PLUG-ZW

PLUG-ZW questions installers ask

Does the PLUG-ZW need a hub?

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

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

The button on the side works with or without a hub. Press it once and the outlet changes state. So the plug still switches a lamp by hand if the network is down.

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

To add it by QR code: scan the Z-Wave QR code on the device with your controller app, then plug the unit 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. All custom settings are erased. Use this only if your primary controller is missing or will not respond. Removing the plug from your hub also resets it.

What can I plug into the PLUG-ZW?

Anything inside its ETL-listed ratings at 125 VAC. That is up to 15 A general purpose or resistive, up to 10 A / 1250 W tungsten, and up to a 1/2 HP motor. The back of the plug prints the same load classes, so the page and the device use the same words for them.

The motor rating is the one that widens what this plug is for. A 1/2 HP limit covers a box fan, a small pump, or a workshop tool, alongside the lamps and appliances a smart plug usually runs. The safety note at the foot of the Specifications tab lists the appliances Versa warns against switching remotely. Read it before you pick a circuit.

Does the PLUG-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. That is often the reason to put one halfway down a hallway or in a back bedroom.

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.

How far does the PLUG-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.

Pick by where the outlet is. A garage, a shop, a barn, or a far corner of a large property is the case Long Range was built for. An outlet inside a house that already has Z-Wave devices is usually better on mesh, because there the plug also repeats for its neighbors.

Can the PLUG-ZW run a lamp or appliance on a timer?

Yes, and the timer lives in the plug rather than in the hub. Parameter 2 is an auto turn-off delay and parameter 4 is an auto turn-on delay. Both take 1 to 65535 minutes, which is a minute at one end and about 45 days at the other. Both ship disabled.

Set them from your hub. The green LED flashes three times to confirm a timer change.

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

By default it returns to the state it was in before the power went out. Parameter 6 controls this. Set it to 0 and the outlet stays off when power returns, 1 and it turns on, 2 and it goes back to its last state. Setting 2 is the factory default.

You can change it at the outlet with no hub in the room. Press the button ten times to step parameter 6 one value. Each press sequence advances one step, so moving from 0 to 2 takes two sequences. The green LED flashes twice when the change saves.

Can I change or dim the status LED?

Yes, both. Parameter 1 sets what the LED does. Set it to 0 and the LED lights with the outlet, which is the default. Set it to 1 and it inverts, lighting when the outlet is off. Set it to 2 and it stays off.

Press the button six times to step it.

Parameter 7 sets how bright it is: 0 is bright, 1 is medium, and 2 is low, which is the default. Press the button eight times to step that one. A low or inverted LED is the usual choice for a bedroom, where a lit plug is the thing people notice at night.

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

Both are Versa Z-Wave 800 Long Range plug-in modules on the same radio. Both go into a grounded indoor outlet and need no wiring work. The difference is what they do to what is plugged in.

The PLUG-ZW switches the outlet on and off, rated to 15 A general purpose or resistive, 10 A / 1250 W tungsten, and a 1/2 HP motor. That range is what suits an appliance, a fan, or a pump as well as a lamp.

The LAMP-ZW2 sets a brightness level instead, for lamps and portable fixtures, and it is the Alarm.com approved device in the Versa Z-Wave line. Pick the PLUG-ZW when the load needs switching, and the LAMP-ZW2 when a lamp needs dimming. For a hardwired circuit, the SWITCH-ZW switches and the DIM-ZW dims.