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Updated November 5, 2007 11:00 PST
I am curious if there are any utilities or applications
for diagnosing and testing Z-Wave performance and range
and showing hops between nodes and latency?
There are some great applications and tools on the way for
diagnosing and testing Z-Wave networks with three new ones
due to launch in the next few months. Right now my favorite
is Z-Seer from HomeSeer, however this does require that
you use a HomeSeer Z-troller for your Z-Wave interface.
Zensys has several tools for looking at range, link reliability,
network configuration, and packet sniffing in its Z-Wave
developer's kit.
I have about eight Z-Wave devices. I have a wall switch
that controls outside heater cables in the gutters that
I would also like to Z-Wave enable. The switch is 240v,
20A though, and I have not seen any Z-Wave products that
could handle that. Any suggestions?
You can use an Intermatic
In-touch Master Controller for this application. The
part number is CA3750.
My house has all aluminum in-wall switch boxes. Does
this impede the range and signal strength? And what would
be the minimum recommended number of devices to make a solid
network? Currently I need no more than four devices.
While metal boxes are not the best for RF, all manufacturers
take this into account when they design their in-wall products.
When Zensys certifies an in-wall product, its RF performance
is checked with the device installed in a metal box. The
open-air distance for a certified Z-Wave product is 30 meters,
however in a typical house you can expect something on the
order of 20 meters. You don't say how big your house is
so I can't answer your question. Are there any distances
more than 20 meters between devices? If you have a long
distance between two devices (and you're having problems
with them communicating), it is easy to install a simple
plug-in switch somewhere in between to act as a repeater.
This is an easy and inexpensive fix.
I have a Harmony 890 remote with Z-Wave. I would like
to know what kind of lighting I could use in my home theater.
The Harmony 890 will control any Z-Wave lighting device
so you just need to find one that is rated for Electronic
Low Voltage (ELV) loads. Leviton
has a dimmer that is rated for ELV loads up to 600W. (The
part number is RZE06.)
I would like to set up a small system that will let
me turn some lights on and off while I'm away from home.
Is there an internet-based system I can try?
Yes, the simplest way to accomplish this is by using a Home
Gateway from Hawking. These gateways are available in
most CompUSA stores.
Mark Walters, our resident Z-Wave expert, is vice president
of the Z-Wave Alliance.
