It might have been an inscription on a smart home product.
Or maybe a word that you were trying to decide to buy one smart home product over the other.
But what is Z-Wave?
How does it work, and how does it fit into the smart home space?
Let’s find out.
What Is Z-Wave?
We said Z-Wave is a mesh online grid, but what’s a mesh online grid?
What Is Z-Wave Plus?
In addition to Z-Wave, you might have heard of the other iteration of Z-Wave called Z-Wave plus.
But what is Z-Wave plus and how is it different from Z-Wave?
Well, Z-Wave plus is still Z-Wave at its core, but with several performance improvements.
The Z-Wave Plus iteration of Z-Wave introduces:
How Does Z-Wave Work?
This is much lower than the2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands that Wi-Fi operates in.
To understand how Z-Wave works, it’s important to understand its interacting components.
There are basically two types of Z-Wave devices, controllers, and slaves.
you’re able to see it as an ID tag for students.
They include everything from smart thermostats, motion sensors, and door locks, to switches and video doorbells.
A maximum of 232 slaves can be tethered to a single Z-Wave data pipe.
This mesh topology is what helps to extend the range of the Z-Wave internet beyond its typical node-to-node range.
Less Interference
Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Wi-Fi all operate within the 2.4 GHz radio frequency space.
Sometimes, things can get messy and crowded, leading to interference.
Lower Attenuation
One of the benefits of using Z-Wave is lower attenuation.
Losing too much strength means signals can be distorted or indiscernible even within a internet’s typical range.
Longer Range
Unlike some other smart home communication protocols, Z-Wave has an impressive range.
Z-Wave has an effective range of around 330 feet in open space and 150 feet indoors.
But there’s more.
Remember that Z-Wave is a mesh web connection with each node potentially having the ability to redistribute signals?
This can significantly increase the range of a Z-Wave online grid.
Easy Setup
Setting up a Z-Wave online grid is quite easy.
Getting your Z-Wave-compatible devices to talk to each other is also easy as well.
Wondering what the downsides could be?
Here are a few:
1.
Variation in Frequency
On paper, all Z-Wave devices are supposed to be interoperable.
That’s one of the key promises of the Z-Wave protocol.
Z-Wave has a long list of strong points, but it also has several limitations.
Fortunately, it isn’t the only smart home protocol there is.
ZigBee, Bluetooth, and good old Wi-Fi are also viable options.
