The Differences Between Z-Wave Versions Made Easy

Updated on 2nd Oct 2020 18:46 in General, IoT, Smart

Z-Wave is one of the most popular protocols used for home automation. Despite that, it seems there is still a lot of confusion over the different standards that devices can be certified with and still be "compatible with Z-Wave". Indeed there is Z-Wave, Z-Wave Plus, and Z-Wave Long Range, just to name the bigger ones. What's the difference? What should you buy? In reality, there isn't much for you as a consumer to do as manufacturers will almost certainly be certifying their devices with the latest standard. There are significant improvements in each newer one though, so it's worth upgrading older equipment if you have any!

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Smart Lights Are Slowing Down Your WiFi - This is Why

Updated on 30th Sep 2020 22:39 in General, IoT, Smart

Building a smart home is exciting, so it isn't surprising that many will want to jump straight into the fun of purchasing devices and setting up automations. However, spending a bit of time planning how things will come together can save a lot of time and money in the long run. The issue is often the same, what works at first doesn't always scale up to larger configurations involving many more devices. Let's take a look at some of the problems with only using WiFi in a smart home.

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Is Z-Wave Dead? 3 Reasons Why It's Not

Updated on 30th Sep 2020 02:55 in IoT, Smart

Historically, Z-Wave has been one of the major players in the smart home industry, but with the rise of WiFi products, many may wonder: is Z-Wave is dead? The short answer is no. A longer answer is that there are many contributing factors to the stability of Z-Wave in the smart market, most of them have to do with power consumption, certification, and network configuration. What the surge in protocol options means for you is that it is more important than ever to carefully analyze each technology to select the best one for your smart home.

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Top 5 Most Expensive Smart Home Devices That Are Actually Useful

Updated on 29th Sep 2020 01:42 in General, Smart

Usually, when looking for smart devices, we look for the best bang for the buck deal available. It isn't unusual to find options that cost anywhere in the range of 10$ - 100$, depending on what kind of device it is. However, this is a list of some of the most expensive smart home devices that are available right now, along with a few reasons you might actually consider getting them. 

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No Neutral Wire? Top 3 Solutions for Smart Lighting

Updated on 22nd Sep 2022 20:37 in General, Smart

There is often a lot of confusion over the neutral wire within smart homes. This is because many devices, especially smart light switches, require a neutral wire to function correctly. However, when homeowners remove the light switch, there is no neutral wire in the box! What gives? Is there any way to install a smart switch despite this? Yes, but it involves some planning and careful consideration.

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