Replace Z-wave radio

General Discussion
1

Hi! I bought a SmartThings hub from USA without realizing that the Z-Wave frequency is different in Europe (DOH!).
Have anyone ever tried to replace the radio? The radio is a module from Sigma Designs available in several frequency bands. The hub costs twice as much in Europe(plus the one i already bought :roll_eyes: ), so it is tempting to try.

https://www.digikey.com/products/en/rf-if-and-rfid/rf-transceiver-modules/872?k=z-wave&k=zm5304&pkeyword=z-wave&FV=ffe00368%2C1c0002&mnonly=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=25

2

I think you’re being far too optimistic.

While fundamentally the only difference is the Z-Wave frequency (maybe); I would suspect that there are non-trivial differences in Firmware as well, and you’re not going to get SmartThings to send you the correct Firmware.

3

The module seems to just be a serial to Z-Wave bridge, so there shouldn’t be any difference int he firmware required to talk to the module, i can’t imagine the Z-wave api is different between US and Europe. But off course, I very possibly might be wrong :stuck_out_tongue: . The module is cheap, so I’ll give it a try, and report my findings (or failings) back here. :slight_smile:

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4

I’m not an embedded dev by any means but I don’t think this will work out. Even if you are able to swap the Z-Wave chip, there are so many other pieces that won’t be accounted for. As one example, based on our records, we will still treat it as a US Hub.

4 Likes
5

Digging a bit deeper, it appears my plan is completely DOA… The Z-wave radios, as far as I understand, comes without any firmware installed, and are basically useless without a HW and SW devkit from Sigma that costs 1700$ + tax. I guess I’ll just take this as a lesson to do my research when purchasing anything operating on ISM bands on Ebay… :stuck_out_tongue:

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