Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

smartstick+ or aeotec zstick gen5?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    smartstick+ or aeotec zstick gen5?

    Which is better solution for win pc based HS3?
    I may be soon attempting to migrate from zees2 to pc based hs3, and wanted to know people's experience with z-wave sticks.

    #2
    I'm in the same boat as you. I have a Zee S2 but want Zigbee compatibility. So I'm thinking of plugging a Smartstick and a Zigbee USB stick into a mini PC. I assume I would have to also buy software (HS3) unless it comes with the stick which I doubt. The same might apply to the Zigbee interface I end up selecting.

    I also have a CM15A which could also plug into the mini PC and be controlled by the Smartstick, I think.

    I too would appreciate suggestions and thoughts of switching to a PC based system.

    Comment


      #3
      The SmartStick is a very good Z-Wave interface as is the Z-Net.
      https://shop.homeseer.com/collections/system-interfaces
      💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by racerfern View Post
        I'm in the same boat as you. I have a Zee S2 but want Zigbee compatibility. So I'm thinking of plugging a Smartstick and a Zigbee USB stick into a mini PC. I assume I would have to also buy software (HS3) unless it comes with the stick which I doubt. The same might apply to the Zigbee interface I end up selecting.

        I also have a CM15A which could also plug into the mini PC and be controlled by the Smartstick, I think.

        I too would appreciate suggestions and thoughts of switching to a PC based system.
        The SmartStick is a Z-Wave interface for Z-Wave devices.
        The CM15A is an X10 interface for X10 devices.
        HS3 doesn't currently work with any Zigbee interfaces.
        💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

        Comment


          #5
          The SmartStick is a Z-Wave interface for Z-Wave devices.
          The CM15A is an X10 interface for X10 devices.
          HS3 doesn't currently work with any Zigbee interfaces
          Yup, clearly understood. But I want all three so I'm thinking of three USB devices into the mini PC. The disadvantage may be that the zigbee and zwave software won't talk to each other so I would have to manage two sets of "events". Or maybe IFTTT would work.

          Comment


            #6
            I personally would go with Aeotec ZStick Gen 5 (I bought the SmartStick + too, but never used it). I think the ZStick having a builtin battery is a HUGE advantage. Especially if you're coming from a different system and you need to exclude a bunch of devices and re-include them. I know a lot of devices offer Wide Area Inclusion, but MANY don't, and you still need to be near the device to do any exclusions, so the battery definitely comes more handy than you would imagine. The only advantage for SmartStick is that it offers custom routing. I have a fairly large house and so far I haven't needed that. Automatic routing seems perfectly fine. Maybe one of these days I'll backup/restore all my devices to SmartStick just to give it a try, but I really don't have the need right now.

            Comment


              #7
              I found the range of the Z-Stick to be superior to the internal card in the Z-Net, and the take and go portability of the Z-Stick with its internal battery is second to none.

              Unfortunately, the Z-Stick has one fatal flaw under Homeseer. You can back up your interface but you cannot restore it. When you go to the drop down under the interface that has the various tools, restore this interface is conspicuously missing. Very annoying to find this out when your system needs to be restored, and you realize you are screwed.

              I was able to run my entire large house on one Z-Stick placed centrally. The Z-Net couldn't do it. I ended up zoning my house with four Z-Nets to get the same coverage. It works well, but of course is far more expensive than the Z-Stick solution was.

              Comment


                #8
                The AEOTEC has some foibles associated with it, which may not work correctly with other devices, whilst the Smart stick or any other Sigma Z-Wave Plus Stick will(should) work OK with all devices. We use a Sigma Z-Wave Plus UZB and have no reported problems in our test setup.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by bebaldin View Post
                  Unfortunately, the Z-Stick has one fatal flaw under Homeseer. You can back up your interface but you cannot restore it. When you go to the drop down under the interface that has the various tools, restore this interface is conspicuously missing. Very annoying to find this out when your system needs to be restored, and you realize you are screwed.
                  For the past 9 months or so, Aeotec has had a tool that lets you do restores too. I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard it works. See this post - https://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=180307

                  So, with that out of the way, the only disadvantage is the custom routing, which almost no one needs.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Black Cat View Post
                    The AEOTEC has some foibles associated with it, which may not work correctly with other devices, whilst the Smart stick or any other Sigma Z-Wave Plus Stick will(should) work OK with all devices. We use a Sigma Z-Wave Plus UZB and have no reported problems in our test setup.
                    Which devices don't work with AEOTEC? I have about 70 or so devices and they all work perfectly fine.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by jumper4000 View Post
                      For the past 9 months or so, Aeotec has had a tool that lets you do restores too. I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard it works. See this post - https://forums.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=180307

                      So, with that out of the way, the only disadvantage is the custom routing, which almost no one needs.
                      I have used it. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually restore everything back verbatim. When I had my issue I ended up losing about 30% of the devices in the restore that had to be manually removed and re-added.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by bebaldin View Post
                        I have used it. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually restore everything back verbatim. When I had my issue I ended up losing about 30% of the devices in the restore that had to be manually removed and re-added.
                        Oh, that's not good. Did you contact their support to see if they know why? They're pretty responsive?

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by jumper4000 View Post
                          Which devices don't work with AEOTEC? I have about 70 or so devices and they all work perfectly fine.
                          I'm only quoting what has been reported in the past on the Vera Forum, perhaps it was a Z-Wave problem that was rectified with z Wave Plus?

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by jumper4000 View Post
                            Oh, that's not good. Did you contact their support to see if they know why? They're pretty responsive?

                            No. It happened early on a Sunday morning and I ended up spending the whole day cussing and readding devices. I ended up moving over to the multiple Z-Nets so I could use the backup and restore functions native to Homeseer.

                            Comment

                            Working...
                            X