Which Z Wave 700?

Configuration Z-Wave
#1

I have been running Z Wave very successfully in our holiday home with a Aeotec Z Stick 5+ (upgraded from just the 5)and have decided to add some zwave to out home property (EU Frequency) both properties use dockers eg HA in a docker and zwavejs2mqtt in a docker

So went out and bought newest one - Z Stick 7 then saw below…

  • Aeotec Z-Stick 7 USB stick (ZWA010) (the EU version is not recommended due to RF performance issues)

Does anyone know if this has been resolved with latest firmware or am I wasting my time and should buy something else?

Thanks in advance!!

Stuart

#2

Anyone got any insights - or anyone using it successfully?

Cheers

Stuart

#3

Myself I have zwave running it two different locations. I use the Aoetec Gen 5+ in both. I have a 700 sitting on my desk unused. Here’s why

a) consistency - I run the same HASS version, zwavejs, stick, hardware and try to use the same zwave devices. This reduces variation and solving the inevitable problems. I update zwave and HASS every 3 months, first on one system then after a week update the second, always running the same versions. Since the gen5 has been rock solid, I have no reason to try something else.

b) backup hardware - I keep extra gen5 sticks and have practiced restoring NVM backups and swapping the backup stick in. If the stick goes bad and you don’t have a backup or discover you can’t restore the backup that’s a bad place to be. So now I can rotate sticks and right now am running on the backup stick.

If I was going to move to Gen 7, I’d restore the NVM backup from Gen5, swap the Gen 7 in, map the new stick into zwavejs, start it and see if the devices come up, if so I’d then run it for a week, with the ability to roll back to the gen5 if problems arise.

Regarding your question, if it was me, I’d use the Gen 5+ in the new location also. Get a couple extra for backups, make sure they are all on the zwave aoetec firmware version. Get your new system working. Practice backup and restore. This way if you have problems in the new location it’ll likely be the strength of the zwave mesh and not the hw / sw.

If and when there is some important functional reason for moving to a new stick, then you’re in a good stable place to experiment from.

#4

I’ve been running Aeotec 7 stick EU for over a year, no issues detected. I don’t have a comparison to other sticks, but the range was absolutely decent. Z-wave sensors operate fine 2 floors below stick. I have 16 sensors.

I’ve been so satisfied that I bought another one, and later on I’ve read the warning on HA site :slight_smile: at least it works for me