New Z-Wave Products Options

[Rob]

Thought we might keep a list of what's on the horizon as well as new stuff coming out.

hit the specs tab for the z-wave info
http://actiontec.com/products/broadband/zcontrol/
http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/4585/act...oduces_zcontrol

[img]http://actiontec.com/products/broadband/zcontrol/images/zControl.jpg[/img]

[Rob]

some possible z-wave integration through open source software misterhouse

http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net/

some discussion on the z-wave interface

http://misterhouse.wikispaces.com/Z-Wave

http://www.nabble.com/Z-Wave-web-accessible-td14301325.html

[Rob]

from garylm over on controlthink's forum. good catch. thanks gary.

" Portus Home unveiled their new Z-Wave-enabled gateway at C.E.S.. The girl at the booth showed us some of the features of their GUI, which covered all of the stuff you'd expect, but one feature that caught my attention were some screens that plot your power usage. This brought up the question of whether Portus does power line monitoring. This question stumped the poor girl, who must have been working from a script. The answer is found in their brochure: "by inserting Portus Home power monitor appliance modules beween an appliance and the power outlet, you can monitor its current power usage, consumption history and energy costs." The brochure doesn't say whether the power monitor modules are Z-Wave devices. The gateway also has WiFi, Ethernet, and USB connections.

Mention of a subscription service is made, but no details are provided on their web site, which is under construction."

Portus Home Press Release

[img]http://www.portushome.com/images/monitor.gif[/img]

[Genesis]

HomeDaemon now has pretty-functional ZWave support (freely distributable, operates on FreeBSD and should run on Linux)

[Rob]

hawking just hit with their new door sensors.

http://www.gohawking.com/store/product_inf...products_id=324

[Rob]

z-wave on a mac...what will they think of next -

http://www.zwaveworld.com/new.php
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/25/usb-to-...-comes-to-os-x/

[garylm]

I received a CES follow-up email from Tom Chou at Good Way, Taiwan in which he said the following:

Good Way is the ODM/OEM partner for Z-wave application. So far, we have built up several applications with Z-wave Technology listing as below.
1. Z-wave remote controller featuring digital home scenaric control
2. Z-wave Vista side show remote
3. Z-wave iPod dock
4. Z-wave module for application embedded

For more information, please contact with us directly.

These devices were not shown at CES, and there is still nothing on their site about their Z-Wave devices.

[garylm]

More about Portus Home: This article may answer the question of whether the power monitoring appliance modules are Z-Wave devices:

The sensors and system connect inside the house via Z-Wave.

Several articles and press releases indicate that they will also have door sensors.

Portus is scheduled to hit the market on April 1st.

So we've got two companies now promising integrated Z-Wave gateway packages with sensor support - Portus and Hawking Tech (HRDS1). Neither company's Z-Wave door sensor is currently available for sale. And none of our favorite vendors currently has a generic version of the door sensor for sale. And ControlThink, which should have lots of information about these sensors, has only said that they are "watching the situation very closely." I'm going to guess that the door sensors are all coming from EverSpring, and that they will all hit the market on April 1st.

I'm also guessing that we'll see something big from ControlThink and Leviton during the same period. Maybe we'll finally see the Vizia RF Foyer. Maybe they've been holding it back, making sure that it fully supports the coming wave of sensors.

Or maybe I'm setting myself up to be April-fooled.

[Rob]

gary,

the hawking link i posted above has the door sensors showing 'in stock'. have you tried to by them from there?

[garylm]

Thanks for setting me straight Rob. Your link works. The "shop online" link on this page was coming back: "no featured merchants."

So I ordered one successfully using Rob's link. I'm anxious to see what kind of documentation comes in the box and whether I can get the sensor to work without the Hawking Gateway.

[David Powell]

Sorry I am a moment too late on this but this in on their support page:
http://www.hawkingtech.com/support/details...&ProdID=383

For Use with:
- HomeRemote Gateway (required and sold separately)

[garylm]

Gateway (required and sold separately)

I'm not afraid. The door sensor couldn't be any worse than the InTouch CA9000. It's probably the same kind of Routing Binary Sensor. And as Genesis recently demonstrated, once you've got an RZC0P, you can bounce Z-Wave frames off the device until it coughs up its secrets. I expect the same lack of documentation here as we've seen with other devices that are intended as part of a manufacturer's "closed" system. I'll post what I find here at Z-WaveWorld, or I'll box it up, send it to Genesis, and let him figure it out. He seems to have a knack. The worst that can happen is that the thing eats batteries unless there's a live controller out there, constantly putting the sensor back in sleep mode.

While I'm waiting for my new toy, do any of you pro installers have any suggestions on where along the door's perimeter is the best place to mount a wireless sensor?

[David Powell]

I'm not afraid. The door sensor couldn't be any worse than the InTouch CA9000. It's probably the same kind of Routing Binary Sensor. And as Genesis recently demonstrated, once you've got an RZC0P, you can bounce Z-Wave frames off the device until it coughs up its secrets. I expect the same lack of documentation here as we've seen with other devices that are intended as part of a manufacturer's "closed" system. I'll post what I find here at Z-WaveWorld, or I'll box it up, send it to Genesis, and let him figure it out. He seems to have a knack. The worst that can happen is that the thing eats batteries unless there's a live controller out there, constantly putting the sensor back in sleep mode.

While I'm waiting for my new toy, do any of you pro installers have any suggestions on where along the door's perimeter is the best place to mount a wireless sensor?

Inside the home at the top corner oposite of the hinges. You want it to go off with the slightest movement in the door and if you putt it too close to the hinges the door may be able to open too far without a trigger. Use double sided sticky tape for testing.

[Rob]

from hawking's press release on z-wave alliance (http://www.z-wavealliance.org/modules/iaCM...hp?id=213909504):

"When used with the HomeRemote Gateway, the new line of HomeRemote modules supports Scheduling, Alerts and Notifications and Device Linking. The HRDS1 Door Sensor and HRMD1 Motion Detector add security and convenience to the HomeRemote system by detecting intruders and turning on lights or appliances when a person has been detected. "

from hawking's press (http://www.hawkingtech.com/pressdetails.ph...&PressID=60):
Home SecurityHomeRemote™ is an affordable home security system that can alert the homeowner of security breaches at several different locations within the home. Using motion detectors and window/door sensors, the HomeRemote™ System will notify the user in real-time via the web-based control panel, email notifications, or text messages to a cell phone, that a specific event has occurred. The HomeRemote™ can also trigger an alarm to sound or audio/video recording to begin.* The system has scheduling capabilities to turn outdoor and indoor lights on automatically, thereby warding off intruders with the appearance of a busy home.
* Audio and Video integration is available as a Phase 2 addition.** Motion Detector device required and is available as a Phase 2 addition.


so it looks like it may be in the binary sensor class as a slave with support for associations.

[Rob]

Intouch came out with their usb stick

http://www.intouchcontrols.com/intouch-products.php

controlthink also has a beta one out which i personally like

homeseer may be rebranding the intouch stick but here is there link also
http://store.homeseer.com/store/HomeSeer-S...ce-P521C66.aspx

then there is the aspire rf regular and pro sticks
http://www.zwaveproducts.com/ASPIRE-RF-ZWA...h-Software.html

and let's not forget the original bad johnny, the intermatic ha22 now replaced by the ha23
http://www.shopping.com/xPO-Intermatic-ZWave-Adapter
http://www.homesettings.com/products-ha23.html

[Genesis]

Yep - figuring out what it does when "triggered" is easy - its the power management that requires a lot of fidding and farting around.

That was the only hard part with the CA9000, but its not impossible - just a royal pain in the derriere.

Push comes to shove, I start hollering and swearing at the manufacturers - in public. That usually gets their attention. Squeaky wheel and all....

[Rob]

genesis, i'm curious as to what you have found out for power management on the ca9000. i just caved in and got the a/c adapter but would rather use batteries in the long term if possible. problem is i like the shortest pulse time.

[Genesis]

Rob, see the HomeDaemon source code..... 'tis all in there.

I'm running on batteries, have the PIRs reporting battery level (yes, they can and will if you ask them to) and have consumed from 1-5% of the batteries in the four units that I have online at present over the space of about two to three weeks.

I'm using "low self-discharge" NiMH batteries in them as well, which means that I'm seeing some of the battery's self-discharge curve. If I get six months between trips to the charger I'll be happy, and it appears that this will be no problem.

[garylm]

My HRDS1 arrived from Hawking Tech today.

The box says: System Requirements - HomeRemote (Z-Wave) Gateway

But the manual says: Requires - HomeRemote Pro Gateway or HomeRemote Gateway, or Door Sensor Compatible Z-Wave controller

I used the Z-Tool and HA22 to add it to my network, and then I switched over to the RZC0P for some fun and games. So far I've only tried sending SE48 and SE132 messages, and so far it behaves just like the InTouch PIR. Tomorrow I'll have more time, and I'll try associations and battery level.

I took the thing apart and snapped some photos if anybody is interested.

The "program" switch is a micro switch that protrudes through a hole in the back. The program switch is just sensitive enough that you can press the whole box when the box is flush mounted.

Here's another question about mounting door sensors. I'm going to have to chisel out a place for the sensor in the molding around the door. The sensor's magnet is much smaller than the sensor itself, and I'm wondering if it would be OK to mount the sensor upside down on the door and mount the magnet on the door frame. The sensor does have screw terminals for connecting external power, but if I'm running off batteries, shouldn't it be OK for the sensor to swing with the door? Or is that tacky?

And I want to paint it black - not because I'm a Rolling Stones fan, but because all of my hardware, switches, outlets, and light cans are black.

[David Powell]

Sweet. You should start another thread to post your photos and keep track of all your programming findings. I think these would be great in medicine cabinets and other drawers that you don't want your kids getting into. For instance my 2 year old daughter got into our pencil and pens drawer and found a Sharpie. Thankfully, I had a bottle of Toluene and Isopropyl alcohol mixture which takes marker of anthing really easy. She had our new dining room table covered.