Help me get started

Community Playground Getting Started & Initial Setup
1

My entry into home automation will be to control nightstand lamps from a wall switch and some sort of bedside remote. The lamps are currently plugged into always-on outlets. I am an electronics engineer but have never messed with any of this and am a “hardware guy” through and through. So please be gentle and let me know if this list of items will accomplish the initial goal.

Veralite controller
Two lamp dimmer modules
Some sort of keypad for the wall. Not sure about what I’d use the other buttons for.

The only other light in the room is on a ceiling fan, which I have in-wall and bedside remotes for, but z-wave doesn’t appear to have fan controllers?

Thanks in advance for any confirmation / suggestions

2

The first question is; are the lamps incandescent bulbs? CFL and LED bulbs are often problematic with dimmers, if they are dimmable at all. If your bulbs are not incandescent you would be better served by Z-Wave receptacles or appliance modules, which are On/Off. Continuing, I will assume that you are incandescent and buying dimmers.

The next question is; do you plan for this to be the extent of your Z-Wave use; just a couple of dimmers with no schedules, automation, or plans fro immediate expansion? If the answer is yes and you have no additional needs, then you don’t even really need Vera. Just the wall panel,which is a Z-Wave controller, dimmers and a handheld remote(also a Z-Wave controller) will do what you’ve stated you want to.

If you do plan to use schedules, automation, or plan to grow your network with other devices then the Vera Lite is a good choice. The dimmers are fine, assuming you’ve understood my first paragraph. The wall mounted controller will control the dimmers, but people have reported that they are unable to activate scenes on Vera with it, so it may not be your best choice depending on what you want to do. But, it will directly control the dimmers.

Remotes such as the GE 45600 Z-Wave Basic Handheld Remote and the GE 45601 Z-Wave Hand-Held Remote Control with LCD are very much like the GE 45631 Z-Wave Wireless Keypad Controller. They will control the dimmers or receptacles or appliance modules directly, but getting them to control scenes on Vera is problematic.

For controlling scenes on Vera the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Minimote Remote Control provides better results.

3

Z-Waver, thanks for the reply and insight. I thought you had to have a controller like vera to do any of this.

I do have an alarm system with envisalink and plan to install a video monitoring system this winter. For security I’d like to get to the point where if a camera senses motion, a stereo/tv turns on via the harmony hub and we are notified. For convenience & coolness I’d like to have lights turn on when we come home and trip doors & motion sensors. The sprinkler integration also looks nice. So the initial goal of the nightstand lamps is just a place to start.

The lights in the lamps are currently incandescent but the comments about the dimmer controller indicate it may work for dimmable LEDs as well.

Regarding the in-wall keypad, maybe a Leviton scene controller like this would be a better choice?

4

The Z-Wave network does have to have at least one controller. But, as I said earlier, the 45600, 45601, 45631, and the Minimote are all Z-Wave controllers capable of creating their own Z-Wave networks and activating devices directly.

You clearly have intentions of going beyond just On/Off/Dim of a couple of devices, so Vera will be what you need.

The dimmer may or may not work for a dimmable LED bulb. Results vary depending on manufacturer, but they are more often problematic.

The Leviton scene controller keypad does work both controlling devices directly and/or triggering Vera scenes. They are pricey and can be challenging to setup as desired sometimes, but they work much better than the 45631.

5

Please tell me if I’m biting off more than I can chew at this point, but would it be feasible to install the new fanlinc controller and the dimmer modules, all controlled from the minimote you mentioned earlier?

6

I have a couple of Monster Illuminessence (Leviton Vizia RF) 4-button scene controllers available. I’ll sell them pretty cheap, if you’re interested in a wall controller. I’ll send you a PM, since you don’t have enough posts yet.

7

The Minimote is a Z-Wave only device. Fanlinc is an Insteon device. Insteon is a different protocol and uses a different frequency than Z-Wave. Minimote is not compatible with Insteon and the Fanlinc device.

In order for you to install the Fanlinc and the Z-Wave dimmers, you would need Vera AND an Insteon 2413S PowerLinc Modem Dual-Band Serial Interface(PLM). The PLM provides the radio and powerline “transceiver” for Vera to talk to Insteon devices like the Insteon 2475F FanLinc Insteon Dual-Band Ceiling Fan and Light Controller.

Also note that the INSTEON 2334-232 Keypad Dimmer Switch with 6-Buttons that many people use with the Fanlinc controller is Insteon only and will not control Z-Wave devices directly like the previously mentioned Z-Wave controllers.

Insteon and Z-Wave are completely different systems. Vera is Z-Wave centric, but Vera does have an understanding of the concept of Insteon and X-10 device, so she can bridge between them and Z-Wave networks. But, Vera only has a Z-Wave radio.