[Articles] Schlage announces availability of the Trane Z-Wave thermostat

[CT Droid]

Schlage has announced their new Z-Wave based Trane thermostat is now available for purchase from Lowes.com and in select Lowes retail stores.  It is retailing for $149 and is compatible with their LiNK portal, meaning it can be managed remotely from your cellphone.  Continue reading for the features, specifications and the press release which contains many more details.

 


Features and Benefits

• Energy Management Thermostat can be added to the Z-wave network within your home
• Add the Trane Remote Energy Management Thermostat to your Schlage LiNK system to remotely monitor and control your thermostat from anywhere with any internet enabled computer and most internet enabled cell phones
• Actively manage the energy use within your home and reduce energy consumption up to 15% with the energy savings schedule
• When paired with the Schlage wireless bridge, utilize advanced thermostat features through the Schlage LiNK web portal
• Energy Star compliant

<h4>

View the full article

 

[housecontrols]

Schlage seems to be filtering features by Brand and not by device classes implemented in the product.
That Trane thermostat is a nice product but it's a bit more than some other Zwave Thermostats.

Has anyone tried a Non Trane thermostat with the Schlage link Bridge? I got hold of one recently and the strange thing is that only with the Trane unit can you set up alerts and set schedules but not with any other non Trane or Schlage branded device.
Now correct me if I am wrong isn't Zwave supposed to be interoperable and compatible. Why can one brand have such features and another not, yet they internally are programmed to employ the same functions.

I have seen the Hawking, homeseer , and Vera work and they don't care if the thermostat is HAI, wayne Dalton , Intermatic, ACT, you can set a schedule with these programs no problem. What is Schlage up to. There appears to be no difference in the zwave device classes supported by those other thermostats that would cause those features from being Filtered. ( other than Trane has some sort of filter change alert)

It appears that Schlage may only support a given product if one makes a deal with them.

To me this would be like X computer company only allowing a "X" branded mouse or monitor to be used with a "X" computer. We all know this is not the case. It might have been the case a long time ago but was not succesful due to laws and such.

 

[claymahaffey]

I don't use the Schlage Link Bridge, so I can't answer your questions regarding that. But it is clear that this is absolutely the same unit as the TZ43 thermostat. Although the remote temperature sensor units are not installed, it still has the welding pads clearly marked on the PCB (so if you know how to wield a soldering gun...)

The UI looks to be the almost the same when I compared the unit to the instructions for TZ43 as well. But since there are no options for the Remote Sensors, I must assume that it is a custom firmware from RCS that might have other limitations compared to the TZ43.

So you might be able to use a TZ43 with the Link Bridge, but I'm not sure why you'd want to spend 50% for the same functionality!

 

[macromark]

We've tested the new Trane stat and it works fine with our systems. Note that it does include firmware that supports the new Z-Wave 'beaconing' technology... which is used by the new Schlage LiNK locks. The newest RCS units reportedly also include the latest firmware but we've yet to test them.

Mark

 

[housecontrols]

Yes the Trane is a good stat. I is a bit more that the Wayne Dalton but less than it's cousin the TZ43.
The question and problem I have is that Schalge and the Bridge seem to be filtering or implementing features based on brand. Meaning if you use a Trane thermostat with the Schlage bridge you can set schedules and get alerts. If you have another brand of thermostat you don't get these features through the Bridge. This appears as though it is brand specific. So in simple words it's like only allowing a timer to be set for a Leviton switch and not a Cooper.
This seems wrong to me.
Any thoughts on this?

 

[macromark]

I don't really know enough about the bridge to comment, except to say that we don't plan on supporting it. We're supporting the locksets and thermostats directly.

Note that the Schlage cameras DO require the bridge and don't appear to operate as regular netcams.

 

[housecontrols]

I don't really know enough about the bridge to comment, except to say that we don't plan on supporting it. We're supporting the locksets and thermostats directly.

Note that the Schalge cameras DO require the bridge and don't appear to operate as regular netcams.

Mark
You folks are selling the link starter kit aren't you?
I would think that if Schlage is limiting functions by brand and not by device classes supported would be of some concern to Homeseer.

Well on the otherhand. If HS has bettter features then that could be a selling point. But HS is so much more expensive!

 

[macromark]

Mark
You folks are selling the link starter kit aren't you?
I would think that if Schlage is limiting functions by brand and not by device classes supported would be of some concern to Homeseer.

Well on the otherhand. If HS has bettter features then that could be a selling point. But HS is so much more expensive!

We're authorized Schlage LiNK distributors and we're carrying the complete line... so yes, we're selling the kits. However, we've added language to the product descriptions to warn HomeSeer users of the incompatibility.

And yes, HomeSeer software is a bit more expensive but if you take into account the monthly subscription fee for the Schlage bridge vs no monthly fee* for our software, the payback is pretty rapid. And, of course, you'd have all the power and choice that our software allows.

*unless you subscribe to our optional 'myhomeseer-connect' DDNS service. Then it's $1.66/month! ;-)

 

[macromark]

FYI - We just posted a new beta that includes support for the Schlage locks. HomeSeer v2.3.0.112

 

[housecontrols]

[/quote]
We're authorized Schlage LiNK distributors and we're carrying the complete line... so yes, we're selling the kits. However, we've added language to the product descriptions to warn HomeSeer users of the incompatibility.

And yes, HomeSeer software is a bit more expensive but if you take into account the monthly subscription fee for the Schlage bridge vs no monthly fee* for our software, the payback is pretty rapid. And, of course, you'd have all the power and choice that our software allows.

*unless you subscribe to our optional 'myhomeseer-connect' DDNS service. Then it's $1.66/month! ;-)
[/quote]

Yes at HS you do have a disclaimer. but that disclaimer only reffers to "Note: The Schlage LiNK Bridge is not compatible with HomeSeer systems. HomeSeer users should purchase the locks separately."
This does not address the incompatability with other Zwave devices when using Schlage system.

The cost!

Schlage Kit 299.00 + fee and less features 3 years about 775.00 + less power consumed.

HS 199.95 +Zwave interface ?59.95 + lock 198.99+ pc (300.0-1,500) + monitor+ Watt/Hour( 250) + ddns 1.66 ( or free dyndns) = 750.00 min More choice