Dwelling Assistant has introduced the launch of the Join ZWA-2 — a pole-like Z-Wave adapter that, it claims, delivers peak efficiency from its Silicon Labs ZG23 Z-Wave 800 chip, together with assist for simultaneous use of each Z-Wave and Z-Wave Lengthy Vary.
“In late 2022, we launched Dwelling Assistant Join ZBT-1 (previously SkyConnect), a USB adapter for Zigbee and Thread. It made each protocols a lot simpler to get began with, and gross sales helped fund Dwelling Assistant growth,” Dwelling Assistant’s Paulus Schoutsen explains. “We knew the subsequent customary to deal with was Z-Wave, and after one other couple of {hardware} launches (Dwelling Assistant Inexperienced and Voice Preview Version), we lastly had the time to do it proper.”
A sci-fi sign beacon? No, that is Dwelling Assistant’s new Z-Wave USB adapter, the Join ZWA-2. (📷: Dwelling Assistant)
“Doing it proper” seems to contain skipping a quantity: “Making this gadget was the beginning of us leveling up the Join platform and establishing our second era,” Schoutsen says of the brand new gadget’s surprising numerical suffix, “which is all about constructing probably the most performant and open design. That’s the reason we jumped straight to 2 for this Join ZWA-2!”
The Join ZWA-2 is constructed round an Espressif ESP32-S3, however working as a USB controller — there is no Wi-Fi connectivity, and no assist for the ESPHome firmware. As an alternative, it is driving a Z-Wave 800 controller related to a surprisingly-long dipole antenna that sticks up from a freestanding base. “You want an antenna that is the best dimension in your wavelength,” Schoutsen. “As Z-Wave is within the sub-GHz, this implies the antenna must be longer than your common Wi-Fi antenna (about 33 cm or a foot is the candy spot). Whereas some Z-Wave adapters might declare they will hit the utmost transmit ranges with their postage-stamp-sized antennas, that may generally include lots of interference. We have engineered away that drawback.”
The gadget consists of an Espressif ESP32-S3, however solely as a USB bridge; the laborious work is completed by a Silicon Labs ZG23. (📷: Dwelling Assistant)
The ZWA-2 helps working conventional Z-Wave and the brand new Z-Wave Lengthy Vary — examined, Schoutsen says, out to a near-mile vary “below lower than perfect circumstances” — concurrently, although the latter is just obtainable in North America and Europe. Naturally, the gadget is designed to be plug-and-play with Dwelling Assistant, together with over-the-air firmware updating, and the corporate has launched firmware recordsdata and full documentation for individuals who want to tinker.
Extra data on the ZWA-2 is on the market on the Dwelling Assistant web site, whereas the gadget itself is on the market for buy from resellers now priced at $69 — although the corporate warns inventory could also be restricted.
