Ask the Expert
<< Go back to Ask the Expert
INDEX
Updated November 19, 2007 11:00 PST
As I consider Zigbee and Z-Wave, neither seems to offer
much beyond traditional modules. I'd like to either understand
where I can find analog/digital IO capabilities and how
can I get started with evaluating whether I should get in
to the market developing these myself.
There are not too many Z-Wave modules with "raw"
analog-to-digital capabilities as most products are specifically
for home control. Lagotek
has a HIP200 module that has an RS232 interface, some 4-20mA
inputs and some dry contact inputs. As for ZigBee, what
ZigBee are you interested in V0.9, V1.0, Pro, 2.4GHz 802.15.4
based or 900MHz based? In short, there are so many "flavors"
of ZigBee that the reference alone means nothing. As far
as I know there are no interoperable ZigBee solutions in
the Home Control market place.
As for evaluating developing modules yourself, you can
get a lot of information on the technology involved from
the different chip manufacturers' sites. Visit Zensys
for information on Z-Wave. You can also purchase a Z-Wave
developer's kit from DigiKey.
I have a Harmony 1000, which dimmer switch do I need
to pair? All my equipment operates on extenders from the
same company.
Unfortunately the Harmony 1000 does not support Z-Wave lighting
at this time. It does use Z-Wave to communicate with the
IR flasher but is not able to include individual Z-Wave
devices into its control. The Harmony 890 and 890 Pro do
support this feature and it is our hope and belief that
Logitech intends to extend this capability to the Harmony
1000 at a later date.
Do you know of any companies that are developing a battery
operated door lock system with Z-Wave?
There are two companies that are developing battery operated
Z-Wave enabled door locks. We expect to see these products
on the market sometime in 2008.
I live in Melbourne, Australia, and we use a 240VAC,
50Hz power system over here. Are there Z-Wave devices available
that would be compatible with our system?
At this time there are no Z-Wave products for Australia.
In Australia, Z-wave uses a different frequency that that
used in Europe or North America so it's not just the voltage
and power line frequency that is different. We expect to
see the first Australian Z-Wave products to appear in mid
2008.
Mark Walters, our resident Z-Wave expert, is vice president
of the Z-Wave Alliance.
