GE Z Wave Plus Switch

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1

Can someone please recommend a GE Zwave plus dimmer switch & a ge add on switch. I am putting lighting in my living room & I have 2 switches that control the light. I was looking on amazon & it said the switch was a single pole switch. Thank you for your help.

Dominick

2

Does the add on have to be zwave plus or can it be just a zawave add on?

3

Assuming you have neutral wire, the following switches will work

https://www.amazon.com/New-Model-Wireless-Lighting-Wall/dp/B01MUCZA1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505322962&sr=8-1&keywords=ge+zwave+plus

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Bluetooth-Wireless-STANDALONE-12723/dp/B00RKJS8MQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1505323289&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=ge+zwave+plus+12723

4

Yes I do. Thats what I was looking for but I donā€™t think the switch said 3 way. Just currious, can I dim the lights from the add on or just the main?

5

You should be able to dim from both, although Iā€™m not using this Add-on with a dimmer.

The Add-on product description cites the following:

ā€œUse the dimmer feature to customize the lighting output and create the perfect ambiance for any room. The GE Z-Wave smart lighting control paddle switch operates as your home automation systems primary control, requiring three-way or four-way wiring configurationsā€¦ā€

6

The GE master switches, dimmers and fan controls can all be paired with up to 5 add ons.

You can dim from the add ons. The add ons are simply a remote that replicates the functions of the master itā€™s connected to.

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7

Thanks guysā€¦1 more questionā€¦my dinning room, hall way & downstairs has 3 way lighting. Does each need a add on?

8

The kitchen has 2 light switches. 1 controls a ceiling fan light & the other controls a light in the ceiling. Iā€™m going to change all that next year so Iā€™m not concerned about it now.

9

In any circuit with more than one switch you need a master and an add on for all the other switches. You canā€™t mix and match smart switches with dumb switches.

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10

Ok thank u very much.

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11

A couple of thoughts:

Yes, for 3-way lightning you need one regular switch and one add on switch.

To answer your earlier question, the add on is not zwave or zwave plusā€¦ it is just a remote as stated above.

Another pointā€¦ there are on/off switches and dimmers. both have advantages/disadvantages. For your living room dimmers may be a nice feature but I would not use them stairs lighting etc.

  • On/Off switches are cheaper but the relay makes a ā€œclickā€ sound when the switch is turned on/off.
  • Dimmers are silent and cost a bit more. You will need dimable light bulbs for these. I found them confusing for some guests though as they dim them to 1% but donā€™t turn them off and then have a hard time turning them on again. Or they dim them to 1% and then turn them off, only to urn them back on at 1%. You can configure/override these settings with an app in Smartthings though to eliminate the problem.

Just in case, here is the link for the on/off switch:
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Wireless-Lighting-Control-14291/dp/B01M1AHC3R/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1505325899&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=GE+Z-Wave+Plus&psc=1

3 Likes
12

Sorry 1 more questionā€¦pairingā€¦Iā€™m not home when the switches get installedā€¦problem?

13

No worries. The switches can be installed without the need to pair or include them in SmartThings. You can do the latter when you get home.

The ā€˜pairingā€™ of the add ons to the master is physical using the house wiring.

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14

Thank u very much.

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15

I have a few questions about this switch, hope someone can answer:

  1. Whatā€™s that thing that looks like a button on the lower left corner of the switch? It is not described in the documentation anywhere! (actually found this ā€¦ apparently this is used to change out the paddle face for different colored paddles. yuck.)
  2. Is it possible to turn off the blue LED locator light? With the GE in-wall outlet you can set this to either be on w/the switch is on, on when the switch is off, or off all the time. I really like this as I find the locator light obnoxious.
  3. I read in another thread that the GE switches donā€™t push status to the hub, so they are a poor choice for controlling a scene - ie, if you physically activate the switch it may be a bit before the hub polls the status and finds out it changes and activates the scene. Is this true? Is there any way around it?

Over all I like this switch a lot, it may be my top choice for my house, but if 2 and 3 canā€™t be addressed I probably wonā€™t get one and Iā€™ll have to keep searching. :frowning:

16
  1. itā€™s actually the air gap switch. It physically disconnects power to the device if you need toā€¦ In over a year Iā€™ve only needed to do this once to my 30-something switches.
  2. yes, especially easy as a user selectable configuration item with the latest community provided DTHs
  3. mine update status fine. :slight_smile:Iā€™d like to read the thread. That said some report the newest versions (14xxx series) with the newest DTHs may have an issue reporting status and people already have a suggested workaround.

You can have my GE/Jasco switches when you pry them from my cold dead hands.

Hope that helps.

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17

That is a strong recommendation and helps a lot - thanks! :slight_smile: