Hi, Im just tired of waiting for the ST Australia release. I am now considering either OpenHAB or a US ST.
If i run a US ST to start off doing simple things like control lights and sense presence, will i lose out much by not having Z-Wave? What if i buy US Z-Wave products?
Hey Luc,
I’m in Melbourne and I’ve had my ST hub for about 2 weeks now.
say pull the trigger and just import one.
I was hesitant in regards to the whole zwave VS product availablity thing but as of now, this is my setup…
*wemo bulb’s
*google home
*LIFX bulbs
*wemo smart switches with motion detection.
*zen thermostat (yet to be installed)
*Logitech harmony hub
**waiting on my order of mixed xiaomi sensor’s to arrive
( I have a kevo BT lock, not installed yet, wondering if i should sell it to get a zigbee lock so the integration is better or wait until ST push out the BT support.
The only device so far I’m struggling to find is a zigbee garage door opener.
Currently investigating the wemo maker path.
Is there any device which you feel is unavailable in a zigbee version??
would like to hear your thoughts on this subject.
Difference is as you said, z wave frequency.
I believe the UK and Australia use the same frequency so you will be legal.
Uk is 220. Isn’t AUS the same?
If you do get a UK one you will open yourself up to all the z wave devices that are available.
Hey Luc,
I was lucky enough to score one on ebay.com for $75US free shipping,
I didn’t bother getting the starter kit as The power adapter is US standard ( wemo switches are compatible and quite cheap at the moment. The presence sensor can be replaced by your mobile phone and the window/motion detectors can easily be replaced with an AU standard device.
Also, I’m sure that all the swann one devices are compatible with the ST hub and reading too much lately the xiaomi sensors are working, and they are dirt cheap. I purchased 9 different sensors for around $100 AUD…
I say if you can just get the hub and extend from there.
As for power to the hub, i just got a US to AU adapter and its working fine.
I might add, jump on the WEMO band wagon ASAP, i picked up 15 globes for $14.40 at bunnings.
Harvey Norman have them for $16 at this moment and can be price matched.
You might hear mixed reviews about the wemo globes, I find them great and very responsive.
I have ordered xiaomi power sockets to see how they go. I found the Wemo power point to be a little buggy with ST, it was picking it up at a motion device. and for $13 for a wifi socket, only time will tell how i end up playing with these things.
As for the UK version, Aus Zwave Freq is on 921.4 and the uk is 868 I believe, so if you do get the UK version you will most likely be in the same situation…
Looks like i assumed incorrectly that Australia and European z wave frequencies are the same.
In that case I would suggest you get the hub from whichever is the cheapest as you won’t be able to use z wave.
the only thing that i have that would need a sparkie to install is the Zen thermostat.
just like you have stated, i wouldn’t do it my self due to my house insurance, even though it is only 4 wires i need to connect .
all my lights are voice activated via google home or smartThings triggered, if you get the Wemo bulbs you can still use the lights switch as normal or use the smartthings app to control them.
IMO there is no need to replace light switches unless you don’t have a wemo bulb or any smart bulb installed in the socket.
When it does come out and fully supported i will probably upgrade one of my switches that is connected to a ceiling fan but other than that i have no real reason to change any of my light switches.
Hope i made it clear enough for ya…
If you have WeMo bulbs, don’t you have to leave the light switch on.
If someone turns the light switch off, then you lose control via ST.
I used to have them but changed the light switches to give better control as people kept turning off the switch.
But at the end of the day it’s whatever suits your needs.