If you find yourself confused about smart home technology, Z-Wave has the answers
What is the best product(s) to buy for a smart home?
There’s a reason lighting and security top consumers’ wish lists for their smart homes. The two technologies impact nearly every aspect of your life—comfort, convenience, safety, efficiency. Therefore, it makes sense for most people to start with these two components. Thankfully, home lighting and security devices are some of the simplest smart home options to implement; there are choices galore, so no matter how basic or extensive your plans are, you can find just the right solution.
Let’s take lighting. You can swap switches, bulbs, and outlets for an intelligent Z-Wave-enabled alternatives, and plug lamps into Z-Wave modules to automate how and when the lights brighten, dim, turn on and turn off. You can start small by investing in just a couple of devices and expand your system gradually. It’s the perfect way to dip your toe into a smart home lifestyle.
Similarly, you can test-drive a wide variety of Z-Wave security devices—from a video doorbell and electronic door locks to motion sensors, water sensors and full-blown security systems. Whatever your comfort level, budget, or needs, there’s a Z-Wave lighting or security solution that fits. At some point, you can even integrate your lighting and security systems so that certain lights turn on when a surveillance camera detects motion, for example.
How do I know if smart home products can work together?
Here’s where Z-Wave comes in handy. There’s no guessing and crossing your fingers that devices will interoperate when they are Z-Wave certified. The certification badge on the product packaging is your guarantee. Look for it when shopping for smart home products; if it’s not there, getting the products to work together could get complicated, requiring special software, equipment and configuration.
Which smart home protocol is best?
A smart home protocol that is “open” can be considered the best. Like an open invitation, an open communications protocol like Z-Wave welcomes all types and brands of smart home devices to the “party.” This provides you with a wide range of products from which to choose rather than being pigeonholed into using only products from a single manufacturer that all adhere to a closed, proprietary communications protocol. From its inception, Z-Wave was developed as an open communications protocol that today boasts an ecosystem of 4,000+ certified devices from a remarkable array of manufacturers!
Can Z-Wave devices work with Amazon or Google devices?
Absolutely, and for many homeowners a voice assistant from either Amazon or Google makes controlling Z-Wave devices as simple as uttering a few voice commands. You may already be using one of these popular voice assistants to stream music and hear the latest weather report, so why not also use it to control the Z-Wave light switches, door locks, motorized shading, thermostats, and more? Most systems require a hub to make the devices connect but hubs are easy to install and are a cost effective way to unify your smart home.
