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I have been using these for over a year now with no problems. A few notes on these...
As others have noted there is a blue LED that by default is on when the switch is off. Some find that annoying though it helps locate the switch in the dark. It's programmable and you can flip it if you want to where the LED is off when the switch is off and on when the switch is on. That is helpful as an indicator when the switch is controlling something that you can't see from the switch location (outside lights, etc.) But it is programmable but requires a master controller that can program zwave devices to be able to set this.
If the switch is installed upside down for whatever reason, the operation can similarly be reversed through programming a parameter.
As to lifetime that some have mentioned, there can be various reasons. Certainly there can be lemons that no matter what you do will fail and need to be replaced. But possibly/probably a bigger reason for early failures are surges and spikes on the power line. These can be due to your neighbor's air conditioner switching on and off, lightning, wind shorting lines together, etc. These same surges and spikes (which can be hundreds of volts, btw) also kill other electronics like LCD TVs, computers, GFCI breakers, etc.
If people are going to invest in home automation, please consider getting a whole house surge suppressor. For things that plug in, you can use the outlet strip style suppressors, but things like these zwave devices are permanently wired in. You need a whole house surge suppressor to protect this stuff. I have one and while I can't prove the negative, have yet to have a GFCI failure or zwave failure.
But these switches work great although they are a bit expensive for what is inside them. The way I found out what was inside them was I overtorqued one of the screws and stripped the flat nut inside the case that serves to clamp the wire. If you ever open the case on one of these there really is not much to them. Which brings me to a couple of other points be careful tightening the screws since you can overtorque them. I think the one was already stripped during assembly but can't prove it. It was an easy fix anyway to replace the screw and nut with similar and wrap the wire around the screw like most were done before the spring-loaded ones where you just push the wire in and it is done.
Which brings the last point these DO NOT have the spring loaded contacts where you just push the wire in. If you insert the wires into the switch body through the holes, you have to make sure the nut captures the wire and tighten down on the screw to secure the wire. Always pull lightly on the wires to make sure they are secure if you use the wire inserted through the hole method instead of curling the wire around the screw. GE/Jasco needs to be more clear that these ARE NOT the spring loaded wire terminations as are in most other switches and receptacles. Since those are so common and these look just like them but don't function the same way, it really needs to be highlighted in the manual or even with a tape label across the terminals. One other reviewer remarked that on his initial installation the wires just fell back out. This is why.
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I purchased 5 of these 2 way on/off switches to remotely control the lights in my house. Replacing the existing switches with these Z-Wave ones were relatively straightforward. My old switches only used 2 wires (Line [Hot] and Load) while these switches use 4 wires (Line, Load, Neutral, and Ground). Like most electricians would suggest, I also recommend using the screw terminals instead of the push terminals. On one switch I was lazy and used the push terminals and the wire kept popping out (even if I tightened the screw which made no difference). Note that the Z-Wave switch is pretty bulky and will take up about 75-80% of the work box space so if you're installing into a work box that has multiple switches, make sure there's enough room (depth-wise).Adding the switches to my Mi Casa Verde Vera 2 was painless and these switches are detected right away (Just press up and then down to sync). The blue LED is nice and not overpowering. You can easily find the switch in the dark. The relay in the switch makes a clicking noise when you turn it on/off, but it's pretty quiet, no complaints here. Switches work great and I would give them a 5 star rating if the depth was half the size.
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This a single switch. On/off simple. Does not rock it only clicks slightly for on or off. No cover plate included. It must be wired with 4 wires.Load, line, neutral and ground.
A wall switch is usually just two wires since all it does is breaks the circuit. If your lucky the neutral (white) wire was brought in the same box as where your wall switch is at. Then there is the regular green ground wire.
The wire connections are simple. The unit comes with the pre-set screws open. Get your wires ready to push in.
With your screw driver push down on the screw first for each connection then push your wire into the hole.
This lets the inside pressure plate open up while you got the screw driver ready to tighten.
Now slowly tighten down. You should only twist about 5-7 times. The wire should be tight now. Don't over tighten as this will crack the housing!
Once it's wired up and powered up go back to your controller to add, then press the bottom of the switch to learn it with your controller.
If it doesn't work with your controller delete then add it back. I had to do it twice for the controller to start controlling it. I thought it was broke but that was my fix for it.
The unit has a slight clicking noise which is normal from the relay.
Honest reviews on Jasco 45609 Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control On/Off Switch
This switch works great as a 2-way switch. If you need to use it as a three way you also need (1) 45610. To use it as a 4-way you will need (2) 45610's. The 45610 is a auxilliary switch and does not have an led on the bottom; it also does NOT have a LOAD terminal just ground, common, and traveler. The 45609 and 45610 do come as a kit called the 45614. The 45614 will contain (1) 45609 and (1) 45610. Very easy to install, directions were pretty clear but i'm not a novice DIY'er and do have an electrical background. These switches WILL work with ADT PULSE. I have installed 15 of these switches (including some 45610's) and have had no problems.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Jasco 45609 Z-Wave Wireless Lighting Control On/Off Switch
Quick Review:If you're converting your light switches to z-wave controlled ones but want to use fluorescent bulbs, this is the answer. Installation is easy as long as you know a little bit about electrical wiring, otherwise it might be a little more difficult for you. Get them for around $40 here on Amazon
Full Review:
I decided to start switching over my home to use z-wave for home automation and needed to find light switches to use around my house. After reading some of the reviews for the dimmer version of this switch, I opted to go for these to convert my home. I already have fluorescent light bulbs for almost every light fixture and being able to dim most of the lights was not a priority for me.
This product the same as the one included in the 3-way package GE 45614 Z-Wave 3-Way On/Off Switch Kit which includes an auxiliary switch (GE 45610) so that you can have it control a 3-way (or 4-way, you'll need another aux switch) circuit. I used these instead of the GE 45606 Z-Wave Technology 2-Way Dimmer Switch due to the fact almost every single light in my house is florescent.
To wire in the switch, you need to have ground, neutral, line (hot), and load (to the light) in the electrical box. Now you should be able to check your wiring and verify you have all the needed wires before tearing everything apart. For me, all the neutral wires were bound together, capped off, and shoved to the back of the box.
I have installed a total of 5 of these now. The first one took about 20min. The next ones went a lot faster and installed in about 10min or less.
Quick hints:
-Mark the wires as you take them off the switch!
-Check and double-check you're hooking up the correct wire to the correct spot on the switch. You'll feel stupid having to undo it all when you mix up the line and load wires.
-If you have 2 or more of these installed next to one another, you'll need to break off the tabs on the side so they can fit close enough together to put the decorative plate over them. Only break off the ones you need to get them to fit.
-For doubleand triple-gang installations, I just daisy-chained the neutral (same with the hot/line) because it was just easier than pulling out the whole bundle for me. (No idea if this follows local wiring code but it's working just fine.)
Other Thoughts;
The blue LED isn't extremely bright and doesn't bother me. By default, it is ON when the switch if OFF and OFF when the switch is ON. It can help someone unfamiliar with the light switch location to find it in the dark. If you have an advanced remote, you can switch it so the LED is ON when the switch is ON. You can also install the switch upside-down and flip it to the correct way using an advanced remote. I haven't tested either of these because the default is what I needed.
I have paired these switches to a couple different types of remotes and it has worked fine with all of them, A Go Control panel, one of the basic GE remotes, and a Intermatic HA-07 remote. Hurray for interoperability!
You can hear the relay in the switch click when your turn it on and off. Not really a big deal because my old switches clicked when I flipped them on and off. I think you might notice it a lot more if you use the remote to turn the lights on and off. I've gotten used to it and barely even notice it anymore.
These take up a lot more space in the electrical boxes but I didn't have any issues with not being able to get them to fit properly.
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