Home Automation - Z-Wave, Zigbee, Insteon or WiFi ?
When it comes to automating your home there are a lot of choices out there. From the early days of things like X10 and Powerline (PCS) to today's mix of Zigbee, Z-Wave, Insteon and WiFi.
So how do you make the right choice ?
Over the years I've purchased and installed dozens of different home automation devices from lighting to thermostats to cameras, doorbells & locks, irrigation, fireplaces, etc. You name it I've probably installed it.
So here's my take on the current state and how I'm making my purchasing decisions.
First - you need to make some decisions on what you really want to automate. Is it lighting, security, HVAC, Water mgmt, whatever. The good news is there is a broad choice. The bad news is there is a lot of crap out there.
The one common ground you'll find is that for the non-WiFi systems to work you either need a "gateway" or "bridge" device that then connects to your home network - sometimes wired - sometimes wireless. Especially if you want remote access.
The key is your home network. You need a stable and fast home network in order to get the best out of these systems. So that's where I always start.
With my most recent installs I have been using the latest in Mesh WiFi systems in order to provide the best coverage across the home. I also buy my own Cable modems as well to give me the choice of what I want as well as to eliminate any rental "fees" that the ISP might charge. My recommendation here is don't cheap out on this. If you're network is crap - so will your experience.
Next - I've started moving away from Z-Wave and Zigbee and going exclusively WiFi. I've used multiple gateways from multiple providers and while there is all that discussion of the repeating/relay capabilities of those networks - I say bullshit. Especially if you have a large home or like in one case - one with block or brick walls inside. Also many of these gateway based solutions don't support multiple gateways in the same home or you have to treat them as separate networks - which really kills the value.
In addition I find this almost constant firmware and app updating that either A) hangs the gateway or B) messes with the app to the point where you need to restart everything to try and get the system working. That's not fun when you manage multiple properties like I do and have to travel to them to get things fixed.
I recommend standardizing on WiFi. So light switches, dimmers, controllers of various sorts - always WiFi. it eliminates the need for the gateway crap and if you've installed a really solid WiFi network - then you don't have address-ability issues.
Now just like Z-Wave or Zigbee devices - for WiFi devices you have to take into account the same considerations when installing. For switches & dimmers - you have to have a neutral wire in the electrical gang box you are installing the switch/dimmer in.
The reason is you are actually doing two things now with that dimmer or switch. First you are powering the WiFi Radio which is what provides you the control and then second you are controlling power to the light fixture. So a single pole switch will actually have 4 wire connections. Hot / Neutral pair to power the device, a Hot out to the fixture and a Ground. So I recommend buying a small coil of Romex to make "pigtail" lines to connect to the Power / Neutral bundle that is typically in gang boxes.
The next thing I can recommend is try to limit your vendor choices. While the one great thing is the choice / competitiveness in the market - the bad side of it is having to load multiple apps on your phone. It can be a bit of a pain to have one app for thermostats, another for lighting, etc. While in theory the gateway based apps provided a central management platform - I've found they aren't that great.
Another consideration is multi-user account support with the app. As I mentioned I manage multiple properties and while some apps leverage location assignments to devices - some are user based - so understand the support there.
On cameras - the toughest choice is wired vs wireless. Wired cameras typically provide better performance but can be painful to install due limited power cord lengths and the potential of having to relocate electrical outlets.
The good news is that some battery based cameras now have small solar panels to keep them charged but - that's an extra cost. In addition battery based cameras sometimes have lower powered WiFi connections - so again you need to make sure you have good coverage outside to get the expected result.
Another recommendation is to leverage Amazon Echo (Alexa). Many of these WiFi based devices come with Alexa "Skills" that you load to provide voice control. But in addition you can use If This Then That (IFTTT) style skills to help integrate multiple devices. So for example - turn on additional lights when someone walks in front of a camera.
Finally - be careful with budget. While you may be able to control every light/outlet in your home - do you really need to ? I recently priced out a home automation project for a client with a 4K sq ft home. It included new WiFi, Cameras, Thermostats, Smoke Detectors, Switches, Dimmers, Irrigation and Pool Control - all in product costs alone where over $4,000. The point here being home automation can get pricey fast - especially when you start counting devices in the 10s.
Bottom line - If you want a rock solid home automation solution - standardize on WiFi devices, use Alexa skills to integrate and make sure you install a rock solid WiFi network first.
So how do you make the right choice ?
Over the years I've purchased and installed dozens of different home automation devices from lighting to thermostats to cameras, doorbells & locks, irrigation, fireplaces, etc. You name it I've probably installed it.
So here's my take on the current state and how I'm making my purchasing decisions.
First - you need to make some decisions on what you really want to automate. Is it lighting, security, HVAC, Water mgmt, whatever. The good news is there is a broad choice. The bad news is there is a lot of crap out there.
The one common ground you'll find is that for the non-WiFi systems to work you either need a "gateway" or "bridge" device that then connects to your home network - sometimes wired - sometimes wireless. Especially if you want remote access.
The key is your home network. You need a stable and fast home network in order to get the best out of these systems. So that's where I always start.
With my most recent installs I have been using the latest in Mesh WiFi systems in order to provide the best coverage across the home. I also buy my own Cable modems as well to give me the choice of what I want as well as to eliminate any rental "fees" that the ISP might charge. My recommendation here is don't cheap out on this. If you're network is crap - so will your experience.
Next - I've started moving away from Z-Wave and Zigbee and going exclusively WiFi. I've used multiple gateways from multiple providers and while there is all that discussion of the repeating/relay capabilities of those networks - I say bullshit. Especially if you have a large home or like in one case - one with block or brick walls inside. Also many of these gateway based solutions don't support multiple gateways in the same home or you have to treat them as separate networks - which really kills the value.
In addition I find this almost constant firmware and app updating that either A) hangs the gateway or B) messes with the app to the point where you need to restart everything to try and get the system working. That's not fun when you manage multiple properties like I do and have to travel to them to get things fixed.
I recommend standardizing on WiFi. So light switches, dimmers, controllers of various sorts - always WiFi. it eliminates the need for the gateway crap and if you've installed a really solid WiFi network - then you don't have address-ability issues.
Now just like Z-Wave or Zigbee devices - for WiFi devices you have to take into account the same considerations when installing. For switches & dimmers - you have to have a neutral wire in the electrical gang box you are installing the switch/dimmer in.
The reason is you are actually doing two things now with that dimmer or switch. First you are powering the WiFi Radio which is what provides you the control and then second you are controlling power to the light fixture. So a single pole switch will actually have 4 wire connections. Hot / Neutral pair to power the device, a Hot out to the fixture and a Ground. So I recommend buying a small coil of Romex to make "pigtail" lines to connect to the Power / Neutral bundle that is typically in gang boxes.
The next thing I can recommend is try to limit your vendor choices. While the one great thing is the choice / competitiveness in the market - the bad side of it is having to load multiple apps on your phone. It can be a bit of a pain to have one app for thermostats, another for lighting, etc. While in theory the gateway based apps provided a central management platform - I've found they aren't that great.
Another consideration is multi-user account support with the app. As I mentioned I manage multiple properties and while some apps leverage location assignments to devices - some are user based - so understand the support there.
On cameras - the toughest choice is wired vs wireless. Wired cameras typically provide better performance but can be painful to install due limited power cord lengths and the potential of having to relocate electrical outlets.
The good news is that some battery based cameras now have small solar panels to keep them charged but - that's an extra cost. In addition battery based cameras sometimes have lower powered WiFi connections - so again you need to make sure you have good coverage outside to get the expected result.
Another recommendation is to leverage Amazon Echo (Alexa). Many of these WiFi based devices come with Alexa "Skills" that you load to provide voice control. But in addition you can use If This Then That (IFTTT) style skills to help integrate multiple devices. So for example - turn on additional lights when someone walks in front of a camera.
Finally - be careful with budget. While you may be able to control every light/outlet in your home - do you really need to ? I recently priced out a home automation project for a client with a 4K sq ft home. It included new WiFi, Cameras, Thermostats, Smoke Detectors, Switches, Dimmers, Irrigation and Pool Control - all in product costs alone where over $4,000. The point here being home automation can get pricey fast - especially when you start counting devices in the 10s.
Bottom line - If you want a rock solid home automation solution - standardize on WiFi devices, use Alexa skills to integrate and make sure you install a rock solid WiFi network first.
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