Hello guys,
I think I’m first Italian.
I would create my smart house. In Italy, in this moment, we haven’t Samsung Smartthings, but I think (and I hope) we need three/four months to buy it here.
I see a Fibaro system, but the price is very high.
In my house I need:
smart light
smart roller shutter
some sensors (smoke, water)
smart thermostat with smart valves.
I don’t need cameras because I just have a normal system with cable.
Someone can help me?
I just buy from USA a Google Home and I would buy, in next week, a Nvidia Shield 2017 for my tv system.
Least but not last, I’m sorry for my english, not perfect.
Zwave has different frequencies for different regions. The frequency is set at the time of manufacture and cannot be changed afterwards. And the frequency for the EU is different than the frequency for the US. The one for the US starts with a “9” and the one for the EU starts with a “8.”
As far as I know, the Nvidia shield is only going to be available on the US frequency. Also, no one knows yet what the Home automation features of the Nvidia shield will be. There was a pre-announcement in January, but since then the SmartThings information has been taken down from the Nvidia site. Now they just list nest and Phillips hue:
Big companies like Fibaro and Aeotec make different models for the different zwave frequencies for most of their sensors and other small devices . But you have to buy the model that matches your controller frequency exactly.
So if you buy a SmartThings hub for the US or the Nvidia shield on the US frequency, from then on you will have to buy all of your zwave devices with the US frequency as well.
If you want to spend less than the Fibaro controller but stay on the EU frequency, you can get the UK version of the smartthings hub, or one of the other low-cost competitors like vera or Devolo.
Thank you JDRoberts, and nice to meet you.
I understand the differences between european and american systems (frequencies).
I can wait Samsung sell the hub in Italy and try it.
I would understand if, in your opinion, Samsung Hub is a good item or not. Fibaro is probably the best system at moment, but the differences between the two hubs?
Can I use all Fibaro sensors with Samsung hub?
For Google Home: I buy it only for try it, I think it works with all system (european and american). It is just?
For Nvidia: I know I see the pre-announcement, I can see it also on the italian web site.
did you figure out if US thermostats work in Italy? I am moving to Italy for a couple years next year and plan to bring my smartthings, NVIDIA shield, and a lot of sensors that work on US frequencies. Hopefully it will all work over there just fine.
US thermostats will not work with European HVAC systems (and vice versa)
Although the most visible part of the Nest Thermostat (the display) is the same, the rest of the thermostat is very different in the European and North American models.
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Heating systems in these two regions are entirely different, so a thermostat made for the US or Canada simply won’t work with European systems. We had to develop specific hardware, such as a new Heat Link, and dedicated software for our European customers. We also had to support the high-voltage systems found in the EU.
A few mains powered devices will, but not many, so you have to check the specs for each individual device.
Mobile phones in Italy, like those in the UK, use a frequency which overlaps with the US Z wave frequency. This can cause significant interference issues.
So just as a best practice it’s better to get a UK frequency hub and devices if you will be operating your system in Italy.
I’m only over there for two years, so I don’t want to jump ship to a whole new system. I imagine it should work ok over there. I assume they use the same batteries as we do in the US.
Any idea if Italy uses the same kind of lightbulbs as the US?
Can I bring my Google Pixel phone over for a new service as well? Just switch SIM cards. I feel like I’m in the dark (no pun intended) regarding what electrical things can move over with a converter and what just won’t work.
There’s a big difference between “electrical things” and “radio frequency things.” Different countries have assigned different radio frequency bands for different purposes. For example, mobile phones use different frequencies in different countries. Ambulance communication systems use different frequencies. Home automation systems Often use different frequencies in order to avoid interference with the mobile phone networks and the emergency communication networks.
So it is often illegal to use radio frequency devices from a different region if they might cause interference with local networks which are considered higher priority. Check with the immigration center, you may not even be able to bring the devices into the country if you are staying for some time.
Non-networked Devices which just plug-in can generally use a transformer. Devices which are wired into the mains, however, probably cannot be used. Battery powered devices can generally be used if they are on a frequency which is legal locally.
GSM phones have a good chance of working in Europe, you just have to check with the manufacturer and the intended carrier to be sure.
Consumer batteries are the same sizes although they may have different names.
I live in Italy and have been using it for quite some time.
I have integrated several products, from harmony hub, fibaro, netatmo, xiaomi, philips hue and I’m fine with everything, you have to lose some time but it’s worth it
I relocated from Italy (Roma) to the USA (TX) about 15 years ago. Glad to see some participation on this forum from fellow Italians
There are a number of issues with using equipment made for another country… some are trivial… others can be dangerous or illegal.
As @JDRoberts mentioned ZWave devices made for the US operate on an old (new mobile phones tend to prefer higher frequencies when available) GSM frequency commonly used in Europe therefore their use in Italy is ILLEGAL. They will still work and it is unlikely that you will significantly interfere with cell phones but you can still have trouble with the “Polizia postale e delle comunicazioni” if anyone were ever to report you for any type of interference. On the other hand, if you use Zigbee devices you should be ok as the 2.4GHz ISM band is license free in Italy as well. I believe the US models output more power but it is unlikely you would ever be caught for that.
@Wolfpack asked whether lightbulbs are the same… Italy uses the European standard 230Vac 50Hz so anything built for 120V 60Hz - unless it has a universal power supply - will not work. Light bulbs will likely just go up in smoke but some LED light bulbs MAY have a power supply that can handle 100 to 240Vac - PLEASE CHECK on a per product basis!!. The socket used in Italy is E27 and in the US it is E26. The difference is 1mm in size (26mm Vs 27mm) but they apparently remain interchangeable… but that doesn’t mean the bulb was designed to work at the higher/lower voltage. Of course there are many low voltage light bulbs too that would work anywhere if paired with an appropriate power supply.
All plug in devices will have incompatible plugs. Of course there are adapters BUT you must check if the device was designed to handle the higher voltage otherwise you could blow it up, cause a fire or get shocked. If a device was designed for a specific market it is unlikely that they tested for use outside of that market. A plug in zwave switch with a US plug is likely tested to meet US/Canada/Japan standards (and possibly a few others) but not European standards. Non conformance to European standards would likely make its use in Europe illegal on top of likely being dangerous as well.
In short… Sticking with products designed for use in Europe is your safest choice.
I’m sorry but I have some health problems and I can’t write for some months.
I would buy Samsung Hub and I see on samsung.com.uk they sell this version: F-HUB-UK-V2
Can I use it in Italy?
Jokes aside, on Amazon.it the easiest to find z-wave manifactrer are Fibaro and Aeotec.
I prefer the 2nd, but it realy depends on the specific device.
I used aeotec microswitch or microdimmer for light automation (where you can’t use HUE)
Fibaro Roller Shutter 2 is an excellent choice for roller automation
Aeotec Multisensor 5 is the best overal sensor (Temp, light, movement…), you can power it via USB and even when battery powered doesn’t “east” batteries like the Fibaro.
For smoke and flood sensor I bought the specific Fibaro sensors, they work fine.
For the termostat I’d suggest you look into tado, there are several custome device handler , I’m using it for A/C only and it’s good.
Be carefull in buying EU freuqency Z wave product, if you don’t buy on Amazon.it
Thank you so much.
Now I have a V2 Hub (from UK), Google Home (from US), some Hue (from Amazon.it)… I’m waiting Fibaro motion sensor and at the end of this month I will buy Fibaro 223 for lights and Fibaro Roller Shutter.
I read it have some problems to connect to Smartthings Hub. Can someone help me?
Hi Marco, I’m italian as well, I have bought Smartthings one year ago and I’ve connected dozens of devices. If you need a help, contact me on Facebook.
