Z-Stick or other USB controller help

[rbj8611]

Hello!

If I were to buy a Z-Stick would that replace the need for a HUB (Wink, Vera, SC)? If so, can I just control connected devices with my A ndroid or Ios?

 

[pete_c]

Personally I would look at the newest which is Z-Wave + (plus) and get your monies worth. 
 
It will still need to be connected to a firmware / software box for some mechanism of transport to your Android. 
 
That said thinking too there are Android based automation programs that run on the Android OS such that you could plug the Z-Wave + stick into an Android tablet and talk to the Android tablet with you Android phone.
 
There are now also self contained doo whats (software) - (Debian Wheezy) running on an RPi2 that will do that for you; it is still a box but it doesn't come with a screen.

 

[ChrisCicc]

Hello!

If I were to buy a Z-Stick would that replace the need for a HUB (Wink, Vera, SC)? If so, can I just control connected devices with my A ndroid or Ios?

 
The Z-Stick needs something to plug into... 

 

[rbj8611]

 
The Z-Stick needs something to plug into... 

Yes, I would use it on a PC

 

[rbj8611]

Personally I would look at the newest which is Z-Wave + (plus) and get your monies worth. 
 
It will still need to be connected to a firmware / software box for some mechanism of transport to your Android. 
 
That said thinking too there are Android based automation programs that run on the Android OS such that you could plug the Z-Wave + stick into an Android tablet and talk to the Android tablet with you Android phone.
 
There are now also self contained doo whats (software) - (Debian Wheezy) running on an RPi2 that will do that for you; it is still a box but it doesn't come with a screen.

Thank you for all of the information. So if I bought the z-wave plus(or is it z-stick plus?) and plug it into a pc I could use like Openhab or HomeGenie to control lights, sensors, etc from my phone?

 

[pete_c]

Well actually here running Homegenie on an RPi2.  It works well and is an easy peasy set up.  10 minutes and you are good to go.  There is a bit more to using Openhab (playing with that too).
 
If you only want to use Z-Wave / Homegenie then just connect or plugin an RTC PiFace (into time here) and a Z-Wave + GPIO card in to your RPi2 and you are good to go.  Just recently upgraded to a very quick micro SD card.  They are really fast these days.
 
Buy -
 
1 - RPi 2
2 - case for an RPi2
3 - PiFace RTC
4 - Z-Wave + GPIO card
 
Install -
HomeGenie

 

[rbj8611]

Well actually here running Homegenie on an RPi2.  It works well and is an easy peasy set up.  10 minutes and you are good to go.  There is a bit more to using Openhab (playing with that too).
 
If you only want to use Z-Wave / Homegenie then just connect or plugin an RTC PiFace (into time here) and a Z-Wave + GPIO card in to your RPi2 and you are good to go.  Just recently upgraded to a very quick micro SD card.  They are really fast these days.
 
Buy -
 
1 - RPi 2
2 - case for an RPi2
3 - PiFace RTC
4 - Z-Wave + GPIO card
 
Install -
HomeGenie

Thank you again. I was steering away from RPi2 but at this point if it will be the cheapest route then I think that's what I'm going with

 

[ChrisCicc]

If you don't have the stick yet, I'd also recommend taking a look at HomeSeer's new network Z-Wave interface. The Aeon Labs Z-Stick is based on an older Z-Wave series, and the HomeSeer interface has key features like network wide inclusion that the Z-Stick does not. 

 

[rbj8611]

If you don't have the stick yet, I'd also recommend taking a look at HomeSeer's new network Z-Wave interface. The Aeon Labs Z-Stick is based on an older Z-Wave series, and the HomeSeer interface has key features like network wide inclusion that the Z-Stick does not. 

I appreciate that because honestly I would have gotten the Aeon Z-Stick if you wouldn't have said this

 

[ChrisCicc]

I appreciate that because honestly I would have gotten the Aeon Z-Stick if you wouldn't have said this

 
This is the one. It's more expensive, but you pay for the features you're getting... http://store.homeseer.com/store/HomeSeer-Z-NET-Remote-Z-Wave-Interface-P1902.aspx

 

[pete_c]

Here is a best guess price estimate:
 
1 - RPi 2  $35.00
2 - case for an RPi2  $3.00
3 - PiFace RTC $15.00
4 - Z-Wave + GPIO card $59.00 (you can modify it to be a USB card or big stick).
5 - MicroSD Card $10.00
======================
Total      $122.00
 
HomeGenie - Free  - I just built one of these around a few weeks back.  I have not had any issues running it.
 
MCM Electronics has a very reasonably priced shipping rate.
 
I am currently running two Homeseer 2 servers (on Windows Server) and two Homeseer 3 servers (plus playing with the above).
 
Each of the two boxes has two Digi 8 port Edgeports plus one Digi USB hub (7 ports) for some 16 serial / 7 USB devices.
 
One of the two boxes is at serial / USB port capacity as I do a bunch of weather stuff with it.
 
Personally here have been using Homeseer since the beginning of Homeseer in 1998. 
 
Thinking the original prices of the software was $39.99 USD.  I like the software.
 
One Homeseer 3 box is running on an Intel iSeries Haswell chipset PC with 16Gb of memory and using Ubuntu 64 bit.
 
The second one is running on an RPi2 and it is much faster than running it on the RPi1.  Automation is a hobby here such that I play with a bunch of stuff.
 
The new Homeseer Z-Net is using the new Z-Wave + chipset.  Homeseer was one of a few companies that had the first Z-Wave + devices out the door.
 
It is the first of its kind with a wired and wireless connection to the mothership Homeseer. 
 
The new Z-Wave + chipset provides much more details than the old one.  The Z-Net device is $150.00 USD and the software is on sale now for 50% off.
 
Here is a Homeseer Z-Wave + view of an old GE outdoor Z-Wave switch.

 

[ChrisCicc]

To be clear, the Z-Net is not restricted to HomeSeer, it's open to any Z-Wave compatible software that has a network serial driver as it implements the standard Zensys serial protocol... 

 

[pete_c]

Yup the Z-Wave + communications transport is the same machine to machine.  Just the presentation of the software is different.
 
I got my RaZberry Z-Wave + GPIO card from Germany with US Frequencies.  The RaZberry Z-Wave software is also free and runs very nicely.
 
I like that I can add routes which I never was able to do before.  The software view is much more granular than the Leviton Z-Wave PIM.  Well I do not see anything with the PIM.  Just that little remote control which is a bit hard on my eyes.

 

[macromark]

To be clear, the Z-Net is not restricted to HomeSeer, it's open to any Z-Wave compatible software that has a network serial driver as it implements the standard Zensys serial protocol... 

Correct!