I’ve currently tried the ZWP WD-100 and the GE 14294, both have problems reporting their levels with home assistant when turning off (shows as partially off in the UI). I have messed with refresh and delay, with no luck. Is there a dimmer that will work without issue?
From your references I take it you’re in the USA? Z-Wave devices are region specific, so confirming that would be good.
For how to find if the device will do instant updates, look at the docs here.
I currently have a couple ZWP WD-100s installed and my experience with them matches yours exactly. Also tried the Leviton DZ6HD-1BZ and they suffered from same issues.
The best smart dimmer experience I’ve had was with Lutron Casetas paired to a Wink Hub. There were occasional hiccups with Wink’s API but outside of those rare events the dimmers worked perfectly.
Unfortunately, I got rid of that setup thinking that a “pure zwave” approach would improve reliability.
To be fair, the zwave dimmers do work fine most of the time and the central scene commands is a cool feature. However, it’s frustrating when I manually adjust brightness from within HASS and the levels bounce all over the place.
I’m tried smoothing out these inconsistencies using MQTT as an intermediary between the light entity and HASS but to no avail.
I have a GE 12718 Plug-In Dimmer, and after setting refresh_value: true and delay: 3 it works fine. (The default ramp time for this dimmer is 2.97 sec.)
Are you using an add-on switch with the 14294? If so, I’ve found with other GE/Jasco switches, if you use an add-on switch, you also need to enable polling for the main switch. (HA updates immediately when the main switch is manually operated, but does not when the add-on switch is manually operated.) So, in this case, you might need refresh_value, delay and polling_intensity.
@Tinkerer: Hi again! I ended up writing a scraper to search through the database (I am from the US, FYI) and this is the list of contenders (along with a few that won’t work for me). @aaronwolen 's experience with the Levitons are a bit disheartening though, as I’m not sure what’s left with those removed. I wonder if the HomeSeer branded WD-100 has a newer firmware.
I would have liked to use the Aeotec like you are using, but I think the rest of the household would prefer a switch that can behave like a standard switch as well (up=on, down=off)
@aaronwolen, dissapointing to hear about the levitons, as they were on my short list. I’m surprised this is such a hard problem. The Lutrons are tempting if if they are more reliable. Is the Wink Hub the best option for these?
@pnbruckner: No add on switches. I tried messing with the polling/refresh/delay options and it didn’t work all that well if at all. I still have the ZWP, but the GE is on its way back to Amazon. do you have an example config for this that I could try as a starting point?
zwave:
usb_path: /dev/zwave
network_key: !secret zwave_network_key
polling_interval: 10000
device_config:
light.family_room_lamp:
refresh_value: true
delay: 3
switch.living_room_lamps:
polling_intensity: 1
switch.kitchen_light:
polling_intensity: 1
light.family_room_lamp is the 12718. The other two are in-wall toggle switches (GE/Jasco 12727) with add-on switches (GE/Jasco 12728.) I have a few other GE switches that are not dimmers and do not have add-on switches, so I didn’t need refresh or polling for them.
Since openzwave didn’t have config data for the 12718 I had to add those manually to get at the ramp config parameters. Mostly I leave them at their default values, but when I’m flashing that lamp I temporarily change the params so it switches quickly (i.e., 10 msec instead of 2.97 sec.)
But it looks like openzwave has config data for the 14294, so you should be able to control/change those (if necessary.)
Actually, let me amend my earlier statement—@pnbruckner’s reply jogged my memory. I was using the Leviton DZ6HD-1BZ in a 3-way setup with the add-on switch (DD00R-DLZ). I returned the pair because changes triggered from the add-on switch were not reported back to HA. Enabling polling probably would have addressed this issue but I was specifically looking for a dimmer that would not require polling.
So if you don’t need a 3-way dimmer, the Leviton may be worth trying.
Wow, what is wrong with these manufacturers? I assumed this was just a limitation of GE/Jasco’s implementation, but it must be more than that. Just doesn’t make sense to me, and I’ve been in the embedded electronics industry for a long time.
sadly this is really common. Leviton and GE/Jasco behave similar with an add on switch.
Only homeseer wd100 seems to work properly.
The ZWP WD-100 also works fine with add-on switch. However, it still suffers from other issues noted above.
@jwelter, do you see the same kind of issues with the Homeseer? My understanding is the hardware is identical to ZWPs but they run different firmware.
Perhaps the zwave dimmer situation will improve when these PRs are incorporated:
Definitely; right now the central scene support is a bit of a hack but works fine.
Sorry, @jwelter, could you clarify on what you’re agreeing to? Have you run into any issues with the Homeseer WD100? Does dimming and control from HA work as it should?
Hi sorry! Yes on all my WD100+ I get:
- On/Off/Dimming control from HA works instantly.
- Local switch control reports status to HA instantly.
- Add on switches work fine in both of the above conditions.
- Multitap works; with following the directions in this forum on how to enable it. Just a simple copy/paste into the zwcg*.xml file. But this is only needed for central scene; for basic functionality it works out of the box!
You do not need polling enabled for the WD100+ to get the above functionality.
The WS100+ also works the same way; but obviously without dimming.
Anyone tried the Inovelli line of Zwave dimmers with HA? (don’t get me started on their “+ Repeater” marketing)
https://inovelli.com/shop/smart-light-switches/z-wave-dimmer-switch-repeater/
I’m fickle and avoid new players for such devices. Originally I wanted to stay with “known players” in the electric switch market like Leviton, GE, Lutron, Cooper. They didn’t do what I wanted.
I always worry if a device shorts and causes a fire it’s a risk of life; and insurance won’t cover damage if cause is attributed to a non-CE or registered device.
So I decided HomeSeer was the best of the non-standard players as they’ve been around a long time, have a US presence, and good reputation.
I’d love to see one of the electric players really do a good job on Zwave devices. Legrand makes the Adorne line which is fantastic with a premium feel and experience; just sadly not gotten into Zwave…
I know they do have UL certs and I have seen numerous times where their customer service has bent over backwards to correct any issues. I have no affiliation with them, they just kind of impressed me plus combined with their price point. Homeseer is too rich my blood.
HomeSeer often goes on sale for a good discount… wait for it 
Can you use a regular switch in a 3 way(US) config with one of their dimmers? The regular switch would just turn it off and on of course. Can you change the min/max and percentage steps?
No you need their companion switch.
Ahh, well unless they have a killer sale I think I’m going to roll with the $30 to the door option. Thanks for the info. Even $30 is already steep for my blood along with being Zwave (prefer my easy and reliable WiFi switches/sensors) It’s for a hallway and I wanted to do a 5% brightness rule at night for motion. I thought about going with a simple bulb but I have to stick to my rules of not removing functionality when doing home automation.