I lately put in the most important sensible dwelling antenna I’ve ever seen, and it helped open up new areas in my sensible dwelling, from the attic to the hen coop. The towering 12-inch-tall Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2, which launched this week for $69, plugs into any House Assistant system by way of USB and may hook up with any Z-Wave device, together with these utilizing the brand new Long Range (LR) spec.
I hooked the ZWA-2 as much as my Home Assistant Yellow hub and, inside minutes, it was controlling a plug all the best way on the backside of my backyard. I’ve struggled with connectivity points in my backyard for years. An Eero Outdoor 7 has been repair for W-Fi gadgets reminiscent of cameras and robotic lawnmowers. Now Z-Wave LR, which makes use of the identical 900MHz band as Z-Wave to attach gadgets as much as a mile and a half away (in excellent situations), opens the door to utilizing sensors, locks, and different low-powered gadgets in further-flung corners of my property.
The antenna itself is nearly comically giant. To get the most effective efficiency, it must be out within the open, which suggests it’s perched on a cabinet in my sitting room. The HA workforce says it’s ”designed to mix into dwelling decor. It not solely resembles a candle, but it surely additionally lights up like one.” Credit score to them for avoiding the “black spider” look, but it surely nonetheless stands proud like a glowing blue sore thumb.
That dimension, although, lets it choose up even the faintest Z-Wave sign and may assist make your community extra responsive and steady. Till now, Z-Wave antenna choices in House Assistant have been in third-party USB sticks about 3 inches lengthy, and on different platforms, they’re usually hidden inside hubs, which may restrict their vary.
Establishing the ZWA-2 was straightforward. I screwed the stick into the bottom and plugged it into my Yellow utilizing a supplied USB A-to-C cable. House Assistant immediately acknowledged it, creating a brand new community. If you have already got a Z-Wave community on House Assistant, a migration device can transfer your gadgets over in a couple of minutes (I noticed a demo that took underneath 5 minutes).
For my first take a look at, I used a Zooz Z-Wave LR smart plug ($35) to manage two followers in my hen coop. The coop is situated on the backside of my backyard, about 50 yards (150 ft) from the antenna, by two brick partitions. I scanned the plug’s QR code, chosen the Z-Wave LR choice (you may as well select conventional mesh; the antenna can do both), and it onboarded shortly. I then plugged it into an outlet in my backyard shed close to the coop and ran an extension wire to the followers. Even at that distance, the plug responded immediately to show the followers on and off.
Subsequent, I arrange a Zooz Z-Wave LR water leak sensor ($39) in my attic, the place my HVAC drip pan lately overflowed, leaving a nasty stain on my ceiling. The setup was equally easy. Z-Wave LR is an efficient resolution right here as a result of sub-GHz protocols draw much less energy than Wi-Fi, so the coin cell battery within the sensor ought to last more. (There’s no outlet close to the unit for a plug-in sensor.)
For those who use Z-Wave gadgets, which many Home Assistant users do, and have had hassle with connections or wish to automate extra areas of your property — a mailbox sensor, a gate sensor, leak detectors in your basement, and so forth — the ZWA-2 is a straightforward suggestion.
I’ve solely been utilizing it for a short time, so I can’t touch upon reliability, however up to now, the gadgets I’ve related have performed so easily in spots the place I’ve struggled to search out good choices. And whereas, regardless of House Assistant’s admirable efforts, the ZWA-2 actually isn’t a décor piece, the vary positive factors are definitely worth the trade-off.
Photographs by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge