Re: A mentor / Advisor ?

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Robert L Bass" <robertbass1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

> > Here's a link to a thread from another HA related forum where someone
with
> > first hand ZWave experience appears to confirm some of the weaknesses
that I
> > pointed out from its introduction.
> >
> >     http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=743146
>
> The cited thread began in 2003.  Almost every recent post is positive.

I'm sorry Bob, but that's just not true.  Almost every post is NOT positive.
I read through that thread last night and here are some quotes from the most
recent posts:

"having one stuck out by the end of the driveway probably won't work too
good, or off in a corner of the house where it's blocked from a direct line
to other modules by a metal duct or something like that."

"A disadvantage of Z-Wave, which it shares with X-10, is that pretty much
all the modules out there now have to be polled if you want to get two way
status back from them (important if using Z-Wave with an automatin package.)
That wouldn't be a problem if the network was really fast, but it's actually
really slow."

"The directions that come with the products isn't very good though and will
cause you more problems than the products."

"Some systems can convert a PC controller to the master controller by just
transferring that job from the remote remote control to the PC controller.
You'd normally need to have that one be on a laptop that you can carry
around and use to add modules."

(Carry a laptop around to add modules????? That STINKS!!!! -BG)

"the ZW network needs to be solid in order to keep the polling moving along,
or that has been the case for me. If one module is acting up, it slows the
polling down pretty signicantly."

"All of the current PC interfaces act as a secondary controller. This means
you have to copy the device information from the handheld remote to the PC
interface. While this works, its a pain and problematic."

"Insteon has the advantage when it comes to cost. Insteon wall switches can
be had for less then $20, but Z-Wave switches are around $40. So outfitting
a home costs much less then Z-Wave."

"right now there are no in-wall keypads for Z-Wave"

---------------------------------------------------------------

I wouldn't invest in Zwave based on those comments and not a single one of
them was made by Dave (or me, for that matter).  They were, in fact made by
Dean Roddey, Rich of Homeseer and others.

More important than the faults above, ANY RF solution is always vulnerable
to interference.  You can run X-10 with or without RF if you choose.  Not
Zwave!

If some government agency sets up shop with a transmitter near you, you
could be totally washed up with an all RF solution.  While PLC devices like
X-10 or UPB allow you to filter the powerline at the service entrance,
there's almost nothing you can do to block out strong RF other than enclose
your house in a metal Faraday cage.

RF interference is a serious problem and will only get worse as more and
more RF devices hit the market.   It's one thing to have to buy a new garage
door opener, or unlock your car with keys and not a fob, it's another to
have to yank all your Z-wave devices.  Will it happen?  Who knows.  But lots
of car remotes and garage door remotes are knocked out on a regular basis by
interference.  Here's just one case I know about:

http://www.privateline.com/mt_dailynotes/2004/05/air_force_radios_jam_garage
_do.html

The Associated Press (All rights reserved)

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - During testing last week of the $5.5 million
two-way radio system at Eglin, homeowners in Niceville, Valparaiso and the
Crestview area reported that their garage door openers failed to work.

Air Force officials said Tuesday the contractor, Motorola Inc., will try to
minimize the problem. Technicians will run the system at slightly different
frequencies from those used by garage door openers when another test is
conducted Friday through Monday.

"I want my garage door opener to work, too," said Col. Russell F. Miller,
commander of the 96th Communication Group.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I want my home automation to work!  I don't have to "register" any of my PC
ethernet network devices.  I don't have to register any of my telephones
when I plug them into a wall outlet.  Why would I want to run around the
house registering HA modules?  Sounds primitive to me.

>> My evaluation is not colored by any financial interest.

> It is also not colored by experience.

One does not have to actually drink strychnine to know that it's a deadly
poison.  And, no, I neither own nor sell Zwave devices, but I do own RF
devices of many types, HA, PC, alarm and otherwise and know well their
limitations and the issues that others have experienced with them.  That's
the advantage of living in a civilized society with written communications.

One does not have to own a Zwave device to know the issues involved with RF.
One does not have to own a whole fleet of modules to know they would not
like the process of walking about the house registering and re-registering
modules with or without a laptop in tow.  Anyone with even a little
experience with HA modules losing their settings and having to be
reprogrammed knows how annoying a "feature" like that can become in very
short order.

If Zwave were truly a step above the rest, one would think we would be
hearing more about it here in CHA.  The fact that we don't almost always
indicates very little real world market penetration and that's a bad thing.
It means buyers are early adopters, the industry term for "bug hunters
willing to be unpaid testers AND even willing to pay for the test equipment
themselves!"  No thanks!  Been there, done that, mate.  I'm thankful that
among the many admitted X-10 flaws, wall switches losing their identity or
needing periodic re-registration hasn't been among them, at least for me.

--
Bobby G.