Modifying so that my question is at the top & not the bottom of this post since it’s been merged ;D
Ok, finally got an answer back from MiCasaVerde about the distance from my router to the door & thermostat. In their reply they state:
If you plan to use a z-wave door lock you should know that Vera communicates with the locks with encrypted signals. This limits the signal to about 20-25ft. Not all devices can relay this encrypted signal. You can use special light switches to increase this signal. When you buy such devices make sure you ask the vendor if they can relay encrypted signals.
I have purchased (waiting for it to arrive) a Leviton RZP15-1LW Vizia RF 15A Scene Capable Plug-In Appliance Module since there is an unused outlet in between the router & the door lock, figured I would use it to leap frog the signal. I’m going to try to call Leviton this afternoon if work permits & ask about this, but I thought I would check here and see if anyone has any experience with this. If my module won’t work, can anyone save me the hassle of making a bunch of phone calls to verify this and advise me which switch(es) will meet my needs? I’m sure once I start the install I will be posting many more questions! Thanks!
Ok, I’m still working my way through the forums, but this looks similar to my set-up so I’ll ask my question here. I’m looking at getting a Vera 2 to control a deadbolt & thermostat on a rental property. My wireless router is on the 2nd floor, and the lock and thermostat are on the first floor. ~40’ and 2 walls separate them. Will I need to get a plug in module to put somewhere in between the two for best results? I’m going to my cabin next week, and want to have everything with me to install it when I get there. Thanks for your help, just getting a little overwhelmed digging through everything!
Any way, 40’ is a lot to get a lock to pair. It might work once paired though. I don’t know. Worst case is you put a switch or outlet in. If you are going to only be there for a short time you might want to bring some extra gadgets with you.
Sorry, figured since they were discussing a similar problem I might get an answer more quickly. I’ve been on several forums that are just not newby friendly when you drop right in with a question, hoped I might have better luck following a similar topic. Taking your advice, ordered a plug in module to place between the two units to help leap frog the signal. Thanks for the reply!
Ok, finally got an answer back from MiCasaVerde about the distance from my router to the door & thermostat. In their reply they state:
If you plan to use a z-wave door lock you should know that Vera communicates with the locks with encrypted signals. This limits the signal to about 20-25ft. Not all devices can relay this encrypted signal. You can use special light switches to increase this signal. When you buy such devices make sure you ask the vendor if they can relay encrypted signals.
I have purchased (waiting for it to arrive) a Leviton RZP15-1LW Vizia RF 15A Scene Capable Plug-In Appliance Module since there is an unused outlet in between the router & the door lock, figured I would use it to leap frog the signal. I’m going to try to call Leviton this afternoon if work permits & ask about this, but I thought I would check here and see if anyone has any experience with this. If my module won’t work, can anyone save me the hassle of making a bunch of phone calls to verify this and advise me which switch(es) will meet my needs? I’m sure once I start the install I will be posting many more questions! Thanks!
Assuming that MCV was talking about what is called beaming, I’m not sure the Leviton appliance module supports it. It has been reported that the recently updated light module supports it though. As well as other brands.
The Evolve plug-in modules on our web site use the 4.52 z-wave protocol that Silviu was mentioning and will act as repeater nodes to door locks. The GE Jasco plug-in modules also do.
I was looking for the plug-in modules on the MiCasaVerde site instead of looking on Mios. Problem solved, hopefully this bit of info will help someone else!
Ok, sounds like they were indeed talking about beaming. It is my understanding this is supported with the later Z-Wave firmware versions (5.02 and 4.52).
And this is where newby search tactics fail ;D I had no knowledge of “beaming” (outside of beam me up Scotty!), so I have been searching for encrypted switches with MUCH frustration. I’m not much of a tech person, and reading through quite a bit of this scrambles the gray matter like an omelet. Now that this thread is up, if someone else searches for encrypted, they have more information than what I had when I started. Thanks for your help, I’ll be doing an install this weekend, my activity and crazy questions will probably spike then.
It is pretty confusing. As I understand it, beaming is a way to wake up a compatible battery-operated device, so as to save battery power, but still be able to talk to it on-demand. In other words, it is a listening battery-operated device. A Z-Wave lock is probably the prime example of such a device. I didn’t think the fact that the communication happens to be encrypted was relevant.
(Other battery-operated devices, e.g. the motion and door/window sensors, typically are always asleep and only wake up at scheduled intervals, or when a sensor event occurs.)
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