Ted Singh
05-13-2010, 07:05 AM
1. We have validated the following Z-Wave adapters with mControl, (shown left to right in the image below):
- Intermatic HA22
- ControlThink ThinkStick
- Wayne Dalton
- Cooper Wiring RFUSB - not shown
- ACT ZCxy01 (where X=S for serial, U for USB, Y=1 for US, 2 for EU) - not shown
- Tricklestar
- Aeon z-Stick
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/images/appnotes/Z-Wave Adapters - Adapters (500px).jpg
A great summary of adapters can be found here: http://www.zwaveworld.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php?t395.html. It's important to note the Z-Wave firmware versions (for features/functionality), Windows platforms (some adapters may not have drivers for Windows 7 or x64 platforms), regional availability, etc.
2. For operation with mControl, you may need to configure the interface - USB or Serial - used by the adapter within Windows.
(a) Out of the box, mControl is configured to operate with adapters using the USB interface - for example, the Intermatic HA22 or ControlThink ThinkStick. For these USB-based interfaces, in the mControl Service Manager, enter "USB" in the Port option and select "USB" from the drop down list in the Z-Wave Adapter Utility.
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/images/appnotes/Z-Wave Adapters - Z-Wave Manager (500px).jpg
(b) Many of the newer adapters present themselves to Windows as virtual serial ports. That is, once the Windows driver associated with the adapter is loaded, either automatically by Windows (e.g., Aeon) or manually through some driver download/install procedure (e.g., Tricklestar, ACT), a new serial port will show up in your Windows devices. For these Serial-based intefaces, in the mControl Service Manager, enter "COMx" (where x is the serial port number) in the Port option and select "COMx" from the drop down list in the Z-Wave Adapter Utility.
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/images/appnotes/Z-Wave Adapters - Z-Wave Driver - SERIAL (500px).jpg
3. Our experience has shown that some adapters may use more power than available on some USB ports. When selecting where the adapter is plugged in, we recommend the following:
(a) Select a USB port directly on your motherboard, as these ports are usually better powered
(b) Use a powered USB hub
An underpowered adapter may show erratic behavior during adding/removing devices or adusting associations/parameters.
- Intermatic HA22
- ControlThink ThinkStick
- Wayne Dalton
- Cooper Wiring RFUSB - not shown
- ACT ZCxy01 (where X=S for serial, U for USB, Y=1 for US, 2 for EU) - not shown
- Tricklestar
- Aeon z-Stick
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/images/appnotes/Z-Wave Adapters - Adapters (500px).jpg
A great summary of adapters can be found here: http://www.zwaveworld.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php?t395.html. It's important to note the Z-Wave firmware versions (for features/functionality), Windows platforms (some adapters may not have drivers for Windows 7 or x64 platforms), regional availability, etc.
2. For operation with mControl, you may need to configure the interface - USB or Serial - used by the adapter within Windows.
(a) Out of the box, mControl is configured to operate with adapters using the USB interface - for example, the Intermatic HA22 or ControlThink ThinkStick. For these USB-based interfaces, in the mControl Service Manager, enter "USB" in the Port option and select "USB" from the drop down list in the Z-Wave Adapter Utility.
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/images/appnotes/Z-Wave Adapters - Z-Wave Manager (500px).jpg
(b) Many of the newer adapters present themselves to Windows as virtual serial ports. That is, once the Windows driver associated with the adapter is loaded, either automatically by Windows (e.g., Aeon) or manually through some driver download/install procedure (e.g., Tricklestar, ACT), a new serial port will show up in your Windows devices. For these Serial-based intefaces, in the mControl Service Manager, enter "COMx" (where x is the serial port number) in the Port option and select "COMx" from the drop down list in the Z-Wave Adapter Utility.
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/images/appnotes/Z-Wave Adapters - Z-Wave Driver - SERIAL (500px).jpg
3. Our experience has shown that some adapters may use more power than available on some USB ports. When selecting where the adapter is plugged in, we recommend the following:
(a) Select a USB port directly on your motherboard, as these ports are usually better powered
(b) Use a powered USB hub
An underpowered adapter may show erratic behavior during adding/removing devices or adusting associations/parameters.