The Fibaros are excellent devices, but they don’t solve this particular problem, because if you use them with the standard toggle switch you can still have the issue where the switch is in the up position but the light is off ( because it was turned off with the network command).
So let’s take a step back and make sure that we have defined the problem correctly.
Many people do not like toggle switches for Z wave switches because of this issue that the switch will not necessarily be up for on or down for off. It’s not just that this is annoying, to many people it appears that the switch is broken.
For precisely this reason, the rocker format is much more popular for zwave switches. You still press up for on and down for off, but when the switch is resting in the neutral position it just isn’t perceived as “broken” in the way that the toggle often is. So it looks like:
Instead of this:
If your parents have been to a hotel or motel in the last 15 years, they have probably used rocker switches. Most people seem to have no difficulty adjusting to them even if they are used to toggle switches. So that would be my first suggestion.
If you really want a zwave toggle switch where up always means on and down always means off there was one introduce just in the last month or so which works by fitting over the existing switch and physically moving it.
The problem is that it is a battery-operated switch, and it will need new batteries about every two months. To me, that would be a lot more inconvenient than getting comfortable with the rocker switch. But if you really want one, you could have one.
The following picture was posted by @rayzurbock , Who has been testing this model
But again, I would get one of the rocker switches and show it to your parents and see what they think about that one. There are several different brands of these, including gocontrol, GE, and Zooz.
https://www.thesmartesthouse.com/products/zooz-z-wave-plus-dimmer-light-switch-zen22
As far as controlling a fan, GE makes a fan control switch for a variable speed motor which will give you low/medium/high and looks very similar to their other rocker switches. It’s a good choice.
If you’re just talking about something like a bathroom or kitchen exhaust fan which just needs an on/off, then you just have to check The specs on any on/off switch you are considering to make sure it can handle the load. Just don’t get a dimmer intended for a light and pair it with the fan, the physics are different and you will burn out either the switch or the fan.
Again, I do like the Fibaro micros for light control, and you can use them with a conventional toggle, but you’re not going to get the expected results because it’s entirely possible to have the toggle in the down position while the light is on. So I’m not sure that’s going to solve your problem.