I’m just getting started and seeing a lot of different information and a lot of obsolete products in the Z-Wave Radio Interface space. What is the best one to get that will cover a 1700 square foot house? I don’t mind spending up to $300 if it would provide robust coverage.
In some threads USB sticks seem to be the way to go, in others, recommending a dedicated hardware hub that can integrate with Home Assistant seems better.
Also half the USB sticks on Z-Wave’s website seem to be defunct, is there a general consensus for which one is reliable?
For reference, I’m going to be re-purposing a 3 year old i7 desktop to run Home Assistant and BlueIris.
Thanks in Advance!
I started out with the Smartthings V2 hub for a 1500sq foot house. I had 15ish z-wave hardwired light switches, and the system was rock solid. I only had one device drop off the network, and it happened only once. When I started incorporating motion detectors, it was a little too slow for my liking. I cut over to the Aeotec z-wave stick. It’s been just as consistent as Smartthings, but the config is more difficult. If you’re going to have hard-wired z-wave devices that act as repeaters, you should have a strong network regardless of what radio you’re using. (I had a z-wave wireless sensor in the mailbox 200 feet away from the house, worked great). I’ve seen the Aeotec stick pop up in these forums quite a bit, which is why I went that route with Hassio. I’d say the Smartthings hub wins for ease of use, and the Aeotec stick connected directly to hassio wins for speed.
On a semi-related note, manufacturers who don’t use an open standard like zigbee or z-wave will often prioritize Smartthings integration because they have such a large share of the smart market. (When it comes to appliances like stoves and refrigerators, there’s not a whole lot of smart options out there) If you want to keep some options open, ST may be a good way to go.
Another stick I’ve seen here often is the GoControl Z-Wave QuickStick Combo (HUSBZB-1) that supports both z-wave and zigbee. I haven’t tried that one, but I hear good things.
Thanks Ryan, I appreciate the input. I’ll give the Aeotec stick a try.