Power off zwave RGBW power supply or keep it on 24/7?

[TheA2Z]

Thoughts on the following:

1. I have three zWAVE + RGBW Controllers.
2. I have a 24W power supply that powers all three RGBW controllers.
3. I have a Zwave +Power outlet that the 24V power supply plugs into.
4. I only turn the LEDs on at night.
5. I currently turn off the power supply during the day that cuts the power to the zWave RGBW controllers
6. I turn the power supply back on 1 minute prior to the RGBW controllers turning on to allow them to power up and stabilize.

Question: Would it be better to keep the power supply on 24h a day to keep power on the Zwave controllers all the time?  Or, does it not matter?

Thoughts on:

1. Cutting it off:  Saves power and use on the power supply.  I do get "Cant Connect" errors to those controllers when the power supply is off.
2. Keeping it on: Maintains the zWave mesh network and connectivity to the controllers.  Increased power use.

 

[larryllix]

I leave many PSU on to my RGBW strips. They are digital power supplies and usually very power economical/efficient. It keeps the circuitry warm and dry, ISY or other software seeing them which doesn't make MY software pause while "making the rounds" to monitor the status of them. Then again, mine are all WiFi, not Insteon or Zwave connected to the ISY.

You may consider turning them off for vacation mode, and temporarily activating the PSU for faking "lived in" programs.

[TheA2Z]

Thanks Larry.

I keep the PSU on for my TV backlighting RGBW strips and my under cabinet lighting LEDs, granted they are lower wattage.  For my stair LEDS I have been cutting that PSU off each day, but I get errors in my event log when the power is off on them.  Im leaning back to your camp on this one unless anyone has a counter opinion.

[lilyoyo1]

40 minutes ago, TheA2Z said:

Thoughts on the following:

1. I have three zWAVE + RGBW Controllers.
2. I have a 24W power supply that powers all three RGBW controllers.
3. I have a Zwave +Power outlet that the 24V power supply plugs into.
4. I only turn the LEDs on at night.
5. I currently turn off the power supply during the day that cuts the power to the zWave RGBW controllers
6. I turn the power supply back on 1 minute prior to the RGBW controllers turning on to allow them to power up and stabilize.

Question: Would it be better to keep the power supply on 24h a day to keep power on the Zwave controllers all the time?  Or, does it not matter?

Thoughts on:

1. Cutting it off:  Saves power and use on the power supply.  I do get "Cant Connect" errors to those controllers when the power supply is off.
2. Keeping it on: Maintains the zWave mesh network and connectivity to the controllers.  Increased power use.

 

The answer is #2. If they are unplugged, you can affect zwave routing which impacts your network. Since Zwave+ has self healing capabilities, this can slow down your network as the system is constantly trying to straighten out your network. The increased power use is not much. id be surprised if you noticed a change in your bill at all. Besides, if your whole house is done (or planning to be done) whats the diffence anyway?

[TheA2Z]

Thanks for the input Larry and Lilyoyo1.

I will move forward with keeping the PSUs powered up all the time.