Z-Wave can automate your entire home

Home automation isn't a new idea; in fact, there are many systems on the market that will let you control and even automate your household electronics regardless of where you are. Unfortunately, these conventional control systems are costly and complicated, and beyond what most people need, or even want in their homes. You can install a Z-Wave system and build the network with additional devices as you go to expand from a device to a room, to your entire home.

Controlling your home remotely - from anywhere in the world - with Z-Wave is a new idea. It can offer all of the same benefits as a powerful, custom control system, but it can also offer any of them individually. Due to its modular design and extensive interoperability, you can use Z-Wave to control any specific task around your house without having to invest in an elaborate, confusing home control system. With Z-Wave, you can easily and inexpensively create customized control solutions for any room or situation, and add new ones to your home over time.

Z-Wave: a modular approach to building a smart home

Z-Wave lets you build your control system as your needs grow. Maybe your first step into home automation is to add Z-Wave remote control to your lights. You can easily program them to shut off when you're at work and turn back on to welcome you when you return home, making sure you don't arrive home in the dark while also saving energy and money. You could then introduce more functions to this basic setup by adding Z-Wave to your garage door, your home entry, and your home security system. When you arrive home from work, simply push a button and all your Z-Wave devices will work in concert -- the garage door will open, your entryways will light up, your security system will recognize you and disarm itself, and your front door will unlock. How's that for remote control? 

Once you're inside, your home can welcome you with just the mood you want. Z-Wave can have your favorite music playing for you on arrival and the thermostat set to your preferred temperature. While you were away, Z-Wave made sure the lawn sprinkler watered your lawn on schedule. If it had rained, you could have bypassed the sprinkler from work remotely via internet, smartphone, or tablet. When you're ready to call it a night, the push of a single button could turn off your house lights, activate your security system, turn down the thermostat, lock the doors, turn on the bedroom humidifier, and set up the coffee pot to greet you with a fresh cup when you awake all while you're already in bed.

All with one button. All added easily and inexpensively to your home. All with no new wiring. And all according to your budget and timetables, to meet your needs and your lifestyle. Z-Wave gives you simple, affordable, personalized control solutions. Isn't that what home control was supposed to be about?

What is Z-Wave?

Z-Wave is the next-generation wireless ecosystem that lets all your home electronics talk to each other, and to you, via remote control. Z-Wave uses simple, reliable, low-power radio waves that easily travel through walls, floors, and cabinets. Its functionality can be added to almost any electronic device in your house, even devices that you wouldn't ordinarily think of as "smart", such as appliances, window shades, thermostats, and home lighting.

Z-Wave unifies all your home electronics into an integrated wireless network, with no complicated programming and no new cables to run. Any Z-Wave enabled device can be effortlessly added to this network, and many non-Z-Wave devices can be made compatible by simply plugging them into a Z-Wave accessory module. In seconds, your devices get joined to the network and can communicate wirelessly with other Z-Wave modules and controllers, providing you with a smart home you will truly enjoy.

Z-Wave lets you control these devices in ways that give you complete control of your home even when you're not there.  You can control your Z-Wave smart home remotely from anywhere in the world via smart phone, tablet, or PC.

Z-Wave Is Simple

Z-Wave control is easily added to almost any device in minutes. Simply plug the device you want to control into a Z-Wave module, and "join" it to your Z-Wave network.

Z-Wave Is Modular

With Z-Wave, you can add as much or as little home control as you want over time. You can add Z-Wave to a device, a room, a floor or the entire home, according to your needs and desires.

Z-Wave Is Affordable

Unlike costly whole-home control systems that need special wiring and professional installation, Z-Wave is accessible and budget-friendly. Spend a fraction of the price for a whole system!

Z-Wave Is Powerful

Z-Wave's intelligent mesh networking is able to accurately provide the present status of any Z-Wave enabled device, and gives you confirmation that your devices have received the automatic or manual control commands you want.

Z-Wave Is Versatile

Z-Wave can be added to almost anything in your home that uses electricity, and gives you the power to control or monitor them from your home or away from home.

Z-Wave Is Intelligent

Z-Wave enabled devices can work together as a team. Have your garage door turn on your house lights when you come home. Have your door locks notify you when your children arrive home from school. Turn your downstairs lights off from upstairs. Create your own intelligent "scenes" controlled with Z-Wave.

Z-Wave delivers on all of the promises of the wired home, and opens up exciting new possibilities for the smarthome. Hundreds of Z-Wave enabled products are already widely available, from some of the best-known brands that you already know and trust. Take a few moments to acquaint yourself with Z-Wave. Get to know how Z-Wave makes your home - and your life - safer, more secure, more economical, more convenient and more enjoyable!

Why Z-Wave

Remote Access. By using a Z-Wave gateway you can connect to the things inside your house whether you're at home or while you're away.

Currently there are over 4,700 different Z-Wave products that all work together so you can choose the products that are right for your home.

Z-Wave Empowers Innovation

Z-Wave’s flexibility and reliability make it a natural fit for innovators looking to expand offerings in the smart home and IoT industries. With so many companies using Z-Wave the abilities to control your home are constantly changing and becoming innovative.

Z-Wave has the greatest Energy Efficiency

Z-Wave's power efficiency is by far the most advanced among all of today’s (and tomorrow's) wireless protocols. Battery-operated sensors and systems need very little maintenance.

Z-Wave is an Interoperable Ecosystem

It's important that products work together with all smart devices in the home, regardless of type, version or brand. There are 300 companies with over 1200 certified products that are backwards - and forwards-compatible in the Z-Wave ecosystem.

Z-Wave is Driving a Standard

Z-Wave has proven to be the most ubiquitous of the wireless communication standards; it is the only low-power, medium-bandwidth HAN/LAN technology with interoperability. Z-Wave is open, based on an International Standard PHY MAX ITU-T G.9959., offering a single standard and a single stack. The stack is openly licensed; all that is required is certification to ensure interoperability.

Z-Wave is NOT Affected by Wireless Interference

Z-Wave uses a lower frequency than common household wireless products such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and other 2.4 GHz protocols. It is not subject to their interference and traffic jams, which makes Z-Wave more reliable for automating tasks and receiving the accurate status of devices.

Z-Wave is Securely Encrypted

Z-Wave uses industry-standard AES128 encryption, the same protocol used in online banking. The Z-Wave certification process ensures that both the Z-Wave network and the Z-Wave devices in your home are secure from hacking.

Z-Wave was Designed for Home Control

Z-Wave was designed from the ground up for home control. Its power, range and bandwidth are optimized specifically for smart home applications.

Z-Wave's Mesh Network Provides the Best Scalability

Because nodes in a Z-Wave network can act as a repeater, Z-Wave can provide enough range for even the largest homes, working around obstacles and wireless dead spots.

Frequently asked questions

What does Z-Wave do?

Z-Wave allows the user to automate, monitor, or remotely control electronic devices, making a house into a Smart Home. Examples of this include automatically turning on lighting for safety, turning off lighting for efficiency, automating the home temperature based on a schedule or based on occupancy, remotely locking/unlocking doors, or getting notifications of water, fire, movement, energy use, etc. The combinations are limitless and can be customized to fit your life.

Is Z-Wave the only smart home technology?

Z-Wave is one of several wireless protocols, including WiFi, Bluetooth, and ZigBee. Z-Wave’s wireless signal uses low power, which allows for long battery life and small, almost invisible devices (for battery operated devices) and efficiency for devices that are line powered. It is also away from the congested WiFi bandwidth, which leads to lost signals and a shorter range. Z-Wave is a mesh network, which means unlike Bluetooth and WiFi, each line-powered Z-Wave device acts as a repeater in the “mesh” (think fishing net) which increases reliability and overall range. Z-Wave is also secure; all by itself on the frequency range, which gives better security over all others. Z-Wave and ZigBee are similar, but Z-Wave features over 2400 certified devices made by 700 companies, which guarantees lower prices and better designs.

What is the frequency of Z-Wave?

In Canada and the United States, Z-Wave and Z-Wave Plus operates at 908.42 MHz in standard mode. If using Long Range Z-Wave mode, available exclusively in 700 series and 800 series Z-Wave Plus, it operates at 912 MHz. There are different Z-Wave frequencies outside of North America.

Which is the best version of Z-Wave?

The best version of Z-Wave is also the newest: 800 series. It's the 8th generation of Z-Wave technology to be publicly released since 1999. However, not all the products you'll want to use are currently using Z-Wave 800 series, so there are some important rules to follow;
  1. Aim to only purchase devices which use Z-Wave Plus or Z-Wave Plus V2 technology. Those using older technology don't feature the same speed, security, or battery efficiency of Z-Wave Plus.
  2. Where you can, purchase either 800, 700 or 500 series Z-Wave products dnd do so in that order. 800 series is the best version of Z-Wave Plus, 700 series is the second best, and 500 series is the third best.

What is the wireless range of Z-Wave?

The distance / range which Z-Wave devices can communicate across is determined by two main factors: 1/ the version of Z-Wave used and 2/ the obstacles between devices. Open air is roughly 300 feet. Indoors could drop to 30 feet. In instances where the required distance is greater than the range of a device, all line-powered Z-Wave devices act as repeaters to stretch the range (up to 4 hops).

Do I need a Z-Wave hub to use Z-Wave? A Gateway? a Controller? What’s the difference?

Controller, Hub, Gateway. For the average user, these terms can be used interchangeably. A Z-Wave controller is any device that controls a Z-Wave network. A Controller could be a remote, or it could be a security panel. You need some type of Z-Wave Controller to control Z-Wave devices. A Z-Wave Hub is a Controller in a box, with a plug and a way to connect to your internet. It’s a more specific term than Controller, and gives a visual of the center of the Z-Wave network; which it is. A Z-Wave Gateway is also a hub, but usually (not always) includes a few other smart home technologies, to give a more complete smart home experience. When getting into security panels and Gateways, be sure that Z-Wave is included in the available technologies.

Can I use Z-Wave on my phone?

Yes, with a Z-Wave controller and the manufacturer's App, you can control your smart home from your phone, tablet, or laptop; anywhere you can get internet. Stand-alone Apps will NOT work with Z-Wave, as your phone doesn’t have the required Z-Wave chip.

Will Z-Wave devices work with my security panel?

Z-Wave devices are made to be interoperable. They are designed to work with any Z-Wave controller from any security provider (Vivint, ADT, Alarm.com, FrontPoint, Protect America, etc) but ultimately this is up to the security company, and would best be answered by them. Several companies, like Simplysafe, do NOT allow Z-Wave integration at this time.

What Z-Wave devices will work with my existing Z-Wave Gateway?

Z-Wave devices are made to be interoperable. They are designed to work with any Z-Wave Controller from any manufacturer. It is up to the manufacturer to allow basic operation of any device. Contact us and we can help you determine the best devices for your home.

I just bought a new house, which has a Z-Wave security system. Where do I get the password?

Z-Wave is smart technology; not a brand. Contacting a distributor (like us) for information on a lost password, unfortunately, won’t get the desired results. ZWaveProducts.com does not maintain any passwords or have access to Z-Wave networks. The best course of action is to contact the real estate broker who handled the sale. Perhaps he or she can contact the seller with more information. Also worth a try is the actual manufacturer of the device. They may be able to help with a factory reset (depending on the device). Please keep in mind, for security purposes, there is no ‘universal’ password that we can supply to get you into your security system or Z-Wave gateway.

Will Z-Wave devices with with Amazon Alexa or Google Home?

Many Z-Wave Gateways offer Alexa or Google Home integration, so the user can voice control Z-Wave devices. Neither Amazon Alexa nor Google Home have Z-Wave chips, so Z-Wave devices will not work with either one, without an Alexa (or Google Home) friendly Z-Wave Controller.

How does Z-Wave compare to Matter?

Matter is a much-hyped, but relatively incomplete, home automation protocol. Unlike Z-Wave, it's not a full smart home system but just an application layer - its underlying code is largely Thread based with some Zigbee thrown in. Also unlike Z-Wave, it runs on the crowded 2.4 GHz, Wi-Fi, wireless band making it more susceptible to wireless interference and poor performance. A complete Z-Wave vs. Matter break down delves into further details.

Is Z-Wave is hackable? What security problems does it have?

Official statement from Silicon Labs: We want to be very clear: installed, previously paired Z-Wave devices are secure and not vulnerable to a downgrade attack. This represents practically all 100 million Z-Wave devices in homes today.

What versions of Z-Wave are there?

There have been several version of Z-Wave made available since the technology's first release in 1999. In total 8 different generations of Z-Wave have been released including 5 generations of Z-Wave and 3 generations of Z-Wave Plus. 800 series is the newest version of Z-Wave to have been released.