Can anyone compare/contrast the below Scene Controllers and or tell me which ones I am missing? I want to mount a couple in my house for Home/Away/Evening/Morning scenes. I origionally tried out the GE controller, but can’t get scenes working (and see this is pretty common). Before I buy another one, I want to make sure it is the best value and will work properly.
Leviton VRCS4-M0Z Z-Wave 4-Button Scene Controller $110 ---- Current first choice.
Leviton VRCZ4-M0Z Vizia RF 4 Button $115 ---- This has RF IR which I don’t need
GE 45631 Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Group/Scene Controller, Wall Mount $49 ----- This doesn’t really do scenes. Maybe if I had a GE remote, and renumbered all of my devices?
Cooper RFWC5 Z-Wave 5-Scene Controller $170 ------- More expensive, and, does the same thing?
As far as I can tell, this list is pretty exhaustive.
I’d recommend the VRCZ4-M0Z. So the zone controller rather than the scene controller.
They are equivalent, except for the buttons. On a scene controller there’s 4 buttons that you push down. On the zone controller there’s 4 buttons that you push to either the left or the right. In other words, the zone controllers have an On and Off side to the button.
Because of this, you can run the On scene or Off scene at any time. On the scene controller you can only toggle the state. If the On scene is active (LED is lit), then the next push would run the Off scene (LED goes off), and vice versa.
There’s some prior threads on this as well.
(I have no experience with the GE 45631, but/and am aware of the reports on this device. I have no experience with the Cooper.)
There is also a difference in the definition of zone versus scene.
In a Zone, you turn all of the lights in that zone (or area) on (or off) together. For example, turn lights A and B on.
In a scene, you turn the lights as you need them to set an effect or mood (i.e. scene), such as turning light A on, light B off, light C to 50% dimmed, and so forth.
So deciding between a scene controller and a zone controller also depends on what you want to do with your lights.
Correct; but either controller supports both. And Vera only does scenes.
So if for any reason a scene is not considered active by a scene controller (i.e. LED not lit), then you won’t be able to run the Off scene, whereas on a zone controller you would.
If I get the zone controller, I can push ‘on’ and it will turn lights A B and F to levels 20%, 90% and 30% as per the scene that is associated with that button?
Note: I fixed where I wrote RF instead of IR up above … I need zwave therefore I need RF!
Thanks!
(Oh, and I don’t suppose these things are less ugly in person? Those levetrons look like they took a severe beatin’ by the ugly stick.)