What are the pros / cons of setting up my 2Gig GC3 as secondary controller? If I am going to install 30-40 zwave dimmer switches throughout my house, should I be thinking about using wink or smart things as a primary and the GC3 as the secondary? If my wife wants to tie the control of the zwave switches into Alexa, does that make a difference as to how I set-up and configure?
Many thanks.
Typically the benefit of using an additional controller is going to parallel systems where the primary controller has wider compatibility and you want to integrate devices unavailable to the Alarm panel. It is not something that manufacturers provide tech support for, but it is built into Z-wave and most panels will support it to a degree.
What you’ve said you want to add is not necessarily anything that needs a second controller though, and it may just add unnecessary complexity, depending on the model of devices you are looking at. Most dimmers/switches will work just fine as they are very simplistic in design and usually have no firmware requirement.
Alexa can be used through Alarm.com.
Many thanks for the follow-up.
Happy to help! Since you are looking primarily at lighting, something you might consider is Lutron RadioRa2 or Caseta. Both are directly compatible with Alarm.com regardless of your alarm panel type, and are lighting/shades focused automation systems.
Any thoughts on Leviton vs. Lutron vs. GE? From what I read about the new (as of Jan 2017) Leviton dimmers, they handle the dimming (without buzzing) better than the prior Leviton switches, but I don’t know how that compares with Lutron or GE. Love to hear your thoughts / experiences.
Functionally, from a larger perspective, there will be few differences. Alarm.com controls will be pretty much the same. One consideration is how you plan to control the devices and whether latency is something that is acceptable.
Until dual path support (which, admittedly, should be soon for the GC3) commands would be sent across cellular only for Z-wave devices connected to the GC3. This would be a temporary difference.
Lutron RadioRa2 or Caseta would use IP commands with almost no latency. They offer shade options as well and RadioRa2 has some robust automation controls. Setup is entirely within the Lutron software, with integration through the cloud, not reliant on the alarm panel, so there would be no third party considerations/incompatibilities sticking with Lutron.
For Z-wave, you generally have a wider array of compatible device types, able to add locks, thermostats, etc., down the line. You can add these still if you have a Lutron system of course, but the more Z-wave switches that are in your network, the stronger the Z-wave network communication, so there is a benefit in going all Z-wave.
As for the functionality of the individual models of dimmer, no, I would not have a strong opinion. GE models can be found easily at chain hardware stores and are typically my go-to regarding Z-wave switches and dimmers. (I use GE on my own system)