Help! – down to the wire on home remodel.

[badseed]

I’m a newbie to HA and am nearing the end of a whole house remodel with final electrical in a couple of weeks. Purchased some Schlage wireless locks and Trane thermostat from Radio Shack last month – that’s when I started researching home automation. Also purchased some of the GE z-wave stuff at the Shack.

With very little time to learn the more about z-wave I’m trying to make some quick decisions that I can expand on later.

Planning to use some Leviton VRI06-1LX Vizia RF + switches with Cree CR6 LED can lights. I have approximately 60 switches with about 15 3-ways (using Leviton VP00R-1LW, Vizia + for slave). I haven’t purchased the switches yet but I’ve tested the two above.

For the moment I don’t want to worry about a controller but my concerns are:

1.) Should I be considering other Leviton switches? Not trying to do anything really fancy, just want control over everything.
2.) If I want control over all lights, I will need Leviton Vizia RF switches everywhere, right?
3.) On the stuff still remaining at Radio Shack, should I get some of the appliance and lamp modules? What about the GE receptacles?
4.) It seems most people are not too happy with GE switches so should I avoid those?
5.) Is it worthwhile to have a few of the GE remotes at $10 a pop?

Any other advice/recommendations, given my time constraints, would really be appreciated.

 

[Rupp]

Badseed, you get what you pay for but having said that, at those prices these devices will come in handy. If you want to talk with someone very well versed in Z-Wave give Mark a call at HomeSeer and he can give you some good information on anything Z-Wave related. You can call the number at the top of the screen at http://www.homeseer.com/

 

[pbeaulieu]

I'm a newbie to HA and am nearing the end of a whole house remodel with final electrical in a couple of weeks. Purchased some Schlage wireless locks and Trane thermostat from Radio Shack last month – that's when I started researching home automation. Also purchased some of the GE z-wave stuff at the Shack.

With very little time to learn the more about z-wave I'm trying to make some quick decisions that I can expand on later.

Planning to use some Leviton VRI06-1LX Vizia RF + switches with Cree CR6 LED can lights. I have approximately 60 switches with about 15 3-ways (using Leviton VP00R-1LW, Vizia + for slave). I haven't purchased the switches yet but I've tested the two above.

For the moment I don't want to worry about a controller but my concerns are:

1.) Should I be considering other Leviton switches? Not trying to do anything really fancy, just want control over everything.
2.) If I want control over all lights, I will need Leviton Vizia RF switches everywhere, right?

You will need a zwave module to control each load. Also, the Leviton switches can replace standard switches at any time. I think may would recommend that the key is to have a neutral in each box. Also, if you are going or think you are going to use RF control switches then use plastic electical boxes and not metal.

3.) On the stuff still remaining at Radio Shack, should I get some of the appliance and lamp modules? What about the GE receptacles?

If you are buying appliance and lamp modules with the thinking of being able to move them around easily you can't. Zwave is a routed mesh network. Therefore, you can not move zwave modules around very much without reconfigurint the network. You could move an appliance or lamp module around in a room without reconfiguring but you can not go from one end of the house to the other end of the house without excluding the module from the network and then re-including the module after it is moved. I ended up using the Leviton receptacles.

4.) It seems most people are not too happy with GE switches so should I avoid those?
5.) Is it worthwhile to have a few of the GE remotes at $10 a pop?

Any other advice/recommendations, given my time constraints, would really be appreciated.

 

[programmergeek]

Wow, Not sure how to direct you, you have alot of learning to do. First run away from radio shack, I would look into a HAI or elk m1 and go from there. The vista RF stuff is ok but it is hit or miss if it works we have bought it for several jobs only to rip it out and put in upb stuff later.

 

[Monk]

I have experience with the Leviton and GE devices.
1. The Leviton switches you specified are the same ones I use (for incandescent) - they are good quality and work well with Homeseer, support instant status and the scene class.
2. You do not need all the same brand switch - although I buy Leviton exclusively for overhead light / fan control.
3. Those GE modules work well - but - be aware not all Z-Wave devices support the same features. They do not support instant status updatte with Homeseer. (If you turn them on manually, the Homeseer software does not get an update) They are going for < 10.00 at my local store. I bought a few of each.

I'm a newbie to HA and am nearing the end of a whole house remodel with final electrical in a couple of weeks. Purchased some Schlage wireless locks and Trane thermostat from Radio Shack last month – that's when I started researching home automation. Also purchased some of the GE z-wave stuff at the Shack.

With very little time to learn the more about z-wave I'm trying to make some quick decisions that I can expand on later.

Planning to use some Leviton VRI06-1LX Vizia RF + switches with Cree CR6 LED can lights. I have approximately 60 switches with about 15 3-ways (using Leviton VP00R-1LW, Vizia + for slave). I haven't purchased the switches yet but I've tested the two above.

For the moment I don't want to worry about a controller but my concerns are:

1.) Should I be considering other Leviton switches? Not trying to do anything really fancy, just want control over everything.
2.) If I want control over all lights, I will need Leviton Vizia RF switches everywhere, right?
3.) On the stuff still remaining at Radio Shack, should I get some of the appliance and lamp modules? What about the GE receptacles?
4.) It seems most people are not too happy with GE switches so should I avoid those?
5.) Is it worthwhile to have a few of the GE remotes at $10 a pop?

Any other advice/recommendations, given my time constraints, would really be appreciated.

 

[pbeaulieu]

Here is a link to the Vizia RF+ system guide . It is only 21 pages but explains zwave and mesh networking. You might find this helpful.

Note: a zwave network with only a couple of devices in distant rooms will not work well. The more devices (to a point) the better the mesh network. I believe Leviton does not recommend Vizia RF+ for house over 7K square feet. Also, construction material will effect the RF signal.

 

[etc6849]

+1 on reading the Leviton documents. This is a good doc too: http://community.leviton.com/docs/DOC-2394

I'm not sure the Leviton switches are worth $60, but they look and feel very nice. FYI: the VRI06 is for incandescent dimming only (I think). Call Leviton and ask them what model you should buy for LED dimmable applications. You cannot use normal dimmers for LEDs becuase most of them rely on the bulb for the return to neutral.

 

[badseed]

Thanks to everyone for the input and links. I do have a lot to learn but I appreciate the help.