I’ve been running HASSOS on a Pi with a Zwave.me board for some time, but need to add new outlets. Seems there’s a focus on associating home automation with the various big nanes,because searching for ‘Zwave’ on Amazon only turns up stuff that the big guys are trying to ‘proprietize’ with their brand.
Is it safe to buy a device (such as the below) that is compliant with any of the above brands, or do I need to continue looking strictly for Zwave compatible devices?
In the past Neo Coolcam had a nice zWave power sockets. Check them. If you already have zWave network - doesn’t sound reasonable for me to migrate to WiFi.
Speaking for me, “compatible with Alexa / Google Home” is a red flag — it implies the device is cloud controlled and therefore won’t work without Internet, has questionable privacy, and might just stop working if the vendor goes out of business or decides to push an update that breaks compatibility.
I don’t have to worry about any of this with Z-wave, so generally that’s my go-to for most devices. But while I have a few Z-wave plugs, sometimes WiFi is preferable, particularly if you intend to move them around or need power monitoring, both of which can degrade a Z-wave mesh.
When I shop for WiFi devices, I look for hardware that is compatible with, or ships pre-installed, open source firmware like Tasmota or ESPhome. Traffic js fully local, I have control over updates and even what features are compiled into the firmware.
Amazon search is, generally speaking, useless. Last time I searched for “zwave” I got 99% Zigbee results. If you search for tasmota or esphome you might have better luck. Known good vendors include Athom, Martin Jerry, Kauf, and Cloudfree; devices from Sonoff and Shelly are usually flashable.
WiFi Plug is obviously not Z-wave.
Thanks for the help, guys. Just ordered a 3 pack of basic plugs from Neo. All good. Now, on to the programming. 