Zooz ZEN04 800LR Review: A Reliable Z-Wave Long Range Plug With Real Power Monitoring
The Zooz ZEN04 800LR is a smart plug for homes that have deliberately chosen Z-Wave over Wi-Fi, and owners describe it as reliable, fast and easy to adopt into Home Assistant, with energy readings and a compact body that leaves the neighbouring outlet free. It needs a Z-Wave hub and gets no direct app or voice support, so it only makes sense inside a Z-Wave house. The complaints are few: it costs more than other plugs, and one owner found the range shorter than expected for a Z-Wave device.
- Home Assistant and Hubitat setups
- Z-Wave networks
- Metering appliance energy use
- Cloud-free local control
Pros
- Reliable and fast with Home Assistant, with instant response
- Real-time power monitoring in amps, kWh, volts and watts
- Z-Wave 800 series with Long Range, S2 security and SmartStart
- Local control with no cloud account
- Compact body that leaves the adjacent outlet free
- Acts as a Z-Wave repeater in a standard mesh
- Full 15 A and 1800 W rating with a physical on and off button
Cons
- Requires a Z-Wave hub, which is a separate purchase
- Priced above ordinary smart plugs
- One owner found the range shorter than expected, and it does not repeat the mesh in Long Range mode
- No Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread or Matter
- No Apple Home support, and Google Home support is not documented
- North American Type B plug, indoor use only
Who is the Zooz ZEN04 800LR for?
It belongs in a home that already runs a Z-Wave hub. Owners moving away from cloud-dependent Wi-Fi plugs like that it needs no account or internet: they enroll it in the Z-Wave mesh and control it locally. It is chosen mostly by Home Assistant users, and also by SmartThings and Hubitat owners. One owner uses it as a Z-Wave range extender that doubles as a switchable plug.
What do owners like about the Zooz ZEN04 800LR?
Reliability is the main theme: owners report plugs that paired right away, have stayed solid for a year or more and handle a busy mesh without cycling, compared with other brands whose firmware updates or load caused trouble. Response from Home Assistant is described as instant, and the energy monitoring, with amps, kilowatt-hours, volts and watts, is called good and free of the negative-energy glitch one owner had with another brand. The body is smaller than older plugs and leaves room for something in the adjacent outlet, there is a button on the side to toggle it or reset it, and an LED can be triggered from Home Assistant to identify which plug is which. Owners also praise the clear installation sheet and the support knowledge base. Owners using SmartThings found an optional driver exposes extra information.
What to know before you buy
A Z-Wave hub is mandatory, and one owner warns not to buy it without a Z-Wave hub and antenna. Home Assistant needs its Z-Wave integration set up first, as one owner notes. It is priced above ordinary plugs, one owner found its range less than a 900 MHz device should manage, and the plug only repeats the mesh when it is not running in Long Range mode. The relay clicks audibly when it switches. There are no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread or Matter radios, Apple Home is not supported, and Google Home support is not documented. It is a North American Type B plug for indoor use.
Is the Zooz ZEN04 800LR worth it?
For a Home Assistant, Hubitat or SmartThings user with a Z-Wave controller already installed, it is a very well liked plug: local, fast and trouble-free, with power data included. The premium over a basic Wi-Fi plug buys the protocol rather than extra features. Without a Z-Wave hub it is the wrong product, and a Wi-Fi or Matter plug will do the job for less.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Zooz ZEN04 800LR need a hub?
Yes. It is a Z-Wave device, so a Z-Wave hub or controller is required. Home Assistant, Hubitat, SmartThings and the Zooz Z-Box hub are documented as working with it.
Does it measure power consumption?
Yes, in real time, with amps, kilowatt-hours, volts and watts available in Home Assistant, which is what makes it useful for seeing what an appliance actually draws.
What does Z-Wave Long Range add?
Longer reach than standard Z-Wave, useful for distant devices such as one in an outbuilding. In Long Range mode the plug does not act as a mesh repeater, while in a standard Z-Wave network it does.
Can I control it with Alexa?
Yes, through a hub. Zooz says Z-Wave products need a hub to work with Alexa: via SmartThings, Hubitat or Ezlo the plug shows up in Alexa as a normal smart plug. Apple Home is not supported.
How much load can it switch?
Up to 1800 W at 15 A on 110 to 125 V, from a standard North American Type B outlet.
Can it be used as a Z-Wave range extender?
Yes. In a standard Z-Wave network it repeats the signal, and an owner used one halfway between a smoke detector and the hub to fix a dropping connection. It does not repeat in Long Range mode.







