PLUG-OD-ZW

PLUG-OD-ZW questions installers ask

Can I control each outlet separately?

Yes. That is the main thing this plug does. Each outlet is its own Z-Wave endpoint, so your hub lists two switches and you turn each one on and off independently.

The button does the same thing at the unit. Tap it once for the left outlet and twice for the right. Hold it for three seconds to switch both together.

Each outlet also gets its own timers, so one can run on a schedule while the other stays on. The load ratings apply to each outlet on its own and to both outlets together.

Does the PLUG-OD-ZW need a hub?

Yes, for Z-Wave control. The PLUG-OD-ZW is a Z-Wave plug, so a Z-Wave certified controller is what gives you remote control of the outlets. A hub is also what puts them in a scene or on a schedule.

Any Z-Wave certified hub works. Long Range mode needs an 800 Series controller with Long Range switched on.

The button works with or without a hub, so the plug still switches by hand if the network is down.

How do I add, pair, or reset the PLUG-OD-ZW?

To add it by QR code: scan the Z-Wave QR code on the unit with your controller app, then plug it in. It joins on its own with S2 encryption. 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 button three times quickly. The LED flashes blue, then lights green for two seconds when it is added. This route joins the classic mesh.

To remove it: set the controller to remove a device, then press the button three times quickly. The LED flashes purple, then green for two seconds.

To factory reset it: click the button twice quickly, then hold for at least ten seconds. The light flashes once when the reset succeeds. Use this only if your primary controller is missing or will not respond. Removing the plug from your hub also resets it.

What kind of outlet does the PLUG-OD-ZW need outdoors?

A covered Class A GFCI weatherproof receptacle, on a circuit with 20 A branch-circuit overcurrent protection. The cover has to close completely over the plug and the cord. If the receptacle does not have one, an electrician can fit it.

Hang the unit vertically with the outlets facing downward. That is what keeps water out of the enclosure, and it is how the IP65 rating is meant to be used. Keep it more than 1 ft above the ground surface.

Plug it straight into the receptacle. The safety note at the foot of the Specifications tab has the full list, including the distances to keep from a pool.

What can I plug into the PLUG-OD-ZW?

Anything inside its ETL-listed ratings at 125 VAC. That is 15 A general purpose, 15 A resistive, 1250 W incandescent, 1250 W tungsten, or a 1/2 HP motor. Each of those is the limit for one outlet on its own and for both outlets together.

The motor rating is the one that widens what this plug is for. A 1/2 HP limit covers a pond or fountain pump, a fan, or a small outdoor tool, alongside the string lights and landscape lighting an outdoor plug usually runs.

Read the safety note at the foot of the Specifications tab before you pick a load. It lists what Versa warns against switching remotely.

How cold can the PLUG-OD-ZW get?

It runs from -4 to 122 deg F, which is -20 to 50 deg C. That covers a normal winter in most of the country and a hot roof or patio in summer.

The housing is polycarbonate and the enclosure is IP65 rated, so rain and dust are what it was built for. It is made to stay outside rather than come in between uses.

How far does the PLUG-OD-ZW reach on Z-Wave Long Range?

Up to 1300 ft direct-to-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 direct 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.

This is the reach that makes a Z-Wave outdoor plug practical at the end of a driveway, on a detached garage, at a barn, or across a large yard. Those are the spots where a mesh signal has to leave the house and usually runs out.

Does the PLUG-OD-ZW work as a Z-Wave repeater?

On a classic mesh, yes. The plug is always powered, so it passes traffic for other devices and strengthens coverage around it. An outdoor plug is a useful place for that, because it sits between the house and anything further out.

There is a catch worth knowing before you pair it. Long Range is a direct link between the device and the controller. A plug added in Long Range mode talks only to the hub, so it repeats for nothing while it is in that mode.

Pick the mode by the job. Scan the QR code to a Long Range hub when you need reach. Add it by button to the classic mesh when you want a repeater.

Can each outlet run on a timer?

Yes, and the timers live in the plug rather than in the hub. Each outlet has an auto turn-off delay and an auto turn-on delay of its own. Parameters 2 and 3 are the off delays for the left and right outlet. Parameters 4 and 5 are the on delays.

All four take 1 to 65535 minutes, which is a minute at one end and about 45 days at the other. All four ship disabled. Set them from your controller.

What does the PLUG-OD-ZW do after a power failure?

By default each outlet returns to the state it was in before the power went out. Parameter 6 controls this. Set it to 0 and the outlets stay off when power returns, 1 and they turn on, 2 and they go back to their last state. Setting 2 is the factory default.

You can change it at the unit with no hub in the room. Press the button ten times to step parameter 6 one value.

What is the difference between the PLUG-OD-ZW and the PLUG-ZW?

Both are Versa Z-Wave 800 Long Range plug-in modules on the same radio, and both switch their outlets on and off. The difference is where they go and how many outlets they give you.

The PLUG-OD-ZW is the outdoor one, and it is a dual outlet outdoor plug: two outlets you can switch separately, under one shared set of load ratings. It has an IP65 enclosure and runs from -4 to 122 deg F.

The PLUG-ZW is the indoor one, with a single switched outlet in a compact housing for a lamp or an appliance. Pick the PLUG-OD-ZW when the load is outside or when you need two circuits from one device, and the PLUG-ZW when it is a single indoor load.