I’ve been replacing UPB over the years and have about 20 switches/dimmers to go. I’ve tried different brands but now only have Inovelli and the remaining UPB. I’m a big fan of Inovelli.
I use Homeseer and have both Z-Wave and Zigbee. What would be the best way to go? Use all of one protocol or mix them to beef up each of the mesh networks? Or maybe Matter even though I can’t seem to wrap my head around it? My Inovelli Z-Wave and Zigbee switches have worked flawlessly.
Thanks.
If you’re committed to both Z-Wave and Zigbee, I don’t think it would be a horrible idea to buy some of each. If you’re thinking of condensing down to one, you should probably look at what switches Inovelli has out for which protocol. I think the Zigbee ones tend to be first out the door, so there might be a switch you need that’s only available for Zigbee.
I too am on HomeSeer with Z-Wave and Zigbee. My preference is Zigbee as it just seems easier to setup. It’s easy to include/exclude and re-include devices. On Z-Wave that’s kind of a pain.
What it boils down to for me is, is this the best device for my use case? If the answer is yes, I don’t care which protocol it uses.
I started off with Z-Wave. I had one Yale door lock that I wanted to control with my phone. I found out I could do that with HomeSeer, so that’s what I went with. Then my wife asked me to add a dimmer in the living room. I figured I already had Z-Wave, so why not start building a mesh. At the time I wanted all one protocol. So, I ended up with a half-dozen switches/dimmers and a fan control. Now I have 4 Z-Wave locks.
Then I decided I needed fan controls in other rooms, and HomeSeer’s was discontinued. I landed on Inovelli. A couple of my fans were in rooms that had single-gang boxes. So I went with the canopy module + dimmer. It seemed to me at the time that Zigbee bindings would be easier to setup than Z-Wave associations, so I went with the Blue Zigbee series.
When I wanted to control my garage doors, I wanted a single device that had two switch relays, and two dry contact relays so I could control the door, it’s light, and monitor a top and a bottom sensor. The only device I found that fit that requirement was the Zooz Zen16, and it’s Z-Wave.
I needed a 5 button scene controller for my garage. I would’ve preferred an Inovelli Blue Zigbee, but they’re still not in production, so I went with Zooz Zen32. Again Z-Wave.
I don’t use Google, Alexa, or Apple for home automation stuff, so it seems to me that Thread/Matter is off the table because I don’t want to add another controller to my setup. If HomeSeer can’t do it natively without help from the big 3, it’s not for me.
Bottom line is I get the devices I like, and deal with whichever protocol they come in. So far Zigbee and Z-Wave have been all I need.
Thank you. My HA journey is very similar with the Yale locks and the mix of Z-Wave and Zigbee.
This type of question shows up a few times a year. Linking to my previous response to this question:
You can view some of the other perspectives in that thread as well.