Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation

re: Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation

Robert Conlin — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:22:10 GMT

z-wave currently operates in the 900Mhz range so it will only interfere with other products in that range such as some old portable phones. it was designed to use the 900Mhz to provide deeper penetration through interference such as thick walls. it is a mesh network meaning that if component A cannot get to component B directly it will use component C to get around back to B, etc. to increase the ability to reach a trouble node add another z-wave module inbetween. this can be as simple as a plugin module.

re: Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation

MitchSchaft — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:52:42 GMT

One thing I like about mControl's company is their support. They're constantly working and posting in the forums.

re: Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation

Marc — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:58:50 GMT

Nice timing as this is the next area I am expanding in (after MCE and WHS)

here is a question:

I have a older home (1920's) so zWave sound like the way to go:

Does ZWave interfere with wireless networks or phones?

Can zWave deal with thick stone walls?

re: Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation

JazJon — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:27:38 GMT

Good news from mControl. They said they are very close to adding Lutron RadioRA support in the near future. I just got a contact and asked him if I could help beta test anything. You can send them an iquiry on the site.

www.embeddedautomation.com/EACOSupport.htm

Hopefully mControl supports the Vista-20P security system as well. I just got it from

www.doityourselfsecuritysystems.com

I got the best deal on all my RadioRA from http://radiora.biz/

re: Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation

Mcfly — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:25:12 GMT

Nice writing Chris!

Do you have any info on which of these are available for 230V? :) I know for sure that X10 has devices for Europe, and Clipsal's C-Bus is also quite popular over here...

re: Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation

Mike Brown — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:02:04 GMT

Just an FYI.. Smarthome now has some 2 wire switches (no neutral required).

I have around 20 or so Insteon devices with mControl and I couldn't be happier..