LAMP-ZW2

LAMP-ZW2 questions installers ask

Can a smart plug dim lights?

This one can. The LAMP-ZW2 sets a brightness level, not just on or off. Your hub sees it as a dimmer rather than a plain on/off device. So you get a slider instead of a toggle, and a scene can call for 40 percent rather than full output.

The range is 10 to 99 percent as it ships. Parameter 11 sets the floor and parameter 12 sets the ceiling if a particular bulb wants a narrower span.

Is the LAMP-ZW2 a plug in lamp dimmer or a smart plug?

It is both, and the two descriptions do not fight. It plugs into a standard grounded indoor outlet the way a smart plug does. It dims the lamp the way a wall dimmer does. The device marking reads Z-Wave Dimmer Plug (800S).

If you are shopping for a dimmable smart plug or a plug-in dimmer, this is the same product under a different name.

Is the LAMP-ZW2 Alarm.com approved?

Yes. The LAMP-ZW2 is officially Alarm.com approved. That approval is specific to the LAMP-ZW2 and does not extend to the other Versa Z-Wave devices. Dealers running Alarm.com accounts can add it to a customer install and control it natively from the platform. There is no secondary app and no workaround.

It is also listed in the Alarm.com knowledge base as a supported Z-Wave Long Range light.

What bulbs and wattage does the LAMP-ZW2 support?

Up to 200W incandescent, and up to 100W dimmable CFL/LED. Those are the words and the figures printed on the back of the plug, so you can check the page against the device in your hand.

Use bulbs marked dimmable. That marking on the lamp is what lets the dimmer hold a steady level near the bottom of its range.

How do I add, pair, or reset the LAMP-ZW2?

To add it by QR code: scan the Z-Wave QR code on the back of the plug with your controller app, then plug the device in. It joins on its own within ten minutes. This is also how it joins in Long Range mode, on an 800 Series controller with Long Range enabled.

To add it by button: set the controller to add a device, then press the program button three times quickly. The LED flashes while it joins. This route joins the classic mesh.

To remove it: set the controller to remove a device, then press the button three times quickly.

To factory reset it: press the button twice quickly, then hold the third press for ten seconds. Use this only when the controller is gone or will not respond.

How far does the LAMP-ZW2 reach on Z-Wave Long Range?

Up to 1300 ft direct to the controller on Long Range, and 330 ft (100 m) per hop on classic mesh. The two numbers measure different things. On Long Range the plug talks straight to the hub, so 1300 ft is one link with nothing in between. On mesh, 330 ft is the length of a single hop, and the network reaches further by chaining hops through other mains-powered devices.

Pick the mode by where the lamp is. A lamp in a guest house, a shop, or a far corner of a big property is the case Long Range was built for. A lamp inside a house that already has Z-Wave smart devices is usually better on mesh, because there the plug also repeats for its neighbors. A plug added in Long Range mode has one neighbor, the controller, so it is not repeating for anything while it is in that mode.

Can I set a night light level and a favorite brightness on the button?

Yes. The button holds two levels, and both are yours to choose.

Single tap from off: parameter 13 decides where it lands. Leave it at 0 for the last level used, or set it to 1 and store your own percentage in parameter 15. Settings 2 and 3 go to the maximum from parameter 12 or straight to 100 percent.

Double tap from off: parameter 14 decides what happens. By default it goes to the night light level in parameter 7, which ships at 20 percent.

Both run at the plug. No scene, no automation, no hub in the path, so the lamp keeps behaving that way even if the network is down.

Which hubs and controllers work with the LAMP-ZW2?

Any Z-Wave certified controller. Versa officially lists Alarm.com, 2GIG EDGE, Qolsys IQ, SmartThings, Hubitat and Home Assistant with a Z-Wave 800 controller.

Long Range mode needs an 800 Series controller with Long Range turned on, and the plug joins that mode by SmartStart QR scan. Panels add Long Range support in firmware, so check your panel release notes for the version that enables it. On a controller without Long Range the plug still works, and joins the classic mesh instead.

Can I lock out the button on the LAMP-ZW2?

Yes, with two parameters. Parameter 16 chooses what can control the plug: hub only (0), the button and the hub together (1, the default), or neither (2). Parameter 17 leaves the button working for on, off and factory reset, but stops it being used for adding, removing, setting the power-fail behavior in parameter 8, or setting the brightness limits.

That combination is useful in a rental, a short-term rental, or a commercial job where a lamp should be under hub control and not adjustable by hand.

What is the difference between the LAMP-ZW2 and the DIM-ZW?

Both are Versa Z-Wave 800 Long Range dimmers on the same radio, and both set a brightness level rather than a state. The difference is where they sit and what they dim.

The LAMP-ZW2 is a plug-in dimmer. It goes between an outlet and a lamp, dims 200W incandescent or 100W dimmable CFL/LED, and needs no wiring work. It is the Alarm.com approved device in the Z-Wave line.

The DIM-ZW in-wall dimmer switch is the wired one. It replaces a single-pole or 3-way wall switch on a circuit with a neutral, and dims the hardwired fixture. It is rated much higher, at 600W incandescent or 300W dimmable LED or CFL. Choose the LAMP-ZW2 for a portable fixture, and the DIM-ZW when the light is wired into the ceiling. For a hardwired circuit that only needs on and off, the SWITCH-ZW in-wall light switch is the one to use.