I haven’t yet tried to do any automated lighting so I’m just starting my journey and black friday seems like the best time to buy much of what I’ll need.
I have good wifi coverage but I’m generally against using that, possibly more than I should be. I don’t have any z-wave or zigbee but I’ve been looking at getting a GoControl USB z-wave/zigbee hub to connect to my raspberry pi. Depending which switch I replace, I may then need repeaters since the front door switch is very remote from my basement switch room where the pi is since my house is on a steep slope. And I’m definitely not interested in automatable light bulbs - just switches.
Goals:
Reliable
Inexpensive (but not cheap!).
Preferably decora switch style to match existing switches better - this will also let me use the nearest switch and potentially avoid repeaters for now. Otherwise I’m sure I’ll need repeaters, probably more than one.
Needs to control a 4-way circuit (power is to the most remote switch from memory).
Switches must still work as switches (wife acceptance factor).
Want to be able to manually control outside lights via home assistant iphone app.
Ultimately want to automated them up to be turned on by Ring doorbell motion detection and/or door sensors and then turn off after a timeout.
Not rushing to automate lots of my lights but over time I’m sure I’ll want to add more so hopefully a brand that’s not going to disappear any time soon so I can expand without having a complete mess of different switches.
I have Insteon swtiches with an ISY994 as my backend. I have the version with Z wave added as well.
Very reliable
$50 a switch is the norm, but look for 30%+ off deals. There is usually one around Xmas time.
Decora is available
Do you mean a 4 way switch aka the light plus 3 switches? I have this in my house.
They do work as switches in the rawest sense. The only issue is against this is that anything past a single pole switch relies on the hub. What I mean is that each switch has load/neutral/ground and switched connections BUT the hub is what keeps multiple switches in sync. Only the one actually attached to the switched (red wire) controls the light going on and off. The rest are kept in synch with programming via the hub. If the hub goes down (never happens) then the ones not connected to the light will not be able to control the light. I have literally never had this happen.
Easy to control lights via HA.
I have many lights in my automation. E.g. Everyone leaves the house and all lights turn off, motion is detected on my front door cam and the front lights go on, lights turn on when someone in the family enters the geofence of the house. I have probably 20 light automations.
Cool things you can do:
I bought an extra light switch, changed a box from single to double gang and I added an Insteon switch to switch a lamp on and off. I stole power from the switch next to it so it can power the switch, added an Insteon outlet at the lamp, and then I programmed it so the light switch controls the outlet.
FYI…buy the powerline modem that goes with the ISY994. It adds redundancy to the setup and gives your switch two paths back to the hub.
Thanks for the advice and ideas. I hadn’t though of using geofencing to turn on lights when we return home - I already use that to generate phone notifications to allow the arm to be easily turned on when we’re all out of the house (otherwise we forget). Assuming I can use Ring motion detection successfully in automations, those are probably going to be a pretty good experience but it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan.
Goes to availability of devices. Varies GREATLY by geography because not all places are US 110V/15A, and ZWave RF frequencies (if that tech ends up being your solution of choice) are not universal.
One thing you’ll need to know before you buy ANYTHING. Do you have neutrals in every junction box? Will be required to know if you need “no neutral capability” in your devices.
You mention Zwave - then in that case… I’ll dump what I know on my favorite US ZWave lighting controls at the moment, someone else can chime in with Tasmota / WiFi / Zigbee, etc.
Jasco has been the generic standard for a long time - sold as GE, Honeywell and for a while HomeSeer before HomeSeer started OEM’ing thier own switches. You’ll see a lot of issues in various forums with older Jasco devices - (also referred to as GE switches). There was allegedly an issue with the main capacitor onboard… Short version of the story - newer Jascos are not the same design and shouldn’t have that issue. Look for SimpleFit / EZ wire to know for a fact they’re the newer design. Jascos require specific add-on switches to replace all switches in the rest of the boxes in an N-way situation. GE Jasco has been my goto for years - I’ve since switched the main switch vendor to Zooz - but still go to GE Jasco for my fan controller of choice. It’s a tank. Also, there’s no device out there right now quite like the GE Jasco Motion Dimmer… Programmable occupancy and dimming control in one single gang device? Yes please.) All of my bedrooms have a GE motion dimmer and GE fan controller side by side in a 2-gang box. (Add a simple door sensor and you have a VERY powerful combo there…)
Innovelli makes solid devices The Red series dimmer does everything, even slices, dices and juliennes… Seriously though this thing supports no-neutral installs, standard three-way switches, Jasco style add-on switches, smart bulb mode, direct association, central scenes and has a cool LED strip to program… But alas, it’s expensive and lately rarely in stock. It’s still my go-to hi end dimmer. I use this in hi traffic areas when I need discreet scene controls, dimming, and notification lights.
Zooz (thesmartesthouse’s house brand) makes a really nice generic switch under the Zen21 (switch) / Zen 22 (Dimmer) Good device. They were just replaced by the Zen26 (Switch) and Zen27 (Dimmer).
My favorite Zooz devices right now are the Zen32 scene controller. The big button can switch a load with a physical relay, has RGBW indicator lights in all 5 buttons. and can act as a scene controller using central scene functionality. They also make a good heavy-duty plug-in outlet that supports power readings.
I had been looking at the Zooz switches since they’re on sale currently so considering guessing what I might want now and in the future and buying enough to hit the $99 for free shipping. You mentioned the Zen26 but wouldn’t I want the Zen71 so I get the 700 chip + S2 instead of just S2? Zooz 700 Series Z-Wave Plus On / Off Light Switch ZEN71 - The Smartest House
Is there a reason I shouldn’t got with a 700 (assuming I can get hold of a 700 USB z-wave stick…)
Thanks. The Zooz Zen76 (or Zen71 too probably) looks perfect since I should be able wire it into my existing 4-way circuits without having to replace all the other switches. And the price (just over $20 on sale) means I can get twice the equipment or more vs most other choices that I’ve looked at.