So I’ve toyed with some Insteon (5 switches in my home), however I think I am going to replace them with ZWave and then scale out to 50+ devices. So for getting started I have some questions.
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It sounds like the Cooper and the Levinton devices are the favorites, I have 3 fans I want to control which already have a fan controller so it sounds like Levinton provides for that is there any other downside to going with Levinton (besides my next question)?
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I’m going to use Schlage lock’s but it looks like the Levinton switches don’t support beam - I’m thinking the easiest thing to do would be to put some Cooper Outlets which do support beam throughout the house to facilitate the communication. Is there a better approach?
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At 50+ devices and probably 5-10 scene’s is there any reason not to go with the VeraLite?
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Is there anything else I should be aware of?
[quote=“amattas, post:1, topic:177428”]So I’ve toyed with some Insteon (5 switches in my home), however I think I am going to replace them with ZWave and then scale out to 50+ devices. So for getting started I have some questions.
- It sounds like the Cooper and the Levinton devices are the favorites, I have 3 fans I want to control which already have a fan controller so it sounds like Levinton provides for that is there any other downside to going with Levinton (besides my next question)?[/quote]
Cooper and Leviton switches are very good. But, you can also use Vera to control Insteon devices so, you may wish to hold on to what you have.
2. I'm going to use Schlage lock's but it looks like the Levinton switches don't support beam - I'm thinking the easiest thing to do would be to put some Cooper Outlets which do support beam throughout the house to facilitate the communication. Is there a better approach?
Yes, if you need beaming then some wall outlets or appliance modules will fill the gap.
3. At 50+ devices and probably 5-10 scene's is there any reason not to go with the VeraLite?
The upper limit on Vera Lite devices is around 70. It should work for your needs, but if in doubt you won't regret going with the Vera 3. If I was sure I would be using at least 50 devices, I'd get Vera 3. Leaves room fro growth.
4. Is there anything else I should be aware of?
Probably, but who knows what that might be. Definitely understand the basics of electricity and wiring, if you will be self installing.
Cooper and Leviton switches are very good. But, you can also use Vera to control Insteon devices so, you may wish to hold on to what you have.
The only bad thing is the switches end up looking different then.
One more question, if I wanted to have say a bathroom fan turn off 15 minutes after someone actually flipped off, is this doable?
Or would I really want to just out some sort of humidity sensing switch in (and is this type of thing available with ZWave)
Humidity sensors are available in some motion sensors. But, there aren’t any humidity sensing switches.
With Vera; you could use a humidity sensor to control a fans action or you could create a scene that uses the On or Off state of a switch to perform a delayed action, like turning off a fan 15 minutes later.
[quote=“amattas, post:4, topic:177428”]One more question, if I wanted to have say a bathroom fan turn off 15 minutes after someone actually flipped off, is this doable?
Or would I really want to just out some sort of humidity sensing switch in (and is this type of thing available with ZWave)[/quote]
I understand that you’re looking for a zwave compatible switch, but there is an option that has humidity sensing from DewStop available from Amazon ([url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Q6CGKW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Q6CGKW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url]) that seems like it does what you’re looking for. It even has an integrated 30 min run time in addition to the humidity cycle.
It wouldn’t link up to the rest of the system, but it may solve the issue for that space at least.
A word of caution though: It won’t work very well for a fan over a toilet. If you can actuate a humidity sensor dropping a deuce, you may want to change your diet… :-X