Z-Wave Generation & Long Range

800 Series plugs add S2 security, SmartStart QR pairing and optional Long Range for detached garages, sheds and pump houses. Z-Wave Plus (500) and 700 Series plugs still work on modern hubs and remain excellent mesh repeaters.

Load Rating & Load Type

Most on/off plugs handle 15 A (about 1,800 W) resistive loads. Check motor ratings for fans and pumps, and remember dimmer plugs top out around 100-300 W and only suit dimmable lamps.

Energy Monitoring

Plugs that report watts and kWh let you track what a freezer or dehumidifier costs, and trigger automations such as “washer finished” alerts when power drops. Basic plugs only switch on and off.

Indoor, Outdoor or In-Wall

Outdoor plugs need an IP65 or weather-resistant housing and a GFCI-protected outlet. In-wall receptacles look cleanest and free up both sockets but require wiring. Mini plugs should leave the second socket usable.

Hub & Ecosystem Fit

Zooz, Shelly and Minoston target open hubs like Home Assistant, Hubitat and Z-Box. Enbrighten and Leviton list Ring Alarm, ADT and other panels. Check the manufacturer’s supported-hub list before buying.

The Leviton DZPA1 has the most Amazon ratings of any plug in this guide (700+) and a 4.5-star average, which says a lot about how reliably it switches year after year. It’s Z-Wave Plus certified, gives you a 15 A grounded receptacle, and Leviton publishes unusually clear load ratings: up to 1,800 W incandescent, 600 W LED/CFL and ½ HP motors, so it’s a safe pick for a window fan or dehumidifier. Protected memory restores the on/off state after short power blips, and Leviton backs it with a 5-year limited warranty. It’s an older 500-series design without S2 or Long Range and the body is chunkier than the Minoston mini plugs, but if you value a big-name brand and wide hub support, it’s still an excellent repeater and switch.

The MP31ZP is the energy-monitoring version of Minoston’s 800 Series plug, and it’s the one to put behind anything you want to measure: a chest freezer, a sump pump, a dehumidifier, a gaming PC or a washing machine. It reports live power and accumulated energy to your hub, which opens up useful automations like “notify me when the washer finishes” (power drops below a threshold) or “alert if the freezer stops drawing power”. Under the hood it has the same 800 Series radio with S2 and SmartStart, Long Range up to 1,300 ft on supported hubs, a 15 A / 1,875 W rating, and a body small enough not to block the neighboring socket. Minoston lists SmartThings, Z-Box, Hubitat, Fibaro, Vera and HomeSeer. The review count is modest so far, and how well the energy values show up depends on your hub’s driver.

Shelly’s Wave Plug US LR is built around Z-Wave Long Range. The US model runs on 912 MHz for LR (Shelly quotes up to 1.5 miles at full power in ideal conditions) or 908.4 MHz for a normal mesh, and LR networks scale to thousands of devices instead of the old 232-node limit. It adds power metering, local timers and schedules, a 15 A rating, and draws under 0.3 W itself. Shelly says it works with any certified Z-Wave gateway and backs it with a 3-year warranty. It’s the plug to pick for a basement heater, well pump or backyard outlet that’s too far for your mesh. Be aware that Amazon ratings are low and few right now (around 3.4 stars from a couple dozen reviews), so expect some parameter tuning and check that your controller handles Shelly’s Wave devices well.

The Zooz ZEN14 gives you two separately controlled outdoor outlets in one IP65 housing, so you can run patio string lights on one schedule and a small pump or fountain on another. It shares up to 15 A resistive load between both outlets (no dimming), uses an 800 Series chip with S2 Authenticated security and SmartStart, and supports Long Range up to 1,300 ft on compatible hubs while still repeating in normal mesh mode. Zooz says it works best with the Z-Box hub and is supported by Home Assistant, Hubitat and HomeSeer, while SmartThings needs a custom driver from Zooz’s support site. Zooz is upfront that it is not supported by alarm panels such as Vivint or Qolsys.

When you need two smart sockets behind a TV stand, desk or nightstand, the Minoston MP26Z adds two individually controlled outlets to one wall socket. Each outlet shows up as its own switch on your hub, so a lamp and a fan can run on different schedules. It’s an 800 Series plug with Long Range support, SmartStart QR pairing that takes under a minute, and a combined 15 A / 1,875 W rating. Minoston lists SmartThings, Vera, Fibaro, Hubitat and Home Assistant as compatible. It has no energy metering and the reviews, while positive, are still in the dozens rather than hundreds.

If your Z-Wave controller is a Ring Alarm Base Station or a professional security panel, the Enbrighten 14282 is one of the few plugs that explicitly lists support for it. Jasco’s compatibility list includes SmartThings, Ring Alarm, ADT Pulse, ADT Command, Trane, Vivint, Nexia, Honeywell, HomeSeer and Vera. It has two grounded outlets that switch together, which is handy for a pair of lamps or a lamp plus speaker, and a side-mounted design that leaves the second wall socket free. There’s a manual on/off button, it works with LED, CFL and incandescent loads, and it repeats Z-Wave signals for the rest of your network. It’s an older Z-Wave Plus design without S2 or Long Range, and the two outlets can’t be controlled separately.

Plug-in dimmers turn an ordinary table or floor lamp into a dimmable smart light without swapping bulbs, and the Minoston MP31ZD is the modern Z-Wave option. It dims from 1-100% from your hub, voice assistant (through the hub) or its button, and it’s rated for 200 W incandescent or 100 W dimmable CFL/LED, so it’s for lamps, not appliances. The 800 Series chip brings S2, SmartStart and Long Range support, and the mini body lets you fit two on one duplex outlet. Minoston lists SmartThings, Vera, Fibaro, HomeSeer, Ring, 2GIG and Hubitat (with a device-type change). Cheap LED bulbs can flicker at low levels on any plug-in dimmer, so use quality dimmable bulbs and set a minimum level if your hub allows it.

The Leviton DZPD3 is the plug-in dimmer twin of the DZPA1, with hundreds of ratings and Leviton’s 5-year limited warranty. It provides a polarized 300 W lamp receptacle for table, floor and hanging plug-in lamps, is Z-Wave Plus certified, and remembers its state through short power interruptions. Leviton lists SmartThings and works with Alexa through a Z-Wave hub. It’s an older design without S2 or Long Range, the polarized receptacle won’t take grounded three-prong plugs, and like any dimmer it should never power a fan, heater or appliance.

Enbrighten’s newest outdoor plug brings the brand’s broad panel compatibility to the 800 Series. You can include it as Z-Wave Classic for backward compatibility, where it repeats signals up to about 150 ft through your mesh, or as Z-Wave Long Range (up to 1,300 ft) on hubs that support LR. It has one weather-resistant outlet with a manual button, and the listing names SmartThings, Ring Alarm, ADT Pulse, ADT Command, Trane, Vivint, Nexia, Honeywell, HomeSeer and Ezlo as compatible hubs. It’s a brand-new listing with no reviews yet, so treat it as the forward-looking pick; the Minoston MP22Z remains the proven choice.

An in-wall smart receptacle replaces your existing outlet, so nothing sticks out and nobody unplugs the “smart” part by accident. The Leviton ZW15R has two 15 A tamper-resistant receptacles: one Z-Wave controlled and one always on, which is ideal for a living-room lamp outlet where the second socket feeds a router or TV. It uses a 700 Series chip with S2 and SmartStart, fits standard Decora wall plates, and accepts Leviton’s optional color change kits. It needs a neutral, a reasonably deep box and comfort with mains wiring (or an electrician). Amazon ratings are mixed at around 3.6 stars, with some owners reporting pairing or relay issues, so buy from a seller with easy returns.

Enbrighten’s Z-Wave duplex outlet is the better-reviewed in-wall option (about 4.4 stars from 100+ ratings) and a natural fit for kids’ rooms and nurseries thanks to its tamper-resistant shutters. Being hardwired, it’s a strong Z-Wave Plus repeater (Enbrighten quotes up to 150 ft), it works with LED, CFL, incandescent and halogen lamps, and it ships with both white and light almond faceplates. Like the 14282 plug, it benefits from Enbrighten’s broad hub and alarm-panel compatibility, including Ring Alarm. It’s an older Z-Wave Plus radio without S2 or Long Range, and installation needs a neutral wire and a safe approach to mains wiring. Check the listing photos to confirm which receptacle is switched before you plan your layout.

Want one plug to standardize on?

Buy the Minoston MP21Z in quantity: small, 800 Series and a great repeater for the rest of your network.

Want to measure energy?

Choose the Minoston MP31ZP, or the Shelly Wave Plug US LR if the outlet is far from your hub.

Controlling something outside?

Use the Minoston MP22Z for one outlet or the Zooz ZEN14 for two independently controlled outlets.

Running Ring Alarm, ADT or Vivint?

Stick with Enbrighten: the 14282 indoors and the new LR Outdoor Plug outside.

Want to dim a lamp?

The Minoston MP31ZD on 800 Series, or the Leviton DZPD3 for a brand-name warranty.

Want it built into the wall?

Install the Enbrighten Duplex Outlet for kids’ rooms, or the Leviton ZW15R for S2 and a Decora look.

Do Z-Wave smart plugs need a hub?

Yes. Z-Wave plugs have no Wi-Fi, so they pair with a Z-Wave controller such as Home Assistant with a Z-Wave USB stick, Hubitat, SmartThings, Zooz Z-Box, HomeSeer or a Ring Alarm Base Station. The hub runs schedules and automations and can expose the plug to Alexa or Google Assistant. If you still need a controller, see our guide to the best Z-Wave hubs and USB sticks.

Do Z-Wave plugs act as repeaters?

Mains-powered Z-Wave plugs and outlets repeat signals for other devices when they’re included in normal (classic) mesh mode, which is why adding a few around the house often fixes slow or missed reports from battery sensors and locks. A plug included as a Z-Wave Long Range device talks straight to the controller and does not repeat, so if you’re building mesh coverage, include at least some plugs in classic mode.

Can I plug a space heater or air conditioner into a Z-Wave smart plug?

Only if the plug’s rating clearly covers it, and most manufacturers advise caution. A 15 A plug is technically rated for about 1,800 W resistive loads, but heaters run near that limit for hours and window AC units have high startup currents. Pick a plug with a published motor rating (the Leviton DZPA1 lists ½ HP), keep loads comfortably under the maximum, and never use a dimmer plug for anything other than lamps. For hardwired heavy loads like water heaters, use a dedicated high-current Z-Wave relay instead.

Plug-in or in-wall outlet: which should I buy?

Plug-in models install in seconds, move with you when you rent, and are the easiest way to add repeaters. In-wall receptacles like the Leviton ZW15R and Enbrighten duplex outlet look cleaner, can’t be unplugged by accident and usually keep one socket always on, but they need a neutral wire, a deep enough box and safe mains wiring. Homeowners who want a tidy, permanent install should go in-wall; everyone else should start with plug-ins.

Will Z-Wave plugs work with Apple Home or Matter?

Not directly, because Z-Wave is a separate radio protocol. You need a hub that bridges Z-Wave devices into Matter or HomeKit; our guide to the best Matter bridges for Zigbee and Z-Wave covers the options. If you don’t already run a Z-Wave network, a native Matter plug may be simpler; see our best Matter smart plugs guide.