[Article] Inovelli Z-Wave Switch Review

[BraveSirRobbin]

UPDATE 2-15-2019:  WARNING, I HAVE HAD FOUR OF THESE SWITCHES FAIL.  THOUGH INOVELLI REPLACED THREE OF THEM (NO RESPONSE TO MY LATEST FAILURE) I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT DUE TO ITS HIGH LEVEL OF FAILURES! 
 
Inovelli now provides Z-Wave light switches for your home automation projects!  Their switches are an attractive solution for your automated light switching needs in they do not require that you purchase a 'companion' switch for three-way lighting applications.  You can use the existing switch for the companion.  Since the switch costs around $30 this is an attractive choice that our forum members should consider.
 
 
UPDATE 6-23-2019:  I had yet another appliance (on/off) switch fail!

Click here to view the article

 

[myyaz33]

Does anyone know if these support instant status and can control other zwave devices with multiple taps?

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Does anyone know if these support instant status and can control other zwave devices with multiple taps?

 
I just did a test with HomeSeer (running on a HomeTroller Zee S2).
 
I looked at the status of the device and turned the switch on and off manually.  The status updated correctly in under a second.
 
I also did a test event that turned off another light when the Inovelli device "Changed and turned to ON".  When I turned the Inovelli switch on manually, the event did indeed trigger.
 
As far as controlling with 'multiple taps', the switch I ordered for this review did not support that BUT, I recently ordered three more that advertised this feature and I'll be testing that switch hopefully in the next week or two.

 

[myyaz33]

Excellent. Thank you for doing that.  I am looking at all new Gen 5 switches to replace the various ACT and GE switches and these seem comparable to the Homeseer ones.

 

[tmbrown97]

The automation bug bites again! 

 

[myyaz33]

The automation bug bites again! 

It beats bed bugs!!

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I recently installed some more Inovelli switches.  They are dimmers with status and on/off (relay) switches, both with the 'scene enabled' feature (my original review did not have this feature).
 
I can verify that HomeSeer will see the multiple taps on both the 'up' and 'down' switch presses.  To test this I created events and had them trigger with a certain number of taps and the events indeed triggered properly.
 
I used the dimmers on standard lights and the relay with fluorescent lighting (in laundry room and garage).  One of these on/off switches was configured as a standard three-way and I used my original switch for the 'slave' as described in the review article's PDF file.
 
I'm far from an expert in Z-Wave as I just installed my first switch a month ago, but I'm impressed with the quality and price of these Inovelli switches.  Of course, time will tell of their longevity.

 

[myyaz33]

I like these but those darn new Homeseer switches  (200 series) with the different colored led status lights are quite appealing 

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I just installed one of those a couple of days ago for my dining room lights.  I would have had a review, but that switch requires you to install a Beta version of their Z-Wave plugin (you will not have the color change support) which I would rather not do at this time (I want released versions only).
 
EDIT: Released version out today, downloaded it and am now starting to test this new switch

 

[willmo]

Do you know if this switch is interoperable with the Intermatic Home Settings product?

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Do you know if this switch is interoperable with the Intermatic Home Settings product?

I'm not sure.  I had to edit some 'association' settings in HomeSeer to get these to work with my ZTroller.  Just not sure if the Intermatic would have that capability.
 
I suggest contacting their technical support.
 
I did have three of these switches fail, but the rest have hung in there over the year.  Again, this may be the result of a first production run...

 

[BobS0327]

I have 25 of these Innovelli ( dimmable and nondimmable) switches which were installed in January 2018. I've encountered  problems with two NZW31 dimmable switches.  The "power disconnect" tab located at the lower left of the dimmable switch sometimes has a tendency to work loose causing the switch to lose power. 
 
Innovelli has replaced these two switches.  They have also recommended a kludge fix for the switches which is applying hot glue to the end of the "power disconnect" tab which in turn will prevent the tab from working loose and disconnecting the power to the switch.
 
What does concern me about Innovelli is it appears that they never have any inventory to sell.  Most of their zwave items always seem to be "out of stock".  I've had to resort to purchasing other brands for some of my installations because Innovelli was always "out of stock".
 
 

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Seems to me that they are changing their design and coming out with a new model (see screen shot of their website below).  The new model will be out later this year.
 

 
I really wanted this product to work as you can use your existing switch for the traveler/companion in a three way switch installation (theory works well when the primary switches hold up).
 
For my comparison, I purchased four HomeSeer Z-Wave switches before any of my (six) Inovelli ones and have zero failures so far.  Of course, they are a bit more expensive and require the purchase of a companion switch on three way installs.

 

[upstatemike]

I guess I am in the minority but I don't see using existing toggles to act as companion switches in a three-way circuit to be an advantage. I wouldn't even buy Homeseer companion switches because they do not have the same LEDs as the primary switches. In our house it is important that all switches match (in a given area) and there must be no way for a user to tell if they are operating a light from a primary switch or a companion switch.