Buying Switches
@DParker makes a good point that switches are sold at many different prices, so it pays to shop around.
It pays even more to plan ahead, which was the point several people were making by asking questions about neutral wires, 3 ways, total number needed, all that.
Different zwave switches offer different features
Different zwave switches have very different features, and different engineering quality. It all comes down to your own specific needs. Some people will care a lot about a particular feature, while others will never use it so there’s no reason to pay extra for it.
The following thread includes a detailed discussion of what kinds of features Z wave switches can have.
https://community.smartthings.com/t/bulbs-switches-and-sensors-oh-my-what-to-buy/33955/40
Bundle pricing and other discounts
Some retailers will also offer bundle pricing if you’re buying at least 10 of the same model at a time. You may be able to get this discount at Home Depot, you can check with the contractors’ desk. www.zwaveproducts.com is another good source for bundle deals.
Also, if you know you’re going to want some three-way set ups, you should be able to find kits which include one master switch and one or two auxiliary switches and those typically are discounted to the price of buying them individually.
So the more you know about how many switches you want and where you want to put them, the more likely you’ll be able to find a discount bundle and save some money that way.
There are other reasons for discounts, too. A pretty common one is when a new model line is coming out and the old-line gets discounted. As @theedpope mentioned, over the last couple of months people have been able to get some really surprising discounts on a particular line of GE zwave switches which are labeled for the Lowe’s Iris system, but which also work with SmartThings. in addition, some Home Depot’s, but not all, have been discounting the GE switches which are marked as compatible with wink. You can find discussion of this type of current deal in the deals thread. But a lot of times these deals will only be available until their current inventory sells out.
Another thing to know about buying home automation equipment that surprises many people is that Amazon is not always the cheapest place to buy. This is particularly true for items where a third-party seller is offering them through the Amazon website. Since these companies have to pay a commission to Amazon, you can often get exactly the same item on exactly the same day for a lower price by going directly to the seller’s own website. The only thing is that they do usually have a shipping fee unless you buy a minimum of around $100 per order. However that’s a price level that usually very easy to reach when buying this kind of equipment. So just means you may need to check a couple of places before buying.
On the other hand if you’re just buying one to test, you may want to buy from Home Depot or Amazon or Lowe’s because they have the easiest return policies if it turned out to be something you can’t use. If you’re not buying from these three, always check the return policy before buying. Some places have a really crummy return policy.
I personally don’t generally buy from eBay because there are so many counterfeits as there, as well as Used items sold as new. But that’s just me. A lot of people have gotten really good deals that way. But some have gotten burned, for example receiving a Zwave device which is on the European or Asian frequency instead of the US, meaning it won’t work with their US system. So it just depends on how comfortable you are with that kind of marketplace.
Neutral wires at the switchbox
The first question, though, is do you have neutral wires at the switchbox for everyplace where you might want to have a switch. I know a lot of people have brought this up but that’s because there’s a lot of variation in the US and many houses don’t have the neutral at the switchbox or only have it for some switches. It makes a big difference on which models will work there.
The following thread explains more about how the kind of wiring works in the US. Just know before you start reading that in the US wire colors are not mandated by code. People can and do use every kind of color, sometimes just because it’s the end of the day and they grab the last piece of wire they have in the toolbox. So even though it’s typical that a black wire is hot and a white wire is neutral, at your house it could be the other way around. Or any color combination. You’ll still need to test each wire to make sure you know exactly what it is.
Learning more
One last thought: if all the discussion about wiring seems confusing, you can either call in an electrician, or look for a class. Many Home Depot’s offer classes on how to install a light switch which are a very good place to start. They probably won’t discuss network switches, but you will learn how to evaluate and safely do the replacement. After that, all the network discussion will probably make a lot more sense.
Of course if you go with smart bulbs, you won’t have to deal with any wiring issues, so that’s another consideration for some people. As always, different things work for different people. 