Review on 🏡 Leviton D215P 2RW Anywhere Companions - Perfect Addition for Your Home Electrical Needs by Robert Yates

I have a version of these switches that controls almost everything in my house. I started replacing my switches with Gen1 switches a few years ago and have only recently landed on Gen2. The only switches that aren't are my bathroom exhaust fans. I've written quite a bit here, so congratulations if you made it to the end. I currently use the following switches: DW6HD (Gen1 600W dimmer) DW1KD (1000W Gen1 dimmer, but still uses pins instead of screws) DW15S (Gen1 switch) DW4SF (Gen1 4-speed fan controller, also uses pins over screws) D26HD ( Gen2 600W Dimmer) D215S (Gen2 Switch) DAWDC (Gen2 Wireless Dimmer Companion) DAWSC (Gen2 Wireless Switch Companion) Overall I am very happy with my switches. I haven't had problems with constant crashes like some here have said. The app works well and I really like the away feature in it, although the same is possible via Alexa. The Alexa integration works flawlessly. Alexa usually takes the new switch and tells me it's connected before I can enter the name I want for the device. This isn't a problem as it updates automatically as soon as I enter a name I like. They also integrate well with Samsung SmartThings. I use this as I was accidentally sent some ZWave Leviton switches when I ordered WiFi so I used them instead of throwing them away like Revane suggested. I also really like that they work exactly as you would expect for everyone who comes, the usual switch to something like smart lightbulbs where it can be a bit of fun when the power goes out. My OCD also likes that they don't stick out/tilt to one side or the other when turning on and off. You look very modest, which is good for me. My house is only a few years old, none of the junction boxes are metal and there is a neutral wire almost everywhere in the box. The only spots I had trouble with were some three position switches where whoever was plugging the house in seemed to cut some corners and not run all the required wiring nor leave things in their default place (eg .red wire, hot wire). , black wire, etc.) so some of my 3-position switches weren't 3-position for a while. However, Gen2 Wireless Switch Companions have fixed this. Like many others, I generally prefer screw terminals. However, there were some instances where having leads came in handy. For the neutral I liked to use wire as it's more flexible than cutting off a piece of 14/2 and using that. In my two block kitchen box, which was very cramped even before the switch change, this really saved me space as I could get rid of the extra hard wiring and use the existing wire nut already in the box on the neutral at home. so I didn't add anything. Another time I preferred cables in the bedroom. Whoever was wiring the boxes liked to pull some of the hot wire, wrap it around the hot terminal on the switch, and then terminate the hot wire on the second switch in the box, rather than using a wire nut with two leads extending from it. Both switches were connected with a continuous hot wire. I was able to cut the wire down to the stripped portion and then just screw both hot/black switch wires to the house hot wire. The loop method they used is a screw terminal issue on Gen1 but I got it working before. Wires made it easier, but in general I would have preferred screw terminals. The wireless switch/dimmer companions are amazing. They solved my 3 way wiring problem and are very easy to set up. I was afraid there might be a lag after hitting the rocker, but this is an instant response. If you're using Gen2 switches and want a three-way light somewhere, it's not a very easy solution, especially since you can mount them to a bare wall with the included adhesive pads. Hopefully the battery life will last the advertised 5 years but I won't hold my breath. I also really like the fan control. I have remote controlled pull chain ceiling fans in all bedrooms and the living room and this allows you to really control the fan speed with the switch itself, voice or the app. Much better than my petite wife trying to stand on something to pull the chain. Gen1 vs. Gen2 As mentioned above, I generally like the screw terminals better than the pins on Gen 2. Updating switch firmware is easier on Gen 2. In the My Leviton app, you can select "Update all Gen2 switches at once". For Gen1 switches, you still need to make them individually. Gets old quickly when there are a lot of them. The addition of wireless switch companions for Gen2 is great. I don't use Apple Homekit so I can't comment on how Gen2 works there. PROBLEMS Most of the problems I've encountered were due to faulty house wiring or some other external factor and not a problem with any of the switches. on their own, but they are not without faults. Some LED bulbs just don't work well with dimmers. Maybe it's my fault for trying cheaper bulbs, but I've found that Home Depot's EcoSmart doesn't always dim very well. Other brands perform better, but I have yet to find an LED and switch combination that offers 1) dimming range or 2) smooth dimming and 3) no flicker at dimmer settings other than 100% incandescent. You can get one or two but not all 3. I've had a few power outages. I don't have enough to call it useless or a deal breaker just yet, but it happens. Most Wi-Fi stuff crashes sometimes. With dimmer switches this is much easier to do as you can pull out the bottom switch of the dimmer and it will remove power from the switch so you can reset its connection. I wish simple switches had something similar, where I could turn off their power supply without flipping the switch. To be honest if the dimmer is not connected I don't do anything. It will eventually reconnect, but sometimes it takes a day and sometimes a few days. If a simple switch had an easily accessible reset button, that would make things a lot easier. I had 1 switch (out of 26) that just broke. not yet. It was in my super crowded kitchen with two tapes which I think contributed to his death. However, and this is a plus, Leviton's support has been excellent. They walked me through a few steps (which I've already tried but I understand they have to tick boxes) and then sent me a new switch. Everything was handled very well, no footwork or anything. Since it was a discontinued Gen1 switch, it was replaced with a Gen2 equivalent. Overall I'm very happy with the switches and how they perform day in and day out. If one didn't die and they could fix the reboot issue on simple switches I would give them 5 stars for the whole day. I'm not sure who is responsible for the dimming, whether it's Leviton or LED bulbs in general, so I won't blame them for now. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.