Both the Wink Hub and Samsung's SmartThings Hub offer Z-Wave and Zigbee support. Plenty of other devices from Yale and Honey through to a suite of GE appliances all work equally well with either protocol.
To date, brands like Kwikset, Piper, Schlage, Samsung, Wink, and Yale all work with Z-Wave. That means you've got a lot of options as you build out your network. Z-Wave products work with a number of other home automation systems, too, meaning you aren't necessarily locked into only Z-Wave products.
Z-Wave is the leading smart home technology found in millions of products around the world. It is a wireless technology that will not interfere with your Wi-Fi signal and operates on low power.
Z-Wave and ZigBee devices can't work with Matter directly, but they could be connected to a Matter system with a bridge. For example, the Philips Hue smart lights mentioned earlier use ZigBee, and their ZigBee hub is being updated to bridge them into Matter. No Z-Wave bridges have been announced yet.
Z-Wave Has Fewer Congestion Problems
As such, Z-Wave's network has much less congestion, as it operates on a lower radio frequency - 908.42 MHz. Zigbee's frequency is closer to that of Wi-Fi - 2.4ghz - meaning a lot more congestion.
The program only works if you have the Ring Alarm security system, which is Z-Wave-enabled and acts as its own hub, with no Wink, SmartThings or other third-party hub required.
Do I need a hub? Yes - to get the most out of your Z-Wave device, a Z-Wave Certified hub is required to set schedules and control remotely away from the home, which a handheld Z-Wave controller cannot do.
Z-Wave devices in a Vera system have a range of about 330-feet (100-meters) when used outdoors with no obstructions. When Z-Wave signals pass through walls or large obstacles, there is resistance, reducing the range.
Does Alexa Work With Z-Wave Devices? None of the current Amazon Alexa smart speakers have the ability to connect using Z-Wave. Echo devices control most smart home tech using Wi-Fi instead. Some recent Alexa speakers (like the 4th-gen Echo) have Zigbee controllers, but they still don't have Z-Wave.
The Apple HomeKit certified Z-Wave controller to extend your Smart Home with Z-Wave products. Thinka bridges HomeKit to Z-Wave. The (included) Z-Wave controller is best of breed, with a 700 series chip for better range, Smart Start, provisioning, backup and restore, remote access and remote support.
All in all, you can use Z-wave devices with Google Home by linking them via a smart hub.
At $9.99/month, the fee can be hard to swallow, especially when you realize there are many Z-Wave hubs out there that do just as much, or more, while requiring no monthly fees.
Yes. Z-Wave devices, including smart locks, need a Z-Wave controller such as the Ring Alarm Base Station to communicate between the locks and Ring Alarm.
A Z-Wave network can handle a maximum of 232 devices (nodes), including the primary controller.
It uses Z-Wave to communicate to the devices, and Wi-Fi to communicate to the internet, which includes the Ring app.
Ring Alarm uses Z-Wave. Ring video doorbells, cameras, and smart lights also work with Z-Wave with the use of a Z-Wave compatible smart hub. Ring devices are not compatible with Zigbee at this time.
Ring Alarm uses Z-Wave protocol via ring video doorbells, smart lights, sensors, and cameras that work with Z-Wave by using a compatible Z-Wave smart hub. While Ring works perfectly with almost all Z-Wave devices, it still is not compatible with ZigBee.
Z-Wave uses the Part 15 unlicensed ISM band. It operates at 908.42 MHz in the U.S. and Canada but uses other frequencies in other countries depending on their regulations. The modulation is Gaussian frequency shift keying (FSK).
If you're looking to get into Z-Wave devices for your smart home you'll need a certified Z-wave hub (officially called a Z-Wave Controller). This device is required to form the heart of your Z-Wave network and allow for connection to your normal home network so your smart phone or computer can talk to your devices.
Z-Wave works as a wireless and secure mesh network. You control your devices as outlined above by controller, key fob, smart phone, tablet or computer. A command is sent from whatever controller you're using to a hub and then this command is routed to the destination device.
Z-Wave is therefore usually more expensive because Z-Wave members have to pay membership fees, and agree to produce their devices in a particular way so that they are all compatible with each-other.
That's why all new eero hardware comes equipped with a Thread radio. Thread is the latest generation in a series of low-power wireless protocols like Z-wave, Bluetooth, and Zigbee, but because it uses IPv6 natively, it's more reliable, and employs secure protocols and encryption by default.
Differences between Z-Wave and Z-Wave Plus
Z Wave Plus has extended device communication range. The new Z Wave protocol extends communication between devices from 40 feet to about 60 feet. Z Wave Plus devices are smaller which require less power to operate.