Can any z-wave or zigbee device work with ST?

A very simple question, can any z-wave or zigbee or WiFi device work with ST? Either plug and play or through building a SmartApp?

Assumptions: they both have the same frequencies, protocols and all…

There’re tons of z-wave and zigbee products out there which are not on the official compatible products list with ST… I’m looking to order something like this in quantities to integrate in several houses.

Short answer, no.

Certified zwave devices will work at the basic on/off level, but additional features may not be supported.

Zigbee devices have to use the zigbee home automation profile (ZHA 1.2). But many zigbeE devices use proprietary protocols which will not be compatible with smartthings.

For more details see the supported protocols article in the community created wiki:

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=Supported_Network_Protocols

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Hi @Hiato,

It depends on how the manufacturer of the device implemented standards, and/or if propriety stuff was done. A perfect example would be the Lowes first gen Zigbee devices. They technically were Zigbee, but they used a profile that only their hub could use. The gen 2 devices are a different story, and those work with ST. Z-Wave isn’t any different with examples like this.

The device you’re looking to order (TZ71 pictured) does not work with the US hubs because of it’s frequency of 868.42 MHz. At least from what I could tell from the link. Looks like they reference 5 or 6 devices in that link you provided.

All that said, if the device did use standards and the manufacturer documented what was used, then yes you could build a device type if ST didn’t have one. A good example would be the Philio line of devices, and even the new Aeon doorbell. Even a wifi device that has an API available can be integrated - a good example is the Thinking Cleaner wifi module for a Roomba. Given enough time and testing, you could technically make almost any device work.

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Thanks! The device i put up there uses 868.42 MHz which is compatible with the UK ST hub (which i’m using) so we should be good with this… I think i will try my luck with one unit and see if i can get it work…

Thanks for mentioning that it can work (at least from a technical standpoint), this is what i wanted to know!

Thanks @JDRoberts, in this case, if the item i’m referring to (basic z-wave in wall on/off switch) can work at that level, then it serves it’s purpose!

@Hiato, no problem, good to know you are an EU user! In theory the device should show up as a normal “Z-Wave Switch” in ST.

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Youda is a distributor for Tikaibin, which appears to be the Chinese manufacturer for TKBHOME, who are a well known Zwave manufacturer who sell mostly in Europe. (You can see the TKBHOME name on their certifications.)

http://www.tkbhome.com/?cn-p-d-165.html

So unless that particular alibaba listing is a forgery, which does sometimes happen with Chinese listings, these are probably the same as the TKbhome versions, in which case they should work at the basic level, but may not work if they have multiple endpoints or other advanced features.

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Thanks JD, appreciated!

Thanks John, appreciated!

Also note that SmartThings does not provide any standard way to change the parameters for a device through the mobile app, that usually has to be done through a custom device type.

If you check the forums for the fibaro relay you’ll see the kind of thing that can come up.

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Hi Hiato, quick check whether u have any luck with tz71? I just found a few piece of this devices at home and thinking of trying. Thanks