Z-Box Wishlist?

Z-Box
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There are a few things that I wish were just implemented already into the Z-Box. (I guess it’s a double edged sword, as you can make it do exactly what you want the way it is). Anyone else have sort of a “wish-list”?

  • The “alarm” function, to be better developed. Such as when it’s triggered, why do I have to create scenes to tell me what triggered it? I really feel like the default function should be “Alarm Triggered, Dinning room window, opened” or something like that.

  • I wish devices identified themselves in the GUI somewhere (Model / Type) There are a few that do, but it’s buried. Worse yet there are multiple versions of these devices at times. I get that there are notes, however I messed up and didn’t do this from the beginning, and so now it would be a very large undertaking to try and identify them now.

  • There have been a few scenes that being able to mix “and” and “or” would have been nice. There may actually be some sort of reason this can’t happen though? Or perhaps I’m doing something wrong.

I’m curious if other people have thoughts on ways it could be improved, or a wishlist?

Unrelated to the Z-Box:

  • There have been a few times now where I would have preferred to have an actual smart Outlet, rather than just the plug. It looks like these are getting rarer these days though.
  • Still waiting on my siren Zooz… :grinning_face:
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Hey @OhioYJ, thanks for the feedback!

  1. Alarm panel: I’ve forwarded this to our development team for review and potential implementation.
  2. You can open the General tab under each device, and it will note the manufacturer, firmware version, node endpoint, and device type. You can also go back and edit the name as well as convenient.
  3. Would you be able to provide an example of a scene you’ve been unable to set to your satisfaction, and we can take a closer look?

We don’t have any plans for a smart outlet at this time; Smart outlets can be more difficult to offer than smart switches or plug-in devices for a few key reasons.

First, they need to meet strict electrical code and safety requirements. That includes being tamper-resistant, handling a full 15A or 20A load safely, and passing more extensive testing than other types of smart devices.

Another challenge is space. A smart outlet has to fit all the internal components—like the Z-Wave chip, relay, antenna, and power supply—into a standard wall box, while still making room for two plug connections. That makes heat management and safety more difficult compared to smart switches or external smart plugs.

They also usually require a neutral wire to function properly, which isn’t available in many older homes. That limits where they can be used and can lead to installation confusion.

Smart outlets can also present safety issues after installation. Unlike a switch or a plug-in device where the load is usually known or fixed, people can plug almost anything into a smart outlet—including appliances or motor loads the device may not be rated for. That creates a risk of overloading the internal relay or damaging the device.

Finally, smart outlets are less flexible than other options. They’re permanent once installed, and they typically control either one half of the outlet or the entire outlet, depending on wiring. Many users prefer smart switches to control lighting or smart plugs for convenience, since they’re easier to install and more versatile.

For all these reasons, there are fewer smart receptacle options on the market, and most users find better results with switches or plug-in devices instead.

As for the Siren…there was an issue with the fingerprint and QR implementation that was discovered on the intended release day :sweat_smile: It’s been delayed by a few weeks to resolve the issue, but we hope to have it available shortly!

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  1. There was also one nice feature that I miss from SmartThings’s Alarm functionality. We have an issue, and it’s continued. We have an issue where open/close sensor and motion sensors may not report status’s correctly or something. So when we exit the door perhaps a motion sensor is reporting motion, and never gave the hub the all clear (or it never received it, not sure). This is not rectified until the sensor is cycled again, same with the door / window sensors. SmartThings would see a door is open, and ask if you would like to arm the alarm ignoring that sensor (using the rest of the sensors at least). With the Z-Box, I can’t arm the alarm, but I made a scene to turn on the cameras inside at least.

  2. On some Zooz products there are 700, 800 (sometimes even more options) series versions. Or do you just have to sort of guess by the firmware versions?

  3. I’ve come across this a few times during my scene making. Off the top of my head, the notifications for my the alarm. I had thought something like:

    • If
    • Alarm is Stay
    • OR
    • Alarm is Away
    • AND
    • Front door is OPEN
    • DO
    • Alert users: Front Door is open

I definitely get the outlet side of things.

Hopefully I’m still on the waiting list, I want a couple sirens.

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Thanks for those details!

  1. I’ve forwarded these details to our development team for review :slight_smile:
  2. You can compare the firmware to the device change log, which will note which version was updated to the 800 series Z-Wave chip. In the past few years, we have standardized the firmware versions to match hardware versions, so firmware 1.x will be a hardware 1, firmware 2.x will be a hardware 2, and so on.
  3. I’ve forwarded this suggestion to our developers as well.

Yes, we’ve got you down for the siren, and we will announce is here on the forum as well.

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Ouch! But better to find it early before it ships. Definitely sounds like an excellent addition to the product line. Somewhere I recall hearing it will allow uploading of custom sounds. Would that (hopefully) include the ability to upload voice announcements, @Sara? :thinking:

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Yeah because that definitely won’t lead to me hiding one in my son’s room and reprogramming his scene controller… :laughing:

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You heard right! You’ll be able to upload custom playback files with a 90db max volume :blush: You’ll be able to trigger the device to play custom sounds or display visual LED alerts in automations; it uses the Sound Switch command class to play and control sounds.

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We’d love a video if you implement this :rofl:

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Got my email for the release of the Siren this morning. Ordered a few of them this morning. My old utilitech siren has been reliable, but I’m definitely ready to upgrade, and get a few more placed around the house. I’m glad to see this one is plug-in and battery backup. It’s a nice feature.

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Small request. It would be helpful if time triggers could be more than 60 minutes before/after sunrise or sunset.

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My suggestion for the Z-Box Wishlist is to be able to set brightness, LED color, etc. on switches that support it in their settings–most importantly, the ZEN32 800LR Scene controller (although it would be a definite plus for any of the recent wall switches/dimmers). :thinking:

Use case: I use one of the buttons of the ZEN32 scene controller in our living room to switch between profiles Home (green), Evening, Night (Red). I’d like to be able to echo the setting on all scene controllers having that assigned functionality. In the bedroom, I’d also lower the brightness of the LED at night. And eventually, have a way (probably a ‘held’ state) switch to Away.

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It would be so nice to be able to easily transfer settings between like devices. I spend a lot of time just setting up the same parameters over and over again, between identical devices.

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You know I stopped using the sunset / sunrise with my camera system as it was always too early or too late and just moved to fixed times. I end up adjusting them once or twice a year. However it’s not too bad. I guess I didn’t even realize the hub had an offset available. Guess I’ll have to look at the options again. Maybe I can quite adjusting the times through out the year.

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I’m adding new devices this morning and something that has always been a bit of annoyance. The order of the of the favorites on the main screen of the Zbox app. I wish there were some more sorting options and perhaps an option to lock items if you customize the sorting. If I rearrange them and then add an item it always messes things up.

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I do not have the zen32 800LR, but I see in the manual the parameters do change the color and brightness.

Have you tried making lua scenes to change it ? :smiley:
this should set button 1 to green:

local paramter_id = 7
local id = 100 --Id of device
local value = 2
local size = 1
hub.call(id,"setConfiguration",paramter_id,size,value)
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Yes, @Brors94, already have this in place using Lua for the main scene controller. I’d just like it to be 1) easier to handle in a scene (and for less-technical users), and 2) way easier to add this functionality when I add scene controllers. (Two more scene controllers are going in here pretty soon: master bedroom and exit door to garage. Currently, that means overhauling the Lua code.)

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Aha, Understandable :smiley:
It is possible to make a QA with Ui that changes the parameters, but that is alot of job too :sweat_smile:
But easier to add to new z-boxes and when new devices is added, it could be easy to add them to the setup :slight_smile:

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A while back my camera app added a setting to “stay alive” essentially. It now places a constant notification in the status bar, but I get notifications reliably as the app is always running. This might be a nice thing to have. As I’ve noticed we don’t get notifications reliably, well perhaps in a timely manner is more accurate. So our alarm can be triggered (the kid and wife set it off all the time) and it could be 30- 90 minutes before I find out.