Z-Wave Technology
Z-Wave is a
wireless communications protocol used primarily for home automation and in
applications that require reliable, low-latency transmission of small data
packets at rates up to 100kbit/s. The throughput is 40Kbit/s and suitable for
control and sensor applications.
Like other
protocols and systems, a Z-wave based system can also be controlled via the
internet, by using a Z-wave gateway. Z-wave was originally developed by Danish
startup Zen-Sys and later acquired by Sigma Designs in 2008. There are 1,500
Z-wave certified devices available in the market.
Principle
members in the Z-Wave alliance include prominent names like ADT Corporation, LG
Uplus, Sigma Designs, Samsung SmartThings etc..
In 2013
Z-wave plus was announced featuring higher interoperability standards required
for the 500 series SoC. Some Z-Wave product vendors have open source options
for the hobbyist communities. OpenZwave was the first such software offering
development support without the need for companies to purchase expensive SDK
from Sigma (Owner).
Z-Wave uses
the Part 15 unlicensed industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band.[16] It
operates at 868.42 MHz in Europe, at 908.42 MHz in the U.S. and Canada but uses
other frequencies in other countries depending on their regulations. Though
this band is same as that of cordless telephones, it avoids interference with
other systems that operate on the crowded 2.4GHz band like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
etc.
Z-Wave frequencies in different countries:
According to
Wikipedia, “Z-Wave uses a source-routed mesh network architecture. Devices can
communicate to one another by using intermediate nodes to actively route around
and circumvent household obstacles or radio dead spots that might occur in the
multipath environment of a house.A message from node A to node C can be
successfully delivered even if the two nodes are not within range, providing
that a third node B can communicate with nodes A and C. If the preferred route
is unavailable, the message originator will attempt other routes until a path
is found to the C node.”
The chip
used for Z-Wave nodes is based on Intel MCS-51 micro-controller with an internal
clock of 16MHz. It requires a lot less power during transmission operation.
Some devices
available in the market with Z-wave tech include:-
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