to_lighter Posted December 15, 2020 Posted December 15, 2020 Hi gang! My contractor wants to install a Z Wave compatible thermostat (Honeywell), replacing our old T1800. This would mean that I would need to get versed on how Z Wave works with the Insteon network. I have an ISY 994i PRO, firmware 4.8.0. I guess I would need to upgrade my ISY somehow, and then upgrade to the 5 series firmware. Any other good resources that I should read first? Thanks!
lilyoyo1 Posted December 15, 2020 Posted December 15, 2020 I would read the upgrade instructions for 5.3.1 prior to upgrading and make a backup of your system prior to upgrading. You can also read about zwave in the link below as well as the wiki https://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/29371-zwave-tips-and-tricks/
to_lighter Posted December 15, 2020 Author Posted December 15, 2020 Wow! That's quite the post! Lots to review and think about. Thanks!!
madcodger Posted December 16, 2020 Posted December 16, 2020 (edited) If you don't have several other, well-placed, z-wave devices to form a mesh, then a thermostat as a single z-wave device is a horrible idea. You either need several z-wave devices in almost all settings, or none. The technology is designed to operate as a wireless mesh, and ignoring that is what brings headaches to those who just try to have one or two devices. If your contractor doesn't really understand z-wave, don't let him/her give you advice about it. There are other decent thermostat options that frankly have no dependency on the ISY, but that could be made to work with it - albeit only via the cloud in some situations - if desired (Ecobee comes to mind). For most people, that's often a better plan. I use GoControl z-wave thermostats and really like them, but they are part of a very stable z-wave mesh. Edited December 16, 2020 by madcodger 3
oberkc Posted December 16, 2020 Posted December 16, 2020 Another thought...if you have the ISY and have, or will be, automating your house, I think it is a good idea to include ZWAVE into those plans. There are zwave devices that do not have equivalent insteon or x10 counterparts, you can sometimes find good deals on zwave devices, and it a hedge against the risks of a single-vendor system. I started very small with zwave and it worked out pretty well...it did not take a large number of devices for me to experience good reliability. Get a couple of range extenders or outlets and see if that works. I would generally avoid zwave switches to start. My experience with zwave switches is that they can limit your program options and triggers in ISY programs. yes, I would update your ISY software to the latest 5 version, being sure to add the 500 series zwave card. Make sure you read all the instructions and cautions. It will likely involve a fair amount of time if you already have a lot of devices and programs.
to_lighter Posted December 18, 2020 Author Posted December 18, 2020 Thanks for the replies. Hehe, my contractor wanted to put in a WiFi thermostat. They didn't ask about Z-Wave as well. Z-Wave requires a hub to run the mesh network? If so, which hub do people use? I have a couple of Insteon plugs and switches that might benefit from swapping to Z-Wave, so hopefully that would take care of concerns about the size of the mesh network. Cheers!
oberkc Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 53 minutes ago, to_lighter said: Z-Wave requires a hub to run the mesh network? If so, which hub do people use? I thought you had an ISY? That is what I use.
lilyoyo1 Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, to_lighter said: Thanks for the replies. Hehe, my contractor wanted to put in a WiFi thermostat. They didn't ask about Z-Wave as well. Z-Wave requires a hub to run the mesh network? If so, which hub do people use? I have a couple of Insteon plugs and switches that might benefit from swapping to Z-Wave, so hopefully that would take care of concerns about the size of the mesh network. Cheers! You're on the Isy forums....people use the Isy for zwave. Edited December 18, 2020 by lilyoyo1
MrBill Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 On 12/15/2020 at 9:18 AM, to_lighter said: I have an ISY 994i PRO, firmware 4.8.0. I guess I would need to upgrade my ISY somehow, and then upgrade to the 5 series firmware. Any other good resources that I should read first? It does sound like you have an ISY that does not have the Z-wave board inside. It is upgradable. You would purchase the Z-wave board from UDI and install it in your ISY. That said, I would agree with others here, if this will be your only Z-wave and you don't plan to add more Z-wave then Install a wifi thermostat like the ecobee that has a Node Server for ISY control. 1
to_lighter Posted December 18, 2020 Author Posted December 18, 2020 Hi Just to clarify my question. If I purchased the Z-wave expansion model, or a new ISY with Z-Wave already installed, and a few Z-wave devices (wall outlets would work for me), do I also need a Z-Wave hub to form the Z-wave mesh network? From the sound of the answers, I guess not. The ISY can be programmed to control the devices after they have been added to the device list. Cheers!
MrBill Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 26 minutes ago, to_lighter said: Just to clarify my question. If I purchased the Z-wave expansion model, or a new ISY with Z-Wave already installed, and a few Z-wave devices (wall outlets would work for me), do I also need a Z-Wave hub to form the Z-wave mesh network? From the sound of the answers, I guess not. The ISY can be programmed to control the devices after they have been added to the device list. Correct, if you add the z-wave board the ISY becomes your z-wave controller. Adding the correct Wall-outlets builds out your mesh. if starting out fresh, make sure everything you buy is Z-wave+ (i.e. "plus" not just z-wave).
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