Are you interested in transforming your house into a smart home? If so, then smart light switches are a great place to start. With smart light switches, you’ll save money and enjoy a new level of convenience. You’ll never have to walk into a dark house again, and you can even set the mood for a movie or dinner.
Using smart light switches requires the use of a hub. Hubs are available from many manufacturers, allowing you to integrate with your existing smart home components. Through in-depth research, we uncovered the Z-Wave light switches that money can buy. Read on to learn more.
Best Z-Wave Light Switches:
1. UltraPro Z-Wave Smart Rocker Light Switch
Because it is compatible with so many hubs and can so easily be wirelessly controlled, this is our pick for the Z-Wave light switch. Honeywell is a trusted brand name, and this switch doesn’t disappoint.
It’s compatible with the UltraPro Z-Wave certified hub, but you also can use it with SmartThings, Ring, HomeSeer, Wink, Trane, Fibaro, ADT, Nexia, Vera, and others.
Also of note is that this switch can be controlled from anywhere in the world via your smartphone, tablet, PC, Z-Wave remote, or another device. If you’re a fan of Amazon Alexa, it’s compatible too so that you can enjoy voice control. It’s further compatible with Google Assistant.
Installation requires hard-wired connections with a neutral wire. Use this switch with incandescent, halogen, CFL, and LED bulbs. The switch is equipped with a blue LED indicator light so that you can easily find the switch in a darkened room.
Control the lighting in any room with a range of presets that change the atmosphere according to your schedule.
Fans comment that setting up these switches with various hubs and apps is a breeze, and so is installation. However, some people feel that the housing is too big for existing light switch boxes.
Pros
- Compatible with many hubs
- Pairing with hubs is a breeze
Cons
- The box is too big
2. Enbrighten Z-Wave Smart Toggle Light Switch
With proprietary QuickFit and SimpleWire, this GE smart dimmer review suggests that this switch is easy to install even for those who have no experience with electrical projects.
This switch works with Z-Wave-certified hubs such as Vera, Harmony Home Hub Extender, HomeSeer, Honeywell, Nexia, Vivint, Trane, ADT Command, ADT Pulse, Ring, Wink, and SmartThings. You can use voice controls after integration with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
This switch comes with much smaller housing than prior models, making it a sensible choice for people with limited space. Use your smartphone, tablet, or PC to control your lighting remotely, or simply use the manual switch.
Create alerts, personal schedules, and custom scenes to choose the right environment for any time of day or activity. Feel free to use this switch with incandescent and halogen bulbs as well as CFLs and LEDs. Thanks to QuickFit and SimpleWire technology, you’ll have no problem installing these switches in minutes.
People love the ability to program the unit as a three-way switch, and most of them report that pairing with hubs is a breeze. Nonetheless, some people say that pairing SmartThings has some issues.
Pros
- Smaller housing
- Works with tons of different hubs
- Compatible with all bulbs
Cons
- May have trouble pairing with SmartThings
3. Enbrighten Z-Wave Smart Rocker Light Dimmer
Our pick for the best Z-Wave LED dimmer is part of the Enbrighten line. You can control it with your voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. It also works with all of the usual suspects as far as Z-Wave hubs.
With a 20 percent smaller housing when compared to earlier models, it should be a cinch to fit this unit into an existing box. Also, because this is the latest model, it doesn’t have any heat tabs, which should streamline the installation.
The dimmer can be operated manually or with a smartphone or other device. Set alerts, scenes, and schedules with ease. Integrate this dimmer switch with add-on switches to get even more control. It works with all types of dimmable bulbs, including CFLs and LEDs.
People who have tried this switch love the intelligent dimming as it remembers your last setting. However, some users found the series of commands needed to program settings confusing.
Pros
- Smart dimmer remembers the prior setting
- Integrates with all types of dimmable bulbs
Cons
- Press-and-hold commands for settings can be confusing
4. Leviton DD0SR-1Z Decora Companion Switch for multi-location control
If you want to jump on the Z-Wave bandwagon but don’t want to break the bank, then it’s important to find the cheapest Z-Wave light switch. That’s exactly what this Leviton model promises.
It’s a coordinating switch remote that’s suitable for multi-location switching. Use with the Bluetooth Decora Digital or Decora Smart switches, which operate by Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, or HomeKit. You choose to use this switch remote as a three-way or for up to nine additional locations.
Without an LED locator light, this device can be hard to find in a dark room. Still, it’s handy to be able to use this switch remote to control the lights from multiple locations.
Although many people love how well the remote works, some found that the housing is too big to fit into their switchbox.
Pros
- The remote switch allows you to control lights from multiple locations
- Connections via Wi-Fi, Z-Wave and more
Cons
- The housing is large for many switch boxes
5. Zooz 700 Series Z-Wave Plus On/Off Switch ZEN71
This Z Wave wall light switch doesn’t require an add-on switch. It works with any three-way switch as long as the neutral wire is present. This on/off switch even has smart skills as it can instantly provide status updates and remembers and restores its on/off status after a power outage.
Enjoy manual or remote on/off capabilities using any mobile device or computer. You can even integrate it with Alexa to control the lights using your voice. A wide selection of Z-Wave hubs may be used in connection with this on/off switch including SmartThings, VeraPlus, Fibaro Home Center Lite, Wink, and Hubitat.
People have high praise for the customer service and tech support center at Zooz. If you encounter any problems, you only have to ask for help. However, some people are displeased that this switch is only available in white.
Pros
- Has smart skills
- Works with three-way switches
- Great customer service
Cons
- Only available in white
6. GoControl WD500Z-1 Z-Wave 500-Watt Wall-Mount Dimmer Switch
This Z-Wave LED dimmer light switch makes it possible to remotely dim and turn off or on all connected light fixtures. All you have to do is replace an existing wall-mount switch with this one. Thanks to the 500-watt capacity, this switch can handle LED, halogen, and fluorescent lighting.
The dimmer switch works via a Z-Wave network and hub, allowing you to control brightness and operation. Additionally, this switch is a repeater that can extend your hub’s reach by as much as 130 feet.
With an additional trim ring kit, you can change the color of the switch from white to almond, brown, or black.
This switch is compatible with all other Z-Wave Certified products including sensors, security, access, and climate. Made by Nortek Security & Control, this dimmer switch can make your home into the future.
Customers say that installation and pairing are pretty easy. Others complain about the size of the housing being too deep for switch boxes.
Pros
- Can be used to manage access, security, climate, and more
- Available in four colors
- Compatible with a variety of bulbs
Cons
- The housing is very deep
Factors to Consider
Smart Lighting
When you add Z-Wave light switches to your home, then you can take advantage of smart lighting. This is the technology that makes it possible for you to remotely control the lights in your home.
Specific Schedules
In addition to making the lights brighter or dimmer or turning them on or off, you have the ability to create schedules and scenes for specific times of day and activities.
Energy Bills
Smart lighting helps you to save money on energy bills and simplifies your life by allowing you to control your home’s lighting from anywhere.
Voice Controls
The technology also may integrate with voice-activation controls through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Wiring
Essentially, there are two categories of smart switches. These are on/off switches and dimmer switches. While some of these switches must be wired into a box, others are plug-in modules that don’t require any wiring at all.
Compatibleness
Many smart light switches take advantage of Z-Wave technology. Z-Wave is a radio protocol that requires a compatible hub that allows your smart devices to communicate with your phone or tablet. Before you choose a smart light switch, it makes sense to ensure that it’s compatible with your existing hub.
Additionally, if you want to use your voice to control your smart light switches, then you’ll need to make certain that those switches work with your choice of Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or others.
Three-Way Switches
Z Wave dimmer reviews suggest that it also is wise to consider any three-way switches that you may have installed in hallways or large rooms.
Some smart switches are readily configurable as three-way switches while others are either incompatible or require quite a bit of programming to make them compatible.
Light Bulbs
Give some consideration to your light bulbs as well. For instance, you may need to look into whether or not your existing bulbs will work with the switch you’ve chosen. If you’re using smart bulbs, you may have to switch to dumb bulbs.
FAQs
How does Z-Wave technology work?
Z-Wave is a wireless technology that enables smart devices to communicate with each other. It does this by building a wireless mesh network that enables various devices to “mesh” together. This is accomplished by sending signals via radio waves at a dedicated frequency. Devices that have Z-Wave technology possess a signal repeater that sends and receives data.
What is a smart light switch?
Smart light switches are one example of network-enabled smart-home devices. With these switches, it’s possible to control any hardwired lights by using an app or a virtual assistant. That means that you can turn lights off and on or dim them from anywhere in the world. These switches also enable you to program schedules and scenes.
Do smart light switches need neutral wires?
A majority of smart light switches require a neutral wire. This isn’t a concern in most newer homes built after 1970. Older homes may have been built without the requirement for a neutral wire. This means that you may need to find a smart switch that doesn’t require a neutral wire, which can be difficult. Additionally, a second hub or bridge may be needed to activate the smart light switch on your network.
Making the Decision
As technology rapidly evolves, it becomes increasingly difficult to name the Z-Wave wall light switch. That’s because there are so many factors to consider. For instance, your ability to use these switches really begins with your hub, so that will largely determine which switches are realistic possibilities.
Recognizing this, smart light switch manufacturers appear to be doing their best to make their technology compatible with a wide range of hubs.
We like the UltraPro Z-Wave Plus light switch. It works with a lot of different hubs, has plenty of alerts and schedules, and fits into boxes with ease.
Our other favorite is the Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus. It’s especially popular with SmartThings users, but it’s compatible with almost any hub. In addition to being a three-way switch, you get plenty of options with the customizable LED bar, the favorites button, and the integration with security systems.
