Z-Wave is a wireless communication protocol that is primarily created for home and office automation. It encompasses a broad ecosystem of smart products and services that work seamlessly between brands and versions. These include smart thermostats, bulbs, door/window locks, and water/flood sensors. This protocol creates a wireless mesh network in which devices link up and communicate with each other without wires on a dedicated frequency(800-900MHZ). The actual frequencies depend on the country in which it is being operated and the regulations in place.
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The benefits that come with z-wave are:
1. Low power consumption/improved battery life.
2. Long operating range (approximately 90-100 meters for outdoor and 24 meters indoor)
3. Addresses a very large range of devices
4. Reduced noise and greater coverage frequency range

Several smart thermostats manufacturers have integrated this technology in the devices they manufacture. Among them are Trane, Venstar, and Honeywell.

Trane
All Trane’s communicating thermostats (XL1050, XL950, XL850, and XR724) are Z-Wave Certified. These thermostats have a built-in Nexia bridge with an embedded Z-Wave Static Controller designed to enable remote control of a Z-Wave network from the Nexia Home Intelligence web portal. XL624 thermostat requires a Z-Wave bridge for it to control Z-Wave devices.

Venstar
The Venstar Voyager thermostats (T3700, T3800, T3900, T4700, T4800, and T4900) offer users Z-Wave connectivity with the aid of a Z-Wave module.

Honeywell
Honeywell supports this technology with the Z-Wave Thermostat (TH6320ZW2003) which is compatible with Z-Wave and Z-Wave Plus compliant gateways, hubs, and controllers.

Rfwel offers a wide variety of other Z-Wave products.
For more detailed technical information, please visit www.z-wavealliance.org.

For other custom HVAC control solutions, feel free to contact our HVAC Control Engineering team for assistance or learn more on our HVAC Controls website.