Zooz ZEN15 Power Switch

The Zooz ZEN15 power switch (affiliate link) is one of the few Z-Wave power plugs on the market that supports heavier duty appliances (under 15A). The plug also comes equipped with energy monitoring which is a great bonus. In fact, that is one big reason I purchased it. I appreciate being able to know how much energy is being consumed because it can help in making decisions on how to reduce power consumption.

The operating temperature range is 14-104 degrees Fahrenheit so it should work well in cold or hot rooms (garage/storage rooms) or even potentially outdoors if it is not exposed directly to the elements. If you use it outdoors in a covered location, you definitely have to ensure it does not get wet or the humidity is too high. Also high dust environments may not be a good environment for the switch either. I would consider those environments high risk for the longevity of the device (use with caution in those environments). The switch was designed for indoor heavy appliances that run on 110V and under 15A.

Pros and Cons

Below are my pros and cons lists for the Zooz ZEN15 power switch:

Pros

• Supports appliances that use larger amounts of electricity
• Energy monitoring (many plugs/switches do not have energy monitoring)
• Price (considering it has energy monitoring)
• Build quality seems nice
• Angled plug helps keep it out of the way of other plugs
• Functions as a Z-Wave signal repeater
• Supports S2 encryption

Cons

• Indoor rated only (but may be used outside if not directly exposed to the elements)
• More expensive than switches that do not have energy monitoring
• Bulkier than a small outlet plug

Useful Z-Wave Configuration Settings

Configuration settings that you may wish to tweak are listed below. A full list of configuration parameters is available on Zooz’s website.

Parameter 21 - State After Power Failure

The default behavior is to restore to previous state so if the power was on during a power failure, it will turn back on when the power is restored. Otherwise, the power will stay off. You can also set to always stay on or off after a power failure.

Parameter 30 - Manual Control

This is enabled by default but you may disable the manual on/off button on the power plug so that you can only control the on/off states from the Z-Wave hub.

Parameter 151 - Power Report Value Threshold

The power report value threshold is the minimum wattage necessary to send a power report. The default value is 50 Watts so if you are using less than that, you may want to lower the value so that you can monitor the energy levels below 50 Watts. Enter 0 to disable reporting. Valid values are 0-65535 Watts.

Parameter 152 - Power Report Percentage Threshold

You can specify the percent change in power that must occur before a power report is sent. This is helpful to reduce the amount of reports if power fluctuates slightly or if you wish to monitor the power levels at a more granular level. The default value is 10%. Enter 0 to disable reporting. Valid values are 0-99%.

Parameter 171 - Power Report Frequency

The default value for the power report frequency is 30 seconds but you can set it for shorter or longer periods of time. It is not recommended to set the period of time too frequent especially as the number of Z-Wave devices you have grows. Enter 0 to disable reporting. Valid values are 5-2678400 seconds.

Parameter 172 - Energy Report Frequency

The energy report frequency is set to 5 minutes (300 seconds) by default but you can set a more or less frequent amount of time. Since this Zooz plug is not battery powered, you could have the reports sent on a more frequent basis. Enter 0 to disable reporting. Valid values are 5-2678400 seconds.

Parameter 173 - Voltage Report Frequency

The voltage report frequency is set to 5 minutes (300 seconds) by default but you can set a more or less frequent amount of time. Since this Zooz plug is not battery powered, you could have the reports sent on a more frequent basis. Enter 0 to disable reporting. Valid values are 5-2678400 seconds.

Parameter 174 - Electricity Report Frequency

The electricity report frequency is set to 5 minutes (300 seconds) by default but you can set a more or less frequent amount of time. Since this Zooz plug is not battery powered, you could have the reports sent on a more frequent basis. Enter 0 to disable reporting. Valid values are 5-2678400 seconds.