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Updated April 2, 2007 09:00 PDST
Do you know of any Z-Wave ceiling fan interfaces yet?
I'm new and just starting to implement Z-Wave in my home.
There are Z-Wave switches that will turn a fan on and off.
At this time, however, there are no Z-Wave fan speed controllers
or switches that would allow you to control the actual speed
of the fan. There are several companies working on these
fan speed controllers so we expect to see them on the market
before too long.
I am searching for an easy solution for integrating
a security system via Z-Wave. I don't know if these exist
yet, but I need window and door magnetic switches for a
security system, which will then integrate into a Z-Wave
control system. Are these out there, or still on the wishlist?
There are no direct to Z-Wave door and window magnetic switches
available at this time. There are some scheduled for certification
so I would expect to see them on the market soon. There
are home monitoring systems from
Xanboo and iControl
that use 400MHz window and door switches bridged to Z-Wave
controllers to provide the same function.
I have two four-plex apartment buildings that are about
100 yards away from each other. I would like to know if
there is a way to control the heat in the winter in each
of these apartments wirelessly using Z-Wave. I would like
to be able to control them from my laptop from inside one
of the units. I would like to be able to see what the temperature
in each unit is also from on my laptop. There is no internet
available at these sites. What options would I have for
this project?
The best solution is to create a separate Z-Wave network
for each unit and come in to each unit via an internet or
RS485 bridge. As there is no internet available and I'm
assuming you don't want to run cables, you could use a single
Z-Wave network, one home ID, and control each unit as if
they were rooms in a single house. While Z-Wave is a low-power
RF Mesh networking technology and 100 yards is beyond the
design range for the technology you may find that you can
get Z-Wave to communicate over this distance in clear space,
i.e.. no physical obstructions. You could test this by purchasing
a few plug-in appliance modules and put one in each building
and see if you get communication. I would place the plug-modules
as close to each other in each building and starting with
both modules on the upper floors of each building. This
may work, I've seen Z-wave modules work over this distance,
however, your best bet is to use a bridge product and keep
each building as a separate Z-Wave network.
I'm planning to build a new home in Kansas City and
I'm very intrigued by Z-Wave technologies. Where can I find
out more about Z-Wave in new home construction and Z-Wave
design assistance, products, etc?
The best place for this kind of information are the following
websites:
www.zwaveworld.com
www.zwaveproducts.com
www.z-wave.com
www.z-wavealliance.org
What is the modulation in Z-wave?
The modulation of Z-Wave is FSK in the 900MHz ISM band
I'm looking to replace a couple of existing regular
switches in my theater room with Z-Wave switches. I have
a Harmony 1000 remote. Will my Harmony remote control up
to four different Z-Wave switches? Is it easy to program?
Where can I get switches? Are they reliable?
First, the Harmony
1000 remote will directly control your Z-Wave switches.
It's also easy to program. Log on to Harmony's web site
and set up your control menus and scenes, and download that
to the Harmony 1000. Then use the Harmony 1000 to create
a link between each of the logical devices (the ones you
created menu items for on the web site) with the actual
physical switches in the room. This is a push the button
process. You're done, sit back and enjoy!
Switches are currently available from Intermatic,
Wayne Dalton, ACT,
Monster,
and Leviton.
They will be available from Cooper
Wiring Devices and Jasco-GE
in the next few months.
Z-Wave is very reliable. Every command sent to a receiver
is acknowledged by the receiver. If the transmitter doesn't
receive the acknowledgement from the receiver it resends
the command. If there is still no acknowledgment the command
is routed to the intended receiver using other Z-Wave devices
to relay the command. As long as you have a Z-Wave device
every 30 meters or so you will have no problems with communication
reliability. The products themselves are also very reliable,
we are working with the best in class manufacturers in each
product category. Leviton, Cooper, Intermatic are all companies
that have been in the residential lighting business ever
since electric lighting was invented. Harmony and UEI are
the leaders in universal remotes. All these products are
very reliable and well supported.
The ZWaveWorld.com expert panel includes Mark Walters,
vice president, Z-Wave Alliance; Chris Walker, president
and chief software architect of ControlThink, and ZWW contributing
editor, David Powell.
