So why's this important?

It's important because not all products work in a 2-wire system, so knowing which type of lighting system you have is important so that you select the right products, For instance many products, such as relays, can't work if installed into a 2-wire system.

The obvious question I can hear on your lips is - what's the difference?

The simple explanation is that a 2-wire system does't include a Neutral wire at the light switch, whereas a 3-wire system does include the Neutral at the switch. The 2-wire system is by far the most common in the UK and many parts of Europe.

To make this easier we've added new icons on the relevant pages to highlight which system the product is suited to. Just look out for the icon and you can't go wrong!

Works in a 2-wire system, it does not need a Neutral connection.

Works in a 3-wire system, a Neutral is required.

We've also written a new application note to explain the differences between the two systems and help you understand which you have in your home - Application Note 23: Understanding 2-wire and 3-wire Lighting Systems.

Hope this helps you.

See you soon.

Mark.

Since then it's received glowing reviews from Automated Home and now the news of Vesternet introducing such an innovative technology to the UK market has been picked up by other technology news sites.

Take a look at this Vesternet brings innovative home automation solution to the UK story on PRWeb.

See you soon.

Mark.

The main changes involve the site header section which is now much cleaner and easier to navigate - no matter what page you're on.

Complete Site Search

The search bar now searches the whole site - displaying results for products as well as resource articles and application notes that match your keyword search.

Help Section

We've merged the Help and Resources pages so you now have one place to go to for FAQs, technical articles, tips and tricks, application notes and support.

New Cart Section

The new cart section highlights which country you're from and displays the correct shipping options as well as what's in your cart now. You can always change this by clicking the country flag icon.

And that not all.

On each product page you'll see new icons in the right-hand sidebar that take you straight to the Vesternet Application Notes, Resource, and Video sections - making it much easier to find your way around Vesternet and get the information you need.

Application Notes

Detailed articles written by our home automation experts show you how to use the Vesternet products and get the best out of them.

Resources

A whole section of help and advice to help you choose the right products as well as in-depth technical articles about the various technologies available.

VesternetTV

Our YouTube channel has new videos are uploaded each week, so you've always got something interesting to look forward to.

Why Buy From Us...

Just to remind you why Vesternet is the best place to buy all your wireless home automation products.

These constant improvements make Vesternet the best place on the web to get detailed information about home automation technologies and find just the right products you're looking for.

I'm sure you have comments and I would love to hear them, leave a comment here or post straight on Facebook.

See you soon.

Mark.

I'm pleased to announce that the Vesternet Z-Wave Compatibility Guide is now available.

Now you can check that the products you've got your eyes on will work with the Z-Wave controller you have. Or just give you peace of mind that what you're buying will all work together when you open the Vesternet box.

This will be an ongoing development, so we need your feedback and comments to continually improve it.

Leave me your feedback.

Mark.

You're not going mad!

We have a current issue with the site's search system that's resulting in many products not displaying on the main catagory pages such as http://www.vesternet.com/z-wave/lighting-sockets, http://www.vesternet.com/lightwaverf/switches etc. When you go to these pages you will see the page refresh and remove products.

We are working on this issue now and will have it resolved later today.

Please contact us for any order or product enquires - sales@vesternet.com

Mark

Some time ago I tested the TKB On/Off sockets. They work really well, except for one thing - the LED was reversed, so that it was On when the socket was Off. I spent a while hunting for settings that would change this, but all searches suggested there were no settings. Eventually I put it down to being just one of those things - probably made sense to the designer.

Then, last week I had a technical query about that exact issue... So it wasn't just me! This time I took a lot more time and eventually, somewhere in a dark corner of the Internet, I found some parameters that could change the LED's status. I tried them and thankfully the LED now works correctly.

The solution was simple - parameter 1 just needed to be set to 1 - I could have guessed that! But not knowing which parameter needed to be set or even if it had any configurable parameters let me tolerate the LED's problem for too long. The product page has now been updated to show this setting so no one else has to go through the same process.

The customer is happy and has even written an informative blog entry at - http://cdrussell.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/z-wave-fixing-inverted-led-issue-on-tkb.html

This, hopefully, illustrates the kind of detailed information we're adding all the time to Vesternet to make life easier for everyone.

See you soon.

Mark.

Many of the Aeon Labs products have been reduced by up to 20%, including the ever popular Multisensor, Door/Window Sensor, Micro and Micro Smart Energy inserts, and Minimote remote control...

At the same time the VERA3 Z-Wave Internet Gateway has been reduced to just £199.

Take a look at the special offers and get your order in while stocks last!

See you soon.

Mark

And, boy did they do that!

After testing it for more than a month, they've just released a massive 7,000 (yes that's 7,000) word detailed review of everything Zipato can do.

Take a look at the full review and see how the Zipato performs - or if you just want the bottom line:

…`So the big question: is the ZipaBox worth £170 of your hard-earned? You betcha…

The Zipato ZipaBox and Backup module are in stock and ready to go at Vesternet.

And it's not just a one-way channel.

For instance we've been working with some of you on Facebook to create new content like the Z-Wave compatibility guide that's taking shape at the moment.

Which ever social media you prefer, we've got it covered - click the icon in the image below to be taken to the channel of your choice - YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus or Facebook.

We don't just publish the same material on all channels.

On Facebook and Google Plus we've been introducing new ideas, getting users feedback and input before we start designing them. This way we know when we introduce the new content, it'll be just what you want. Take a look at some of the latest posts about the Z-Wave Compatibility Guide (coming soon), LED compatibility with dimmers and new application notes. We also announce new products and when popular products are in stock. Take a look at the Vesternet Facebook and Google Plus page, if you like what you see, click Like or give us a +1 so you're always updated.

Only launched a couple of months ago, VesternetTV on YouTube has been a great success. New videos are uploaded each week, so you've always got something interesting to look forward to. Take a look at what's on the air at VesternetTV.

And finally, our Tweets give you the heads-up on new products, stock availability and anything new on a day-day basis.

So lets stay social, follow Vesternet for the latest word.

See you soon.

Mark.

The aim of this is to have a light that turns on when motion is detected, stays on for a preset time and then turns off - and for this to only work when the ambient light is below a defined level.

One of the easiest and most efficient ways to do this is by using Z-Wave Association.

So what's Association?

In most Z-Wave applications we configure them so that the central controller handles all commands. So for this example; the motion detector would send a signal to the controller and as a second step the controller would send a command to the light control (a Fibaro dimmer in this case). However, this adds unnecessary steps which can make this communication take too long.

Associating the motion detector and dimmer, enables the motion detector to send signals directly to the dimmer without involving the controller. This saves time, reduces the complexity of the communication and the amount of airtime taken. It also allows sensors to be used in networks without a static controller.

Take a look at the Application Note and Video to see how I got on implementing this application.

See you next week.

Mark.