Hi all. I'm looking into purchasing some Z-Wave light switches and had a few questions?
I'm going to be using my Logitech Harmony 890. I'm only going to need about 4 switches along with the Thermostat.

1. What is a good brand. I was looking at HomePro but as I was reading Leviton looks like it's the best but I can't seem to find them anywhere.

2. Where is the best and cheapest place to buy them?

Any other info would be great, thanks!!!

All the switches seem to be good. The Leviton/Monster switches have more features but cost allllot more.

I would make sure the harmony will run a thermostat.

The Harmony won't allow any secondary remotes which elimintates software from running the thermostat unless you want a one node network.

Homseer seems to be the cheapest for hardware.
I just bought a thermostat from them thats on sale for a little while longer.

Do you know by chance what are the differences. I have a condo and only want to be able to control the lights on and off. I won't need a different source to control them from. But is there a major differences between the 2 brands.

I have 3 brands of Switches.

Sylvania
Intermatic
HomePro

I think the Intermatics seem to have the best look and feel. The Home Pro and Sylvania seem to be identical looking not sure if the guts are the same. Intermatic doesn't have any 3 way switches and thats why I bought the HomePro switches. The HomePro switches seem to have a lot more options such as instant feedback, associations, and adjustable ramp rates. I haven't messed with these features yet.

Just for reference, I've got a gaggle of Intermatic switches, a single ACT switch, a TZ16 thermostat and an Intermatic Master Controller.

I prefer the look and feel of the Intermatic switches over the ACT switch (with the exception of their idea of "white" being off) but the ACT switch has more built in features (scenes, etc). Also, it's my understanding that Intermatic is in the process of revamping their switches so getting them could be difficult until the new version is released.

My biggest piece of advice is that if you plan on doing anything beyond turning lights on and off you should purchase all your hardware from one manufacturer. Not every remote supports Thermostats (as 68sting mentioned) and not every remote can program the advanced settings of each switch.

For example, the scene programming that the ACT switches support can not be programmed by the Intermatic Master Remote. Additionally, while the ACT remote supports thermostats, the Intermatic does not. I have no experience with the Harmony 890 but before you start purchasing you'll want to ensure that Harmony's remote will support everything you want to do and that every part that you're buying supports the things your wanting to do.

I've had nothing but headaches trying to get all my ZWave hardware working together but I think I'm more of an exception than the rule. If you really want to see all the nasty details (as well as responses from Chris Walker, the ZWave pinata I beat up on all the time) check out cocoontech.com.

Hi all. I have similar questions. I also live in a condo and only want to do a few similar automations.

I have the Harmony 880, which only sends/receives signals via IR. The 890 that "Mac Lord" mentioned is the same remote, except it also can do RF signals.

If I just want to turn lights on and off, are there any simple devices I can get that will work with IR signals?

Also, if I want to have standalone lamps connected, are there are IR receivers that I can attach? i.e. I want to be able to send an IR signal to a couple floor lamps that are just plugged into a regular wall outlet so that my remote can turn those off/on.

Thanks for the help!

Adam

Try these threads. They should be enough to get you started.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=755528
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=751916