Control4 Gets Full Integration with Z-Wave

Control4 is largely a ZigBee shop, but efforts have been made in the past to bring Z-Wave RF technology to the home automation system. It never took.

Now, true Z-Wave integration is available, thanks to a new Control4 driver from UK-based Extra Vegetables, which creates “side dishes” for Control4 and other automation systems.

The driver connects Control4 systems to the Vera 2 home controller from Mi Casa Verde. Vera, a low-cost Z-Wave-enabled control system, has an enthusiastic following among do-it-yourselfers but has never quite made it to the custom channel.

The new EV driver might be just the ticket.

In essence, Vera provides a comprehensive and inexpensive ($238) Z-Wave gateway for Control4.

“By installing the Vera 2 and the Extra Vegetables driver in a Control4 installation, the whole world of Z-Wave products and devices is suddenly made available,” according to EV.

RELATED: CE Pro Reviews Mi Casa Verde Vera Home Automation System

Control4 has always maintained that ZigBee is a richer, more reliable mesh networking technology than Z-Wave, but the company has been open to Z-Wave integration. The Z-Wave camp has far more compatible devices – garage door openers, thermostats, sensors, switches, plug-in modules and the like – at prices that are generally lower than their ZigBee counterparts.

In 2009, The Z-Wave Alliance itself wrote a driver to integrate Control4 with its RF protocol, but the solution was just a proof of concept, and no one really proved it.

"More and more Z-Wave home automation, monitoring and control products are coming to market, providing cost-effective lighting, heating, energy monitoring and home security solutions,” says EV principal Jane Scotland. “This will really open up the choice of products available to Control4 dealers.”

Mi Casa Verde guarantees that Vera is compatible with all 500+ certified interoperable Z-Wave devices.

Extra Vegetables is famous for integrating Control4 with a variety of popular subsystems, including Apple TV, Sonos , Crestron lighting, and now Z-Wave via Mi Casa Verde.

Extra Vegetables will demonstrate this and other Control4 "side dishes" at CEDIA Expo 2011.


Control4 is now compatible with more than 500 Z-Wave devices, thanks to a new driver for Mi Casa Verde Vera.

Control4/Vera Z-Wave Integration Features

Controllable Devices
Dimmable Lighting - Can set to a level and switch on or off. Feedback from Z-Wave network.
Switched Lighting - Can be turned On and Off
Switched Devices - Connect to any Control4 'relay' device in Composer to provide control of an motorized device.
Blinds and Drapes - Specific driver for changeover relay.
Security Sensors - PIRs, door and window sensors, pressure mats etc. Allows 'arming' input too.
Temperature Sensors - Monitor temperature in room, current temperature available in Control4 variable. Alerts on high and low levels.
Humidity Sensors - Monitor humidity in room, current humidity available in Control4 variable. Alerts on high and low levels.
Thermostats - With scheduling from Control4 too

Seamless Integration
Driver attaches devices such as lighting circuits to the Z-Wave network. Each device is then simply named to match the corresponding item in Vera. None of this is evident to the customer. A light is a light regardless of whether it is on the Z-Wave network or a Control4 outlet module.

Recall and monitor scenes defined in Vera
Vera allows you to define scenes for lighting and other actions. You can define all your lighting scenes in Vera to offload this functionality from Control4. You can trigger Vera scenes within Control4 programming. Vera also informs Control4 when a scene is active.

Limitations
Dimmable lights - There is no concept of a ramp time in Z-Wave, lights adjust their levels based on their internal settings. There are no raise or lower commands .
Scene Setting Controllers - Some scene setting devices may not be compatible - contact us for updates.
Associations - All Z-Wave 'associations' should be made in Vera. The driver does not connect directly to the Z-Wave network.

Requirements
'HC' Class Controller -- We do not recommend using this driver with older Media Controllers or Home Theater Controllers. They may work but the operation may be slow.
Control4 2.0 (or higher) + HC 1000 Controller for larger systems -- The introduction of any two-way driver into a project adds to the processor load. In line with Control4's recommendations we suggest that an HC1000 is used for systems of more than three rooms.
-----------------------------------------------

Follow us on Twitter!
@juliejacobson
@ce_pro