#Zwave or zigbee

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

ocean merlin
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So I'm looking to help my church with some automation stuff. I'm debating between zwave and zigbee.

I know zigbee has a wider variety of equipment but zwave has better stability due to being on a different frequency.

where is a good dealer that I can purchase the equipment for either way I go?

weak agate
ocean merlin
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U.s. and right now it honestly is going to be a simple set up with just needing a button to start a "we are in a lock down" procedure.

But I'll talk to them if they need anything else as we start to dig into it.

weak agate
ocean merlin
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A lot of the walls are dry walls but there are a few firewalls (concrete)

weak agate
# ocean merlin A lot of the walls are dry walls but there are a few firewalls (concrete)

An interesting project here... some thoughts:

I think that I would lean towards z-wave here:
pros:
better range so don't have to worry too much about positioning and trying to build a mesh.
better to go through any more solid concrete walls to to sub-GHz frequency.
It does not use a frequency that is commonly used by a lot (potentially hundreds?) of devices that are in the building at a time.
It is "maybe" less likely to suffer a jamming attack... You mentioned "lock down"... so I assume there are certain risks that we shall not get into details of.

cons:
it is more expensive
there is less choice

Depending on the amount and type of devices needed I would say that the cons are pretty minimal.

ocean merlin
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We are looking at 4 buttons right now. I'm sure they will end up wanting to add other things when they find out what all home assistant can do

weak agate
ocean merlin
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I appreciate it!

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One last question

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Zwave is a mesh network also right?

weak agate
# ocean merlin Zwave is a mesh network also right?

ok so zwave can be both mesh and star. for the most part if you can keep to star then it is more ideal. the ZWA-2 supports running both simultaneously however if you do have range issues (which is probably unlikely unless the place is huge) then you can set up mesh.
if you need mesh then you can use an extra ZWA-2 with the (brand new) repeater firmware announced HERE.

I believe you may have to then specifically tell devices how to communicate over the mesh. but I don't have that much experience in z-wave usage.

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z-wave LR is good up to 1-1.5 miles. if you have a ZWA-2 on both ends I think the record is almost 6 miles.
Some concrete walls and people will reduce that a bit but It should be fine.

I do suggest putting the coordinator high up though. That means signals wont have to go through the crowd of people (or at least reduce it).

charred kestrel
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I was just looking at the zooz brand zwave stuff since I recently got a zwa2, though all my ZigBee stuff that is v3 has worked flawlessly in my home. Have heard good things about zooz and will likely try their high power cord thing to monitor my sump pump.

weak agate
charred kestrel
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Didn't know there was a podcast, will have to look it up

ocean merlin
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So I have this that I got a year or two ago. Will this work?

weak agate
# ocean merlin

the ZWA-2 is going to be a much better coordinator.
it uses an 800 series chip instead of the older 700
It also has a "correctly sized" antenna and base plate which means that it going to be much more reliable.

This is not to say that the above will not work, but if your looking for a solid system that is build to last for a while, getting the better device will probably pay for itself in time investment long time.

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Perhaps you could use this as a beta test / proof of concept though?

ocean merlin
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Now if I'm just testing with the 700 to see if everything works....

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Ok I stopped typing lol

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How important is it to have a case in a rasbery pi

weak agate
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however again... for "testing" if you have one knocking around then sure do what you want. but for "production" get something better.

ocean merlin
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I have 8 5s laying around

weak agate
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If you want something small and low power then get a Green.

ocean merlin
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What's the benefit of that over a pi?

weak agate
# ocean merlin I have 8 5s laying around

the issue with a rpi is that you need:
the rpi
a case
a ssd hat
a ssd
a psu

by the time you invest all that then there are other options.

This said if you already have the rpi and perhaps some of the other stuff then the equation changes a bit.

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In terms of server hardware selection, I have some thoughts on the subject HERE.

ocean merlin
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It'll be the ssd hat I'll need but everything else I have

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I also have mini computers laying around lmao

weak agate
ocean merlin
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Now could I just hook up a USB drive and call it a day?

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External drive

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Me and words today aren't working

weak agate
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As long as your not using a SD card then using a rpi is not alltogether a bad plan. Its just in most cases it ends up not being cost effective.

weak agate
weak agate
# ocean merlin External drive

Although with external drives its also recommended that you connect it via a USB Hub that has its own external power supply. This prevents the rpi trying to pull to much power under high load.

ocean merlin
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Makes sense.

weak agate
# ocean merlin Makes sense.

Consider putting it into a lockable cage of some sort. something that allows airflow but also stops a bunch of people going "I don't see why i cant charge my phone with this" with their charging cable that is multiple pieces and has to be held just right for it to work.

ocean merlin
weak agate
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I am not saying anyone would intentionally break it but... People are dumb 😛

ocean merlin
weak agate
ocean merlin
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Nope they are probably gonna turn me into the i.t. person

weak agate
# ocean merlin Nope they are probably gonna turn me into the i.t. person

Sounds like you have been drafted in yeah.... When it comes to devices, you could reach out to someone like Zooz and see if they can do any deals on stuff as its a church there may be tax writeoffs or something they can do to pass on a deal? Totally not my area of knowledge but if you end up getting a bunch of stuff it cant hurt to ask.

ocean merlin
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Is no

weak agate
mortal ore
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Kind of late to reply and maybe of limited value, but I have z-wave and a little Zigbee gear. I've had zero issues with the Z-wave stuff (to be fair, I've only had 1 Zigbee issue, but still... 1 > 0). I LOVE Zooz hardware, I've got probably 20 or so various devices and they all work great! I couldn't believe how deep the configuration settings go, I had a very strange use case and on the surface the ZEN55 just barely met the needs - well, after going through the advanced settings in the manual I was able to configure the thing to be perfect my needs. Anyway, just really impressed with Zooz.

ocean merlin
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If you are u.s.?

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Big things I'm looking for now is speaker and buttons

mortal ore
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I'm in the US and I buy from The Smartest House which I'm pretty sure is owned by Zooz, but not sure:
https://www.thesmartesthouse.com/collections/zooz

Speakers? Z-Wave and Zigbee aren't used for speakers.
Buttons? Like light switches? If so and you have a lot of switches and will need smart plugs, then I can't recommend anything but Lutron. Lutron is the best and I regularly pick up great deals on Ebay. I have searches saved and buy the basics whenever I can get a good enough price.

ocean merlin
mortal ore
charred kestrel
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There are zwave buttons out there:
https://apolloautomation.com/products/zooz-800-series-z-wave-long-range-remote-switch-zen34-800lr-battery-powered
https://apolloautomation.com/products/zooz-800-series-z-wave-long-range-wall-remote-zen37-800lr-battery-powered
They are designed to look like wall switches, but they are portable and the frame does not have to be mounted on a wall, or at all

Apollo Automation
Zooz 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range Remote Switch ZEN34 800LR (Battery P

Control Z-Wave devices or activate scenes with the multi-tap feature Classic white paddle/rocker switch design for a consistent look Wire-free: the perfect add-on switch to put in an existing switch box or install on any flat surface Scene Control (select hubs only): trigger up to 8 scenes or control up to 8 devices wi

Apollo Automation
Zooz 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range Wall Remote ZEN37 800LR (Battery Pow

4 smart buttons: control Z-Wave devices and activate scenes Install anywhere: fits a standard decora switch box, sticks to a wall, or keeps handy on your night stand (the screwless wall plate may require special mounting modifications on hard surfaces) No wires: this device is powered by a rechargeable battery for easi