, is that accurate? Iirc you need some sort of base or something to hook up to HA, anyone have suggestions for those?
You need a Z-Wave coordinator device. Zooz has some USB sticks you can use with Z-Wave. I would suggest steering clear of the 800 series stick for the time being though. It’s relatively new so there’s bound to be hiccups with Z-Wave JS.
I’m using their ZST10 and have zero complaints. I did replace the antenna, but that’s just extra credit .
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