Originally posted by racerfern
View Post
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Z-Wave LED Light Bulbs
Collapse
X
-
Makes sense. Tying back to the originsl question it looks like using Zigbee bulbs and mixing technologies makes more sense than hunting for Zwave bulbs that are hard to find, very expensive, and lacking in features or quality compared to Zigbee bulbs.
Comment
-
Thinking some more about this after reading about the Inovelli ZWave color bulb and am wondering if the Inovelli color bulbs will be ZWave repeaters? One big problem with Zigbee bulbs, apart from Hue, is that they are not Zigbee repeaters and even Hue is constained by the 50 bulb limit so it is impractical as a platform to standardize on. If Inovelli ZWave color bulbs act as repeaters they might be usable in applications where Zigbee is not.
Example: I have 20 Lifx bulbs for my outoor lighting fixtures and have a terrible time communicating with the even though signal strength to the APs is good. I am thinking it might be because the outdoor fixtures are all well grounded metal that might be messing with communication despite the baseline signal strength. If I repaced the bulbs with something meshed so the signal can relay from fixture to fixture instead of needing to hit the APs in the hous then maybe I can get a less frustrating experience from the outdoor lighting. If the Inovelli ZWave color bulbs are able to act as repeaters this might be a good option for me.
Anybody seen a spec for the Inovelli color bulbs about them being repeaters?
Comment
-
Unless there's something unusual, any mains powered Z-wave device is an "always listening" device and able to route/repeat in the network.
But just like Zigbee bulbs, one doesn't want to rely on them as repeaters since there's a chance someone will switch off the bulb (unless you take other precautions) which will dynamically change your mesh network/routes.
The other problem with cheaper Zigbee bulbs (non-Hue) is that they have less buffer memory and can be overwhelmed by network traffic, hence why the vendors cripple them from being repeaters and can act only as end-points.
Also, Zigbee bulbs repeating is a non-issue when one can purchase cheap ($10) Ikea switched outlets to act as a repeaters. I bought a handful right before the holidays and plugged them in around the house in outlets that never get used. My zigbee network is extremely strong now.
Comment
-
Originally posted by TC1 View Post
Unless there's something unusual, any mains powered Z-wave device is an "always listening" device and able to route/repeat in the network.
But just like Zigbee bulbs, one doesn't want to rely on them as repeaters since there's a chance someone will switch off the bulb (unless you take other precautions) which will dynamically change your mesh network/routes.
The other problem with cheaper Zigbee bulbs (non-Hue) is that they have less buffer memory and can be overwhelmed by network traffic, hence why the vendors cripple them from being repeaters and can act only as end-points.
Also, Zigbee bulbs repeating is a non-issue when one can purchase cheap ($10) Ikea switched outlets to act as a repeaters. I bought a handful right before the holidays and plugged them in around the house in outlets that never get used. My zigbee network is extremely strong now.
I understand the strategy for using cheap Zigbee plugs for repeaters but that would not be practical in my example above for outoor lights.
Comment
-
The bulb is an Always On Slave, so yes, it repeats.
https://products.z-wavealliance.org/...3613/embedpics
Comment
-
Originally posted by TC1 View PostThe bulb is an Always On Slave, so yes, it repeats.
https://products.z-wavealliance.org/...3613/embedpics
Comment
-
I prefer the smartbulbs to the smart switches. They are much more convenient and, if the automation stuff stops working, I can simply turn the lamp on and off at the switch. I too am frustrated by the disappearance of z-wave bulbs. I had to get my last batch on eBay. I tried a RGBW bulb from Innovelli but am having difficulties with it.
Comment
Comment