Is z wave dead and it’s time to move on?
When your smart home is loaded with z-wave devices and your start to worry: is it possible that this awesome mesh network is going to leave?
The smart home market is getting more competitive than ever. And after knowing that this could be possible, I decided to research and create a blog post about it:
Since its release in 1999, this Smart Home network is responsible for providing the most reliable connection to all of your smart devices and help you create an automated home that works even when your Wi-Fi is dead
I thought that it was possible to see z-wave dead.
And it’s because companies like Google or Amazon are improving their smart devices faster than the competency.
Wi-Fi gets faster and technology grows by the second,
But hey, as I stated above is not even close to being possible!
In this blog post, I’ll share with you some of the reasons why you shouldn’t worry about losing your z-wave powered smart home
The most important reason why Z-Wave won’t disappear near in the future
As you may already know, the smart home industry is growing more over the years
Technology is becoming a very important asset in our society because it makes our lives simpler.
It gives us the ability to perform tasks extremely faster compared to the old methods, that it’s just hard not to use them.
So, what is going to happen when most people will have a Wi-Fi-powered smart home?
Let me tell you with a straight answer: Lots and lots of Interference.
Why?
As soon as everybody decides to build a smart home with all the smart devices using Wi-Fi, you will start sensing interference in your connections and even reduce your internet speed.
It’s just a reality, and to fix it, you need to buy a stronger router and upgrade your monthly plan.
And if all the houses around you decided to do that as well, the interference is going to be worse
My best approach to this issue is after all people is leaning towards Wi-Fi
The power user, the one that is actually in love with smart home technology
Will prefer z-wave instead other networks
Because even Zigbee works in the same frequency as Wi-Fi! Which in the end will have the same problem.
There’s also a huge problem with a Wi-Fi-powered house.
It’s awesome to have the cloud services at your disposal all around the world, but if the market evolves faster than technology.
We will face Cloud congestion and lots and lots of lag. In case you don’t know what lag is, it is defined as the delay between the live feed and your smart device.
Your smart camera says that you have live feed right on your phone right?
Well, when you actually check how accurate it is, it can be delayed a couple of seconds.
Home security systems
This is another reason that explains why the question “is z-wave dead” a lack of knowledge in the topic
Right now, in the smart home industry, the best smart home security systems offered by brands like:
- Vivint
- Honeywell
- Simplisafe
- ADT
- FrontPoint
Use z-wave as its primary network for home protection.
These companies implement z-wave in their packages because the customer loves reliability and speed! And with Z-wave you get all of that with the same network.
Besides, there are thousands of homes in the U.S. that are using z-wave!
And at least for them, they will have to keep customer services and providing products to maintain the quality the got in the first place
Is z wave dead: Big brands against z-wave
I think this is the most obvious reason why people think that z-wave will die at a boring and depressing rate.
Because it is real that the big guys in Silicon Valley know how to market smart devices above the competency.
And I love that! It’s so cool how we can see Google and Amazon show us the latest features on all the smart home devices that they’ve designed.
But compared to the companies that work with Z-Wave, Zigbee, or even SmartThings,
Not all people know about the topic good enough to make informed decisions
But luckily for you, you came across to this blog where I explain in super friendly words
How it’s like to have a smart home that works.
Or at least read about it and fell in love little by little!
Another reason why there was a trend of people thinking that z-wave could die is because of its limitations
Yes, on one side it’s super reliable, safe, fast, and lets you automate your home in such incredible ways that for me it’s a must-have
But on the other side, there’s the issue of data transfer
The amount of data that you can send through a mesh network it’s very shy compared to Wi-Fi
This is huge! Because you won’t see a 4K video on live feed through your z-wave connection
At least in 2020 as far as I know.
And, well, it leads people to think that is not “good enough”
Ups and downs of choosing z-wave over the competency
I think that it’s unfair to be comparing Z-wave companies against Google or Amazon.
For sure some companies focus strictly on z-wave products that are huge!
But we should take into account that Google and Amazon rule the tech industry like no other.
Of course, both z-wave and wifi networks are Smart homes but the intent for each technology is different.
For example, with a Wi-Fi-powered house, you can install super cool smart cameras for outdoors, inside your fridge to monitor your goodies
You can have a super reliable robot vacuum and mop to help you out with the cleaning and so much more!
But one of the things that you can’t do with a Wi-Fi-powered smart home is the ability to automate nearly everything around you!
With z wave you can automate:
- Doors
- Windows
- Drawers
- Cabinets
- Closets
- Thermostats
- Humidifiers
- Fans
And the list goes on and on!
But remember that everything with this technology is within a budget and super reliable.
And on top of that, Z-Wave lets you create hundreds of automation that will work with just one voice command!
This particular feature is extremely fun because once you get a bunch of z-wave sensors, you can create lots of different combinations to let you create the smart home of your dreams.
The only thing that will hold you back with your z-wave smart home is going to be your creativity
If you have in mind any kind of cool automation at home, having a z-wave hub and a quick google search will be your safest bet.
In this matter, the Wi-Fi network has fallen behind
Because once you start adding Wi-Fi sensors at home, it is going to slow the internet down! Until the point that you would need to upgrade your router and upgrade your internet plan as well.
Compared to Z-Wave, you can add up to 232 devices to the same network!!
You read that right, 232!
And you know what’s better than that?
In a Z-Wave network, when you keep adding smart devices to it such as door sensors, humidity sensors, and so on, the network keeps getting stronger!
So, in short, if you keep adding smart devices the network will be happy!
Conclusion
No way that Z wave is going to die in the near future. It has so many advantages that it’s preposterous to think that our z wave devices will extinct.
If you haven’t decided about starting your own z-wave smart home, I recommend that you check this blog post
I wrote an in-depth guide about Z-wave so you can take an informed decision on whether to create your own smart home or not. Take a look and enjoy!
