Linear Dimmers / Switches

I would like to know if there are any compatibility issues with SmartThings and Linear dimmers and switches.

I have LED lights exclusively throughout my house and I’m looking for z-wave (2- and 3-way) dimmers and switches to control the lighting. The combined load varies from 5w - 180w (1 - 8 LED lights) max per dimmer/switch.

I am primarily interested in the following Linear products:

Based on my research, GE dimmers which ST recommends don’t work with LED lights. Apparently, GE dimmers are designed for incandescent lights and lack the necessary neutral wire for LEDs.

My friend uses Linear dimmers and LED lights with this Homeseer system and it all works flawlessly. I would like to achieve the same results with ST without having to experiment with different dimmers / switches to find the one that works.

I’d appreciate your input.

The new GE switched are fine with led.

The linear switches have a nightlight led that you can’t turn off. The ge switchs light can be disabled.

Also. The double tap app does not work with the linear switches.

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GE has some older switches that didn’t have the neutral, but the newer ones do. As for the Linear ones I’ve read good things about them and plan on using them. I’ve heard the linear dimmers are quiet where the GE dimmers have a tendency to buzz. If you type in linear into the search of this form, you’ll find several threads with good things to say about the linear switches/dimmers.

@codytruscott so the double tap doesnt work with linear switches, how about GE switches does double tap work with ge switches? Thanks

Unsure. I have 50 linear switches and dimmers and accessory switches because that was the best option for use with led six months ago.

If I was buying now, I’d certainly investigate the new ge series.

@codytruscott ok gotcha. Yeah i love the linear zwave switches too. I like the GE outlets however have not tried the new GE switches. I think im gonna stick with linear though.

How can I distinguish the new GE dimmers (model name, product codes, etc.) from the old ones?

Apparently, the GE Jasco series switch doesn’t support Instant Status, which I assume has something to do with reporting device state information. It would be useful to know the purpose of this feature and the ramifications of not having it. Also, I’ve been advised to only purchase Z-Wave devices that are scene capable.

This link compares the feature set for various switches: http://store.homeseer.com/store/HomeSeer-Z-Wave-OnOff-Wall-Switch-Comparison-W7.aspx

It would be very helpful if you can highlight those features that are really important and indicate how to identify them in dimmer and switch packaging/specs.

Thanks

Interesting comment about double tap. I bought 6 new LED lights for 2 track light cct’s and specifically put a Linear device there because they dim better than GE and we compatible with LED. I installed double tap and it works fine.

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Really? Huh. I’ll have to give it another try. I figured it wasnt working because the linear switches themselves have the ability to send zwave commands to other devices directly via double taps.

Ya, I can’t get it to work, whats the trick?

You guys are bad Karma :slight_smile: My Linear switch that worked fine with Double Tap in the living room doesn’t work anymore! When I installed it everything was great; one tap - track lights off - two taps - living room GE Link bulbs off. Now, nothing. I have reinstalled the app but it doesn’t function anymore :frowning:

@misa The new GE switches are model #s 12722, 12723, 12724, 12727,12728,12729, and12730.
u will see on this website http://store.homeseer.com/store/GE-Jasco-C189.aspx, basically the item images of GE switches with black and green, and black and grey boxes. I would also look at this thread for pictures of new and old GE switches New GE Line of Z-Wave Switches/Recepticals (127XX Series)

Ok I’m new to smartthings home automation but I have the same question as above concerning the same linear switches. So, can they work with smartthings or not??? Secondly what is this double tap you all speak of?

Yes. They work. Double tap does not work. I think the new GE switches are probably the best value vs feature set now however.

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JUST dealing with this on on my setup. I have entire house with Linear switches (on/off, dimmers, and 3-ways) as well as recessed led lights and few led light bulbs. Love the linear switches. 3 ways work immediately (used minimote to associate them with other switches). Everything was paradise, until I tried to use an app (big button) to control one switch from another (not a 3 way switch). In my case, I have a 3 bay garage, with 2 physical light switches.

Wife wanted the lower bay switch to not only turn on/off her side of the garage, but the main side too so she doesn’t have to walk through dark garage or use phone to turn other switch on. No problem I thought, just use app to tie them together. Well, Linear switches do not have instant status, meaning if you turn switch on/of directly, it doesn’t notify ST that status just changes, so app doesn’t know it needs to do anything. ST does poll the switch for status, so it app still is fired, but the delay is anywhere from 7-15 seconds. In garage scenario, my wife can live with that. Other scenarios, not so much as case where I tried to use same app to tie the entry light into bedroom to also turn bedside lamps (ge link bulbs on/off), with the same 7-15 second delay.

Odd question about Linear/GE Switches…how do they dim? And yes, I am asking simply how they dim on the switch themselves, not a much more technical home automation question. :smile:

I’m new to home automation and every time I go to Home Depot (nothing similar) or Lowe’s (never linked to a bulb) I look to try but can’t. I have also never used a switch like this

Press and hold top to dim up, press and hold bottom to dim down. Pretty intuitive. Hopefully that’s what you were looking for.

GREAT!
I always see the piece on the bottom right/left (looks sort of like an IR receiver) and wonder if that was something.

So next question, what is double-tap?

So, do the GE switches in here dim the same way?

Yup. The Linear and GE zwave dimmer switches are just about identical.