One of the most important decisions you have to make when beginning an initial smart home automation venture is selecting the wireless protocol that you will use at home. Most people opt for the system, not choosing the protocol for wireless, and have to look around for compatible devices with the system. Whatever the case, there’s high chance that your smart home system built by you will come with Z-Wave among its built-in wireless communication techniques.
What exactly is Z-Wave? The Z-Wave wireless frequency is that is used by lighting and home automation control systems to link various smart devices to your home. It operates within the 908.42MHz frequency band, meaning that it isn’t affected by interference from other items in your home like your microwave or cordless phone. There are more than 1,200 devices available that utilize Z-Wave. Z-Wave-based products form what’s known as mesh networks, which means that each Z-Wave device within your home is a signal repeater which creates an extensive web that is a chatter channel made up of Z-Wave. The more ZWave devices you have, the more robust as well as more secure your connection will be. This is distinct from the majority of Wi-Fi networks that are points-to-point (such such as the router-to-iPad). The other mesh networks used in smart home systems are Zigbee, Insteon, ClearConnect and Thread.
The very first Z-Wave product most people utilize to control their smart home systems is a wireless dimming device or lighting switch that is wireless (note that they still have to be “wired” to your electrical system at home). A z wave light switch and dimmer allows you to control the entire house’s lights by simply pressing one button in an app or remote.
While you’re not required to have an automation hub for your home (such such as SmartThings, Vera or Lowe’s Iris) however, you ought to get one as the intelligent home hub can allow you to do much more than simply turning on lights and off.
There’s a broad selection of Z-Wave dimmers and wall switches. They can be used for very basic functions for on and off; while others feature extensive keypad commands while others are specifically designed to allow adjustable speed control for ceiling fans. One thing to bear in mind when choosing the Z-Wave dimmer is to make sure that it is compatible with the type of lighting system you’re planning to utilize. Not all dimmers use LED lights for instance. If you’d like to make sure that your Z-Wave dimmer is future-proof choose the phase-adaptive dimmer, which is compatible with all types of lighting.
Here are some excellent examples of Z-Wave dimmers and light switches.
GE Inside-wall Z-Wave Toggle Switch
The GE switch, available through SmartThings is an ordinary on/off model that can be used in any light or room that does not require dimming. This is an additional Z-Wave lighting switch (and does not include i’s Z-Wave chips) This means that you’ll need to pair it up with an additional GE Z-Wave switch. It lets you manage the light of one room from another. You can also use your phone to control the lighting from wherever you are. $18
Z-Wave Wireless Keypad Controller by GE
This is more than a mere switch or dimming device. It is a keypad that GE Z-Wave keypad includes multiple rocker controls that could be assigned various lighting sources, making it possible to manage multiple light sources with one control. It also functions as a second controller within the Z-Wave network. It runs on batteries, which means you don’t have to wire it to your home. $45
Linear ZWave Dimmer, WD500Z-1
The Linear WD500Z-1 Wall Mounted Dimmer allows remote control of the ON/OFF button and dimming the lights that are connected. It is the Z-Wave Wall Mount Dimmer is easy to wire in lieu of an ordinary wall dimmer. It requires an unipolar connection. Auto-Sense allows local lamp activation regardless of the Z-Wave controller’s status. $35
Eaton All-load Smart Dimmer
Eaton’s Aspire RF dimmers are compatible with magnetic, incandescent low-voltage electronic low-voltage LED CFL as well as FLR light loads. Aspire RF Dimmers also have other functions that can be programmed (scenes events, scenes, associations and child lockouts, etc.) when used in conjunction with Aspire RFC or another Z-Wave compatible controllers. Each dimmer is able to be controlled manually and remotely controlled using commands via an Aspire RF controller , or any other Z-Wave compatible controllers and software.
The Enerwave ZW500Z-Wave Dimmer
You will be able to locate this Enerwave dimming device in the dark because of the tiny blue LED light that is inside the dimmer. The dimmer requires the use of a neural wire. $39
