Two weeks into this project and I’m loving it, have all sorts of light switches and plugs and a few automations, all using zigbee as Z-wave seems so expensive.
But I’d like to get my feet wet with Z-wave. I see their sensors are really not that expensive and I’m thinking of setting up an automation where when I walk into a room and stay in the room, the light turns on and stay on.
So is there any downside or upside for me purchasing a z-wave four in one sensor? I should mention I have both Zigbee and Z-Wave USB sticks, both recognized properly.
Both will be entirely separate meshes. While they won’t interfere with each other (different parts of the RF spectrum), they will not strengthen each others meshes either. Using two technologies will make your system generally more complex and fragmented. Direct association is not possible between devices of a different technology (to keep your home going when HA is down).
Different technology, cherry pick what you need from each, you got more choice (price, availability, reliability). Can be used for redundancy. When one mesh goes down, the other will (probably) still work. Better penetration and longer range with ZWave.
To build on this point, it’s important to develop a mental model of the “mesh network” for either Zigbee or ZWave. If your first device is at the opposide end of the house from where your USB stick is you will be frustrated and “swear off this lousy technology.” On the other hand, if your first device is a wired plug or switch relativly near the stick, then the next device is a bit further out, etc., the mesh builds and gets stronger with each (wired) device, and you can reach the far end of the house with a solid reliable connection.