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Updated August 13, 2007 08:00 PDT
Where can I find Z-Wave products that work with 220V?
As I have seen I cannot control a 220V on/off switch with
a 110V remote control. Is that right?
There are 220V products for the EU just now hitting the
market. Try visiting Advanced
Control Technologies, Danfoss,
and Merten
for 220V EU Z-Wave products.
I live in the Republic of Korea. Although all Z-Wave
radio frequencies are not allowed in Korea, I heard that
the new Z-Wave chip, which supports 2.4GHz, will be released
at Q4 2008. Is that true?
Yes, the P400 fourth generation Z-Wave chip due out next
year will support radio frequencies from 700MHz up to 2.4GHz.
Zensys and the Z-Wave standard for interoperability dictate
that there will only be support for one frequency in each
local market. They strongly believe that the lower the frequency,
the better the performance of the link due to the lower
frequency's ability to penetrate walls and its increased
range. The Z-Wave market frequency for Korea has not been
determined, however, it will be set as low as Korean regulations
will allow.
I have an existing single pole switch that controls
my kitchen lights. I would like to add another switch location
to control these lights and make this a three-way"
switch operation. There are currently no wires connecting
the two locations together. I would also like to make this
dimmable if possible. Is this possible with Z Wave?
Yes, what you are describing is what we call a Virtual three-way.
To do this you get one Z-Wave switch or dimmer to control
the light itself and then you get Z-Wave controllers (transmitters)
for the other locations that you want control. These controllers
may look exactly like the switch or dimmer you are controlling
or may have two, four, or more buttons if you want to control
more than one lighting circuit from that location. The key
is replace the old switch with a Z-Wave dimmer and place
Z-Wave Controllers in the other locations where you want
to control the light. Note you will need power for the controllers
at their location or you can get battery-powered handheld
devices for those locations as well.
I've seen wireless control systems that make no mention
of Z-Wave. For example, the GE SmartHome line and Motorola
Homesight wireless products. Are these products Z-wave compatible?
How would I know?
There are many 900MHz point-to-point wireless control systems
on the market. These systems lack the mesh networking capability
of Z-Wave systems and are not directly compatible with Z-Wave
products. You can always tell what products will interoperate
by looking for the Z-Wave Logo on the package and on the
product. If it has the Z-Wave logo then it will work with
other Z-wave products. If not, it probably will not work
in a Z-Wave system.
Mark Walters, our resident Z-Wave expert, is vice president
of the Z-Wave Alliance.
