Replacing light switches - what to use?

Other Devices & Integrations Lighting & Load Control
#1

A newbie here :wink: I am replacing some light switches. What are the most inexpensive ones you have found that work well?

#2

If you are using dimmers, and have a neutral then the Coopers are good: http://store.homeseer.com/store/Cooper-RF9534-Z-Wave-2-Wire-600-watt-Dimmer-P646C42.aspx

If you are using non-dimming switches, these work great: http://store.homeseer.com/store/Aeon-Labs-Aeotec-DSC19103-ZWUS-Z-Wave-Micro-Smart-Energy-Illuminator-P1355C42.aspx

Prices on the Cooper seem to have jumped up lately


#3

Not sure what the last post was. The coopers are not inexpensive as you requested. And the aeon labs come in both dimming and not and are a good option if you have a special switch that can’t be changed.

Where are you located? Lowes sells the GE or jasco ones for 35.00 and 39.99 for dimming.

But inexpensive is GE switches.

#4

@kpmk57,

Welcome!

You could read up on ‘instant status’ and decide if that feature is important to you. Also consider the load type (incandescent, CFL, LED) you will be driving (now or in the future) and whether or not you need dimming. It’s also important to know if you have neutrals in your boxes.

#5

I agree with both integlikewhoa’s and oTi@'s posts
The Jasco/GE switches are inexpensive although IMO and experience, the Linear products are the same price if not cheaper and they are a better quality product overall for the price, we sell as many Linear as GE now and get very few returns on the Linears whereas the return rate for GE has been steadily rising over the past 2 years.

Further to oTi@'s post, pay close attention to the load you wish to use and whether or not you have neutrals which becomes critical for dimming as a 2-wire dimmer (no neutral) will only dim incandescent bulbs (discontinued as of 1/1/2014) not LED’s or CFL’s. You need that neutral if you want good dimming performance from a dimmable LED or CFL.

Watch the GE dimmers, specifically 45612, as they are a 2-wire dimmer and the only device in their price range that has a 2-wire dimmer, except for Linear which is coming out with one very soon, that is. If you want a good, inexpensive z-wave dimmer for LED and CFL’s, get a [url=http://shop.haworldonline.com/Linear-Z-Wave-LED-CFL-Dimmer-Model-WD500Z-1-White-4-Pack-11256.htm]HaWorldOnline.com is for sale | HugeDomains which requires a neutral.

#6

Side bar, but what’s the scoop on GE/Jasco vs Linear/2Gig/Evolve/ACT; did/does Jasco license the design from ACT (or somebody else), but they do their own manufacturing (for GE)?

#7

[quote=“haworld, post:5, topic:182973”]I agree with both integlikewhoa’s and oTi@'s posts
The Jasco/GE switches are inexpensive although IMO and experience, the Linear products are the same price if not cheaper and they are a better quality product overall for the price, we sell as many Linear as GE now and get very few returns on the Linears whereas the return rate for GE has been steadily rising over the past 2 years.

Further to oTi@'s post, pay close attention to the load you wish to use and whether or not you have neutrals which becomes critical for dimming as a 2-wire dimmer (no neutral) will only dim incandescent bulbs (discontinued as of 1/1/2014) not LED’s or CFL’s. You need that neutral if you want good dimming performance from a dimmable LED or CFL.

Watch the GE dimmers, specifically 45612, as they are a 2-wire dimmer and the only device in their price range that has a 2-wire dimmer, except for Linear which is coming out with one very soon, that is. If you want a good, inexpensive z-wave dimmer for LED and CFL’s, get a [url=http://shop.haworldonline.com/Linear-Z-Wave-LED-CFL-Dimmer-Model-WD500Z-1-White-4-Pack-11256.htm]HaWorldOnline.com is for sale | HugeDomains which requires a neutral.[/quote]

Ge now has 3 wire dimmers with neutral, they are swithing out all the old models, but many or most shelves still have the 2 wire. The new part number is 45712 instead of the old 45612.

More info found here:

I use the 45612 for dimming my LED’s now without a problem as long as you have 50w of total light. For me I have 5 or more LED BR30 can lights on each of my circuits. Never found a need to dim only 1 or 2 bulbs.

#8

Side bar, but what’s the scoop on GE/Jasco vs Linear/2Gig/Evolve/ACT; did/does Jasco license the design from ACT (or somebody else), but they do their own manufacturing (for GE)?[/quote]

Jasco Products in Oklahoma actually manufactures all GE brand devices (as well as a few of their own like Jasco Projectables Night Lights and Z-Wave devices indicated as a 7xx series strictly for the service industry) in the US. They make all small appliances and consumer electronics including home automation devices in the GE name brand. GE does not actually manufacture anything themselves except the big stuff like appliances. They use GE’s designs for z-wave not ACT’s and in fact Jasco is now a partner in the Z-Wave Alliance with ADT Pulse, iControl and a few others. GE started Quirky on their own which owns Wink and is now gearing up to be a zigbee manufacturer as well.

Now, separate from GE and their history is Linear. ACT and HomePro were the original brand for the Evolve/Linear devices. Both ACT and Homepro were actually pretty big as an X-10 manufacturer until they decided to get into Z-wave, then a few years ago, a number of acquisitions happened - ACT bought out Homepro, then Evolve Guest Controls bought out ACT under Avi Rosenthal’s leadership. I think about 2 years ago, Nortek bought Linear around the same time as they bought 2Gig, and subsequently added Evolve’s line of lighting controls (not including their controllers though) to the Linear Corp department and put Avi Rosenthal in charge of Home Automation where he is at present.

I have always suspected that the original HomePro line of z-wave devices were the ones that supported direct & group association capabilities (as per their current, outdated instructions) with their dimmers, now model WD500Z and the relay, WS15Z and the WT00Z accessory switch. Somewhere along the line, that functionality was lost as I have manuals that had this functionality built into it providing their controller was used, but was later discontinued by Evolve and never replaced.

Sorry for the word, long response but thats the scoop.

#9

[quote=“integlikewhoa, post:7, topic:182973”][quote=“haworld, post:5, topic:182973”]I agree with both integlikewhoa’s and oTi@'s posts
The Jasco/GE switches are inexpensive although IMO and experience, the Linear products are the same price if not cheaper and they are a better quality product overall for the price, we sell as many Linear as GE now and get very few returns on the Linears whereas the return rate for GE has been steadily rising over the past 2 years.

Further to oTi@'s post, pay close attention to the load you wish to use and whether or not you have neutrals which becomes critical for dimming as a 2-wire dimmer (no neutral) will only dim incandescent bulbs (discontinued as of 1/1/2014) not LED’s or CFL’s. You need that neutral if you want good dimming performance from a dimmable LED or CFL.

Watch the GE dimmers, specifically 45612, as they are a 2-wire dimmer and the only device in their price range that has a 2-wire dimmer, except for Linear which is coming out with one very soon, that is. If you want a good, inexpensive z-wave dimmer for LED and CFL’s, get a [url=http://shop.haworldonline.com/Linear-Z-Wave-LED-CFL-Dimmer-Model-WD500Z-1-White-4-Pack-11256.htm]HaWorldOnline.com is for sale | HugeDomains which requires a neutral.[/quote]

Ge now has 3 wire dimmers with neutral, they are swithing out all the old models, but many or most shelves still have the 2 wire. The new part number is 45712 instead of the old 45612.

More info found here:

I use the 45612 for dimming my LED’s now without a problem as long as you have 50w of total light. For me I have 5 or more LED BR30 can lights on each of my circuits. Never found a need to dim only 1 or 2 bulbs.[/quote]

You are correct, except there is a couple things going on here. 1. Jasco does NOT allow retailers to sell the 7XX series switches directly to the end consumer. Yes there are many, many retailers who do still sell them but they do not sanction their sale nor do they honor manufacturer warranties to consumers. They are manufactured for sale strictly for the use within the service industry, by contractors, installers and integrators - This was brought on by their partnership with ADT.

  1. The link you posted is actually from my blog and when I wrote that it was true however, I should have updated it a month or so ago because this past summer, JASCO brought back the line of Jasco 45612WB/LAB, 45609WB/LAB and 45610WLAB’s temporarily from the grave until their supplies run out. I think they actually started producing them again for a short time because they were not ready to release the new 3-wire dimmers and the colored trim kits with the GE line as they intended to do back in March. That was supposed to have happened by the end of August which has not happened yet.

So bottom line is this, the 45612 2-wire dimmers are still available for a short time as are the JASCO WB (white box, white color) and LAB (white box, Lt Almond color) devices. The 7XX series are JASCO branded and are “supposed” to be for sale only to the service industry.

#10

[quote=“haworld, post:9, topic:182973”]You are correct, except there is a couple things going on here. 1. Jasco does NOT allow retailers to sell the 7XX series switches directly to the end consumer. Yes there are many, many retailers who do still sell them but they do not sanction their sale nor do they honor manufacturer warranties to consumers. They are manufactured for sale strictly for the use within the service industry, by contractors, installers and integrators - This was brought on by their partnership with ADT.

  1. The link you posted is actually from my blog and when I wrote that it was true however, I should have updated it a month or so ago because this past summer, JASCO brought back the line of Jasco 45612WB/LAB, 45609WB/LAB and 45610WLAB’s temporarily from the grave until their supplies run out. I think they actually started producing them again for a short time because they were not ready to release the new 3-wire dimmers and the colored trim kits with the GE line as they intended to do back in March. That was supposed to have happened by the end of August which has not happened yet.

So bottom line is this, the 45612 2-wire dimmers are still available for a short time as are the JASCO WB (white box, white color) and LAB (white box, Lt Almond color) devices. The 7XX series are JASCO branded and are “supposed” to be for sale only to the service industry.[/quote]

I’m just waiting for Lowes Iris to start the sale. They have great prices on the current line, local to me, and any problems just return to Lowes.

Few Web sights that have the new ones.

https://www.elvessupply.com/Jasco-45712-In-Wall-Dimmer-Switch_p_716830.html
http://www.homecontrols.com/Jasco-Z-Wave-Wireless-Lighting-Control-Dimmer-Switch-JA45712

#11

Thanks for the overview! That basically matches what I had pieced together, except



I’ve always wondered if there is some (prior) link between GE/Jasco and Linear/et-al, given their devices physical and FW appearance; that can’t be a coincidence?

And yeah, the Z-Wave Alliance membership stuff only seems to obfuscate the number of different players.