Re: Z-Wave RF range

[Joerg <notthisjoergsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert L Bass wrote:


[...]
>
> It sounds like you've got a home that for some unknown reasons is problematic for RF.  That doesn't make Z-Wave good or bad.  It
> just means your house is RF unfriendly.
>

Just did a walk with our dogs before the storm rolls in. While the dogs
were on the lookout for cats I peeked at houses from a Z-Wave point of
view. Now ours is probably the most unusual, appearing like a "Y" from
the air. This means RF must penetrate through that AL-backed insulation
twice from many locations. Repeaters may ease that a bit and that would
probably be quite easy here.

Not so in some of the houses I saw. Most are L-shaped where there is
kind of a courtyard in the middle. Well, more of a driveway really. The
way they are laid out it is tough to avoid having to transmit through
walls unless you really plaster them with repeaters. But I figure that's
what the casual DIYer won't do because he or she would start with a
minimalist setup and that has to sell for $49.95 or less. Just like we
started out with X10, one remote and one wall switch in the garage to be
able to control the driveway lights without having to walk into the cold
garage. That could be a tough one for Z-Wave in most of the houses
around here.

Not that X10 is any better here, much of which has quit by now.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com