brad,
i definitely agree that hardwire is the best way to go if it is a viable option. if it is not, all i would say is that z-wave in my experience is a good alternative for various HA/security initiatives. it's kind of like using sonos for audio distribution as oppossed to running speaker wire all over the home. it serves a specific purpose for a portion of the market.
for z-wave remotes this is what i currently use. i defiinitely have to admit that this product is again in its infancy and am looking for a good all in one remote for z-wave/audio/video.
1. hawking homeremote appliance box. uses something like 7watts of power. hooks up to your router via ethernet for intranet/internet web page access. had a z-wave rf chip built in. also integrates their video camera (very crude but it works). use it for scheduling heat/ac, lighting, plugin heater/ac, etc. i control my rcs tz40 off of this box.
2. optional cell link service - about $8 a month - gives you remote access/control of the hawking box and your z-wave devices along with video feeds
3. act zth100 handheld remote for thermostat control - as far as i know this is the only handheld remote that fully implements the thermostat command class for z-wave. the remote is a dinosaur and has a horrible UI IMO but it does the job. can be used for lighting and all other z-wave products also. i also use it to set an association on a motion sensor to turn on/off screw in lamp modules in my basement and laundry room
4. intermatic handheld - used for lighting, appliance power control. simple remote which is easy to use and understand. good to turn on/off/dim lights. shut off all lights at once from my bed. turn on/off a wall air conditioner unit, a plugin heater, fan, etc.
5. in wall controllers - for scene/zone control. i shut off all my lights from 1 button when i walk out of the house. i control all lights, outside lights, my living room light, and a lamp from a single gang box.
6. garage door conversion kit - open my garage door and turn on my outside lights, garage lights, foyer, and kitchen lights from my car. once i get to the kitchen i hit another button and shut off all of the lights except the kitchen. saves me time and effort.
i don't use a pc except if i want to record dvr video from the video camera. if i just want, i use the built in motion sensor with sms or email jpeg alerts without having to use a pc.
my biggest complaints so far - serious lack of thermostat support in handheld remotes. everyone is putting remotes on the market and all they control are basically lighting and plug in modules. this and they want to charge $100-200 for a remote. the zth100 is $50 and does pretty much the same as the high end remotes but also controls thermostats. it just needs a better UI. it is not intuitive and can be annoying at times. the labelling is digital and the lcd is not backlit. hard to read in the dark, actually pretty impossible to read in the dark. the buttons are single for on/off. i don't like this style so far. i am not sure if i am turning some on or off in another room. on the two button on/off remotes like the intermatic handheld i know if i hit the left button i am turning something on, if i hit the right button i turn it off. i have actual green/red lights for confirmation. on the zth100 i have to hit 1 button and then turn the light on to see what it says on the lcd to see if i am turning something on or off and confirmation. it's really annoying for me, especially since it is not backlit. the leviton remote is pretty good but again it is pricey (about $150) and doesn't even fully support a thermostat like the $50 act remote does. why should i pay 3x the money for something missing such a crucial piece to a HA system. if i just want to do lights/modules i can use the intermatic remote for $40. the only reason i bought this remote was to program their in wall zone controller so they try to lock you in to buying their remote. it's sad that they feel the need to resort to this in order to sell a remote. of course they will probably beg to differ but that is my opinion. and i think i will seriously laugh at the new cooper remotes. they are the priciest and don't even do thermostats either. the tabletop can be mounted to the wall but it is just a screw in so you can't remove it from the wall when you want to take it with you. they should use a slider so you can mount it on the wall and take it out when you want. it looks like it is all plastic anyways so it is cheap to do something like this.
the harmony 100 and 890 had the best promise so far. they would have been a true HA & home theater/entertainment solution with a decent UI. i wish they would have fully supported the z-wave protocol and command classes. it would have been the best of both worlds. now neither support z-wave anymore.
the nevo line looks promising but doesn't even support z-wave other than routing messages at this point. i will wait to see if it fully supports z-wave or is just a z-wave light remote like most of the others on the market. the remote is pricey to boot so i would be even more disappointed if this remote doesn't fully support z-wave!
i haven't tried the monster remote but would enjoy hearing some reviews on it. again, looking for at least full thermostat support beyond the typical z-wave lighting support (more than basic command class).
like i mentioned earlier z-wave has great promise IMO but is still in its infancy. while the typical claim is if it has a z-wave logo on the unit they all talk to each other and everything works seamlessly, i don't find this is totally true. each manufacturer is trying to add their own flavor to the protocol and as a result you have a mishmash of products that on a basic level work together however for what you bought it for it will have problems working. each manufacturer is trying to set the bar and differentiate themselves on the market thereby trying to lock you into their product which is kind of against the whole point of z-wave as a collaborative protocol. again this is just my experience and opinion from using this product so far. on the other side, i ran into this product about a year ago and have been using it since. i totally believe this product has great promise if you don't have issues with RF and look forward to seeing what comes next.
finally, i am thinking about creating a site with video reviews of various z-wave products along with their functionality so people aren't caught up in the confusing trap i went through to find out what places nicely with what, etc. i would hate for other people to spend thousands like i did to find out what works best and how to make this whole z-wave thing a great all in one solution for things like HA, audio/video, and security. if people are interested in something like this i will see what i can do. there are so many products/software/hardware out there now that it can get confusing and frustrating to get a solid solution. for instance i wound up buying 5 different manfucturer product lighting lines just to find out which ones working best for me. the functionality, feel, and even wiring are different on these. why should everyone go through this just to get a decent z-wave lighting solution?
~ Rob
