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Updated October 22, 2007 08:00 PDT
Is there a way to control IR and RF remote units with
Z-Wave? If so, is there a way to make it compatible with
X10 from a single remote control?
Yes, both the Harmony
890 and Monster
AVL300 remotes support both IR and Z-Wave.
I already have quite a few X10 switches in my home.
Is there a way to interface them with the Z-Wave and Harmony
1000 controllers?
At this time there are no direct Z-Wave to X10 bridges shipping;
however, there are a few under development. Most home control
programs such as HomeSeer,
mControl,
and HomeZix
will allow you to bridge the two systems in software. That
is, they will allow you to use events on one of the systems
to trigger control of devices on the other system, in effect,
letting you maintain your X10 investment while upgrading
to Z-Wave devices. The Harmony 1000 does not directly control
Z-Wave devices.
Are Z-Wave products compatible with three-phase electrical
systems?
Z-Wave devices use over the air radio frequency to communicate
so they are not dependent on the phasing of the electrical
power for their communication the way most power line carrier
technologies such as X10 and Insteon are. There are Z-Wave
products designed for 120V 60Hz electrical systems such
as those in North America, and for 240-260V 50Hz systems
that are common in Europe.
What can I use to control my ceiling fan with my Logitech
remote control? I have the Harmony 890.
You can use any Z-Wave light switch as long as it is rated
for motor control and your fan doesn't exceed its switching
capacity. This will allow you to turn the fan on and off,
however, it will not let you control the speed of the fan.
Z-Wave fan speed controllers are under development but have
not been released to the market as yet. Look to Intermatic,
Leviton,
Monster,
ACT,
and Cooper
for motor-rated switches.
Are there any compliance issues with Z-Wave in Europe?
Logitech got it wrong by distributing a remote supporting
standard not available in Europe (Harmony Remote).
Z-Wave is alive and well in Europe with many companies starting
to ship products. Z-Wave uses a different radio frequency
in Europe, 868MHz vs. the 908MHz used in North America.
The Harmony 985 is the European 868MHZ version of the North
American 890.
I have switched my entire house from X10 to Z-Wave because
of problems with X10. So far Z-Wave performs well. However,
Z-Wave is leaps and bounds behind X10 when it comes to controllers.
Twenty years ago X10 had controllers you could program with
a computer and then disconnect and run without having your
computer on. All I can find for Z-wave is either a cumbersome
HA07 Master Controller or software that requires you to
keep your computer running. I feel I have taken a giant
step backward in technology when I switched to Z-Wave. Is
there anything out there that allows me to set up the schedule
on my computer and run the schedule without keeping my computer
on?
What you are missing is the venerable CM11 or CM15 controller
for Z-Wave. Yes I agree with you we need one of these, an
inexpensive, always on, program and forget controller. Unfortunately,
there are none that I'm aware of that exactly fit this bill.
The closest thing is the Hawking
HomeRemote gateway. This device can be programmed to
run scripted events and will run autonomously without a
computer hook up. With a broadband connection it even provides
remote access something the CM11 or CM15 could not do. The
good news is there are several companies working on devices
with feature sets somewhat like the CM11 so it shouldn't
be to long before they appear on the market.
Mark Walters, our resident Z-Wave expert, is vice president
of the Z-Wave Alliance
