Hello,
I have just tried out a zooz zac93 with firmware 1.5. It seems to be possible to activate Long Range for the EU here. With 1.6 (SDK 7.23.2) the final version should finally be available.
Are there already any devices that support EU Long Range, or is it known whether there will be firmware updates for the 800 series at least?
I have asked several manufacturers. Zoos replied and confirmed that they will equip their 800 devices with EU LR. This can hopefully be done via OTA, but will still take some time.
P.S. A Razberry 7 pro (external antenna - 700 series) has an approx. 10 db better background RSSI than the ZAC93. I will therefore try to add an external antenna .
Today Iāve included my first Z- Wave EU LR device. Itās a Shelly H&T Sensor (QLHT-OU2Z).
Shelly seems to be the first company to offer various LR devices.
The first tests are simply outstanding. The range has been massively increased compared to standard Z-Wave Plus devices. My controller (Zooz ZAC93 with external antenna) is located in the center of the house. Even 4-5 solid concrete walls across floors are no longer a problem. The signal was still received about 150m outside the house.
Now I urgently need plug sockets with Z-Wave LR. I would prefer a firmware update for the Zooz ZEN15 plug
I really think this could give Z-Wave in Europe a boost, as it means that radio problems are a thing of the past.
Since yesterday, I have had two Shelly Wave Plug S LR QNPL-0A112 devices. They work (nearly) as expected. LongRange Inclusion was super easy, both directly from HA and via z-wave js ui.
The range is also better, of course, compared to the device (Zooz ZEN15 in mesh mode) with the best range that I have been able to test so far. However, I donāt think that these LR plugs alone will get you further than a mesh with 1-2 hops, at least not in my building.
So now Iām waiting for the LR version of the Zen15. Due to its design, this plug appears to be equipped with a significantly better antenna.
I would like to share my latest experiences with the Shelly Plug LR. After various tests.
I unfortunately have to conclude that the range of the plug in LR mode is only as far as a Zooz ZEN15 in mesh mode. Since the same chip is used, this is probably due to the antenna in the external housing of the Zooz Power Plug.
However, it reaches significantly further than a Fibaro FGWP102, Qubino Smart Plug, or an Aeotec Smart Switch 7. This makes it the best plug in a compact form Iāve ever tested. However, it will not reach further than a mesh in 2 hops, at least not in my building.
Nevertheless, I can hardly wait for the LR update for the ZEN15. This should then show what is possible with LR in the EU.
Another note for all Shelly 1PM mini (LR) owners. Today there was a firmware update due to a small bug. Since this (LR) version was stored in the same folder as the non-LR version, it can be assumed that existing (non-LR) devices can be updated to LR with this. Perhaps somebody will try.
Hi, sorry for Offtopic.
I have also an Zooz ZAC93 GPIO Module.
@memphi2 you mentioned an external antenna.
Could you please show me a picture of it?
Iām interested how itās look like.
Is it worth it to add the antenna?
Did this mod give you some improvements?
currently Iām testing the new Aeotec ZWA050 Smoke Shield.
The reception is just insanely good.
There isnāt a single spot in my solidly built house where the reception doesnāt work perfectly.
So I went outside for a moment. The reception was still possible in combination with a ZWA-2 in the middle of the building at a distance of 370 meters, including other buildings in between.
Personally, I stick with nonālong-range sensors in the house, specifically to maintain a mesh network. The more mesh-capable sensors you remove, the worse the Z-Wave network becomesā¦ (of course, this only applies to sensors with repeater functionality, meaning those that are powered).
The advantage of long-range would only really come into play if you exceed the distance covered by the mesh network.
But ideally, in my opinion, the best setup is a network built on a strong mesh foundation.
Also, the price of long-range devices is quite high, and there are still many missing options in LRālike thermostats that attach directly to radiators. Zooz 800 had something listed on Amazon, but the reviews were pretty bad and it was eventually removed.
In my case, only one of the 30 sensors is powered, the rest are battery-operated. LR definitely makes sense for all battery-operated devices, e.g. because of the battery life.
In the specific case of the smoke detector, it is located two floors away and separated by at least five concrete walls. This could not be done via a mesh network. I had a second network in the basement for this purpose.
I operate powered devices in mesh mode as far as possible, but even here I have three plugs that were difficult or impossible to reach via mesh. Thatās where I use LR. This has no negative impact on the stability of the mesh. On the contrary, the network becomes more stable and the overall response faster when distant devices with few hops do not block the mesh network.
So it always depends on the individual situation, but especially in Europe, LR helps in many situations. However, there are still < 20 devices that support EU LR. Thatās why Iām testing them, especially for range.
They donāt cost any more than non-LR devices, and some manufacturers are also releasing firmware updates to make 800 series devices LR-capable. Thatās why I think the situation is great. No one has to use LR, but it offers a range that is otherwise unattainable compared to Mesh Z-Wave, Zigbee, or Matter.
Do I understand correctly it is compatible with the Ei650W and the Ei650iW and none of the others of that series of smoke detectors?
And that after 10 years I have to replace the smoke detector (battery will be dead and in any case the sensor is not rated for more than 10 years); and it is unlikely that at that moment there will still be a smoke detector on the market that is compatible with the Aeotec ZWA050 Smoke Shield?
I have not yet invested in a LR compatible stick, but if I get it right, the Aeotec ZWA050 Smoke Shield should be backwards compatible so I can āupgradeā later?
You are right, currently only the Ei650W and Ei650iW are supported. But Iām confident the there will be compatible Ei smoke detectors availible for a long time, because their standard port is used to connect the shield.
I bought a set with a Ei60iW and I have to say, that is a really high quality device.
I will replace one or two older Fibaros with this combination of aeotec shield and Ei smoke detector.
And yes, you can include it in your mesh network. If you want to switch to LR (makes always sense for every battery device, because it increases the life of the batteries) you have to exclude the device, switch your smart start entry to LR and then re-include it.
It makes sense that the mesh isnāt working well in your case. If thereās only one device acting as a repeater and itās not mains-powered, the network canāt really take advantage of the mesh concept. The whole point of Z-Wave is to create a reliable mesh with multiple sensors and actuators that also serve as repeaters.
Thatās why the performance is poor with your current setup and why long-range seems necessary here. For example, if you were controlling all your electric shutters with Z-Wave devices that are always powered, youād already have a much stronger mesh. Adding smart plugs would also help.
Reviews confirm the same thing: 800LR isnāt always efficient on battery because it operates outside the mesh and has to connect directly to the controller. Iām in Europe too, and I donāt really see why LR would be better here compared to a proper mesh setup.
Iām sorry, but my mesh works perfect.
Nevertheless, the distance to the basement is too great. And no, I canāt add any more mains-powered devices to the 60 I already have, because I donāt own the floors in between. Devices with one or more hops always have greater latency than a directly connected device. So even if it were possible, I would still run battery-powered devices in LR mode. Simply because a mesh can never be better than a direct connection.
The goal must always be for all devices , to communicate directly with the controller. With the help of LR, this is now the case for me. It couldnāt be better or more reliable; every device always responds immediately, and even multicasts with 20 devices are no problem.
As for battery life, only LR mode has any battery-saving function at all. According to my preliminary tests, batteries last 2-3 times longer in LR mode, not the other way around.
Thatās exactly why I donāt rely on reviews or anything like that. I prefer to test things out for myself
@markruys Just got one of those white Shelly Wave Plug S, and updated it to the current firmware/SDK. It seems to be exactly the same to the black ones(11.4/7.23.1). But it is not!
Both plugs have the same 800 series chip, but only the black one sends a LR Smart Start request.
It looks like this:
[REQ] [ApplicationUpdateRequest]
type: SmartStart_LongRange_HomeId_Received
remote node ID: 0
NWI home ID: 0xfbxxxxxx
basic device class: End Node
generic device class: 16
specific device class: 0
supported CCs:
Ā· Z-Wave Plus Info
Ā· Security
Ā· Security 2
Ā· Transport Service
Ā· Association
Ā· Association Group Information
Ā· Multi Channel Association
Ā· Device Reset Locally
Ā· Firmware Update Meta Data
Ā· Indicator
Ā· Notification
Ā· Powerlevel
Ā· Supervision
Ā· Version
Ā· Binary Switch
Ā· Configuration
Ā· Manufacturer Specific
Ā· Meter
The white one does not send this LR request, only a standard Zwave Smart Start request:
[REQ] [ApplicationUpdateRequest]
type: SmartStart_HomeId_Received
remote node ID: 0
NWI home ID: 0xfbxxxxxx
basic device class: Routing End Node
generic device class: 16
specific device class: 0
supported CCs:
Ā· Z-Wave Plus Info
Ā· Security
Ā· Security 2
Ā· Transport Service
Ā· Association
Ā· Association Group Information
Ā· Multi Channel Association
Ā· Device Reset Locally
Ā· Firmware Update Meta Data
Ā· Indicator
Ā· Notification
Ā· Powerlevel
Ā· Supervision
Ā· Version
Ā· Binary Switch
Ā· Configuration
Ā· Manufacturer Specific
Ā· Meter
Donāt know why they are doing this, but we have to contact the shelly support,because this is really unnecessary. Technically, the white plugs should definitely be able to do LR, and the firmware should be able to do it too. So they are limiting this.
Besides, I think the black ones are ugly.
