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  • Author Author: packetgeek
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RPi/Z-wave project on hold (Update 1)

packetgeek

I received the Razberry daughterboard this week.  Installation is only slightly buggy in that I couldn't use the wget statement in the docs to pipe the download to a shell.  Instead, I had to download the "install" script and run it via:

 

  python install

 

Not sure why it wouldn't run directly.  Probably because the docs have it piped to bash instead of Python.

 

In any case, I spent a few hours attempting to get the Razberry to "talk" to one of the IRIS Smart Plugs.  Unfortunately, I think that the Alertme or IRIS people have monkeyed with the devices just enough that they don't "talk" to anything other than an IRIS hub.  Is there anyone in the Z-Wave community we can complain to?  Technically, it's no longer Z-Wave if you can't pair it with another controller.

 

On the flip side, I can get the Razberry to pair with the IRIS hub.  I'm not sure if anything is gained by being able to do this.  It shows up in the IRIS hub interface as an "Unknown Device" with no controls associated with it.

 

Next up is to find/buy a non-IRIS Z-Wave device.

  • The fact that the Z-Wave devices will work with each other to extend the range of the network is one of their strongest features. ZigBee (Xbee) works exactly the same way. I had a few X-10 devices years ago and they were not very reliable. I understand that hasn't changed much. The light switch I have in my kitchen is a Wemo device and I actually like it. Looking at Z-Wave for the range of other devices available. The page I'm running now is on Apache. Would the webpage for the Razberry interfere with it? I would think not as it's on an entirely different port... As for gauges on the wall, I get it now but that could get expensive. I have an LED message board (sign) that I display things on. I'll be upgrading it shortly to the ZigBee network so I can send whatever I want to it. Right now it's tied to a very basic set of sensors...

     

    Mike

  • in reply to myeager1967

    I haven't had a chance to play with any Zigbee technologies yet (other than the initial experiments with the IRIS system).  For the Z-Wave devices, I used the program that comes with the RazBerry for the initial configuration of the devices and then just use wget calls to port 8083 to control/query the lights.  The hard part was figuring out which device was which node (I was using only my browser and didn't know what to search for on the Internet).  Since then, I've been happy with the cheesy web controls (which use the aforementioned wget calls) that I kluged together.  I'm think of adding an infrared remote to it.

     

    Two of my light controllers turned out to be out of range of the RazBerry.  This was easily fixed by adding another light controller in the room about half the distance between the RazBerry and the lights. The new controller picked up the network and acts as an intermediary between the Razberry and the lights.  I didn't have to do any additional configuration for the network mesh.  If I remember correctly, the Zigbee technologies should act similar. 

     

    I like the Z-Wave devices well enough that I've discontinued using the WeMo controllers (they were migrated to controlling the inside Christmas lights this year).  I've stopped using my X-10 controls altogether, primarily because there's no way to query status on them.  One noted difference between the WeMo modules and the Z-Wave modules (that I have) is that the former is relay based while the latter has solid state power control.  This is noticeable if you're using LED lighting in that the LEDs never go completely out (there's always _some_ voltage applied).  This isn't an issue for my office, where a very dim light is better than none at all.  I'm thinking that you're likely to get what you pay for, when buying Z-Wave lighting controls (I bought the cheapest I could find).

     

    By "building the page in hardware", I mean converting the graphical display into actual hardware so that you'd have a physical set of gauges on your wall (or desk) displaying the same data.  I've been a steam-punk fan for years.

  • While I agree with you on this point, I'm thinking that for my needs, some of these devices might still be of use to me. How well does the Razberry board work and how hard is it to access from an outside program (say a Python script)? The graphics on the gauges are much smoother when things are updating a bit quicker. I've had it up and down all evening and with the ZigBee radios being on the outside edge of their range I don't get all of the packets all the time. I like the visual display though and since it's primarily for me, you know how that goes. Not sure what you mean by building the page in hardware... I'm very interested in the Razberry addon board though....

  • in reply to myeager1967

    The graphics you used for your page also remind me this Youtube video that I watched earlier today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaCqZNaG4MA   I can see buiding your web page in hardware.

     

    The irritating thing about the IRIS system is that while you can use third-party sensors with the IRIS system, the reverse doesn't appear true (i.e., you can't use a non-IRIS controller with IRIS sensors).  Because I don't like having to go out onto the Internet to control systems inside my house, I'm not a fan of the IRIS system.

  • Many of the Iris products are actually ZigBee based and they have been documented. I'm thinking about grabbing one of these Razberry boards to add to my system. Have a look, the page is at http://myeager.no-ip.biz and runs on a Raspberry Pi. It's modelled after Dave's Desert Home project (Google Desert Home) for a better look...