That is very true. Poorly utilized hardware, like the old vera still is, is a far worse problem to have. It just seems odd to me to decide to pick an obsolete CPU (for its target market since 2017) to pair with shiny future proof radios. It feels very entry level to me. It’s actually a device my daughter uses as an accessory for her lego robotics project as a cheaper alternative of the rPi Zero so forgive my surprise and skepticism.
The federated controller idea is pretty absurd by the way, at least when used with z-wave networks and within congruent spaces. I shared on the plug hub thread why. You need to understand the z-wave RF limitations to understand the interference problem and even more absurd trying to link them up through the less obstacle penetrating/lower range wifi. It defeats the purpose of the z-wave mesh and is the idea I believe is a by-product of the vera’s failed z-wave management:
-z-wave range is much greater than wifi both due to physics and the mesh topology.
-z-wave only has 2 channels and both are used by every network. 2 colocated networks interfere with one another causing packet filtration by the z-wave radio and reduced available air time for each network.
-The amount of dropped/interfered packet increases with multiple networks because they are not coordinated vs having a single large mesh, causing more retries and further reduced air time. It will add lag, reduce efficiency, increase RF and decrease reliability with no benefit other than managing the old vera’s inability to manage its z-wave network correctly. So unless the new ezlo firmware has this same problem… Or you want to apply to Bluetooth…
The only application where it would make sense would be in a very large space with non-colocated, non-interfering meshes (thick blocking walls?), in which case you would want to link them up though wire and that’s already been done for years albeit with a third central controller (openLuup).
I too was enticed by the novel idea initially but learned quite a bit more about z-wave RF in the past few weeks of using z-way and a experimenting with a Zniffer. But hey, what do I know? I am now running a 100% reliable z-wave 165 node network which is more responsive (instant responses) than what the vera could ever manage with only 20 and never had to spend a single minute on the phone with support.
