Over the last few weeks you may have noticed some Z-Wave Plus devices being added to the site.
We first spoke about Z-Wave Plus Certification back in January. At the time Z-Wave Plus was a new program and I predicted that new certified devices would be available towards the end of the year - looks like I was about right!
Z-Wave Plus
Z-Wave Plus is a certification program designed to help consumers identify products that take advantage of the recently introduced 'Next Gen' Z-Wave hardware platform, also know as 500 Series, 5th Generation Z-Wave for Gen5.
Z-Wave Plus delivers extended capabilities, including increased range, extended battery life, Over The Air upgrading (OTA), additional RF channels and more - all of which are fully backwards compatible with existing Z-Wave products. These enhancements offer tremendous benefits in terms of shorter and easier installations, richer device profiles, improved self-healing and longer battery life.
With the new Z-Wave Plus certification program, the Z-Wave Alliance have introduced a new logo so that you can quickly identify Z-Wave Plus certified products and know that they incorporates the enhanced capabilities of the Next Gen, Z-Wave 500 series. All Vesternet Z-Wave Plus certified devices display this logo on their product pages.
Z-Wave Plus Features
Significant increased range - up to 150m (clear air)
50% improvement in battery life
250% more bandwidth
Three F channels for improved noise immunity and higher bandwidth
New Plug-n-Play Network-wide Inclusion feature
Improved self-healing and fault tolerance with Explorer Frame feature
Standardised method for Over the Air firmware updates (OTA)
Improved product information capture for product certification database
We've just written a guide to Z-Wave Plus, explaining it's capabilities and also what to expect when you use it in a new or existing system - What is Z-Wave Plus?
What's Available
The new devices started to first appear from Aeon, and now new devices are being released each week - the latest coming from Z-Wave.me and VERA.
This is a heavy weight switch capable of switching 40A and it's the only double pole Z-Wave switch available - ideal for loads such as immersion heaters.
David Bell is the founder of Vesternet. As a contributing author on popular smart home topics including Z-Wave & Zigbee, he’s been cited in a multitude of popular websites, forums & articles over the past 10 years and continues to publish regularly on Vesternet.
With over 25 years in business, and 15 years in home automation, he also heads up all of Vesternet’s commercial initiatives throughout various online channels as an expert in sales, marketing & growth strategies.
Over the last few weeks you may have noticed some Z-Wave Plus devices being added to the site.
