Just bought my Samsung hub today long time lurker here and wanna say hi to everyone…I wanna get some switches and receptacles and wanted to ask are GE smart plus the best way moving forward? I’m so new to this but would like some input to help me to buy something future proof
Help a newbie out 😊
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It depends on exactly what you want to do but generally speaking the GE/Jasco components are a pretty safe bet. Tons of people use them so it’ll be easy to get answers to any questions you have. Some people have reported that they crap out after 3-4 years but I don’t know how widespread that is.
For particular situations you may find that Innovelli or Zooz switches are cheaper - for instance, you can replace one switch in a three-way and use the other existing dumb switch as a “remote” (~$40), instead of buying a GE master and secondary switch (~$60). Innovelli also offers some switches with multi-tap scene control, so you can get more “bang” for your buck in terms of controlling additional devices. So, as always, the answer is…it depends. 
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Welcome! 
There’s no one right answer, because different people have different needs and preferences – – and, of course, budgets. The GE line is a budget line, and very popular for that reason, but it just depends on what you need.
Two good places to start are first, the device features FAQ, which covers a lot of the reasons why you might choose one model switch over another. The light switch discussion starts around post 40 in that thread. (This is a clickable link.)
Next, if you go to the community – created wiki and look at the Quickstart lists, then look down at the bottom of that page for the project reports section, the first list there is the “get started“ list. It has a lot of topics you will probably find interesting, including “the top 10 things to do with SmartThings.” Have fun!
(BTW, i’ve moved this to projects so you can get responses specific to your own needs and preferences.)
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Thank you mark and jd…going be fun starting this off
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Hi Simon, welcome to the community! Since @MarkTr mentioned Zooz, we wanted to let you know that this is our in-house brand and if you end up choosing the switches for your project, you can always get in touch with us for bulk pricing here: https://www.thesmartesthouse.com/pages/contact-us
We’ll be releasing the S2 series of the paddle switches with simplified wiring and some additional programming options in the next few weeks so feel free to ask any questions in the meantime.
Have fun building your smart home!
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Thank you I’m currently looking at your switches as we speak…very impressed
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Great to hear! Multi-point control can be complicated to wire so let us know if you need any help, we can provide step by step instructions based on your images for any 3-way or 4-way you have, more details here: http://www.support.getzooz.com/kb/article/75-how-can-i-identify-my-wiring/
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