How to get started with zwave/
... control electric loads with cell phone etc
What you need to get started:
1) Controller that creates network and connects to in-home router, and 'pairs' with each device.2) Devices such as zwave door lock or zwave switch.
3) Phone app -and/or- hand-held or wall-mount controller inside home that communicates with devices
4) Forum to answer questions
1) Controller that connects to in-home router
Vera lite will work for most homesBuy:
Vera3 at Amazon
Vera lite at Amazon
More Mi Casa Verde options at Amazon
Resources:
Mi Casa Verde forum
1) Devices/ light switch
Light switch with neutral wire can control incandescent and CFL bulbsProducts without neutral wire are cheaper, but cannot control CFL
Buy:
Linear WD500Z-1 Z-wave dimmer switch/ 500 watt
GE/ Jasco 45609 single-pole switch
Resource:
Linear WD500Z installation manual/ pdf
Jasco 45609 installation manual/ pdf
Example wiring: Use Zwave light switch to control water heater or heavy amp load such as pool pump
1) Controller - this is the device that creates your network.
Pair it to each device, and configure everything using the controller.
2) Devices –
Common ZWave devices are light switches, lamp modules, thermostats, and door locks.
Recommended controller:
I use the Vera Lite controller
Or the Vera 3, but the Lite version should be all you need.
Buy
Vera Lite
Vera 3:
Buy Devices
Light switch
Light switch
Lamp module
Lamp module
Thermostat
Kwikset door lock
Outdoor module
3-way dimmer switch:
Water freeze sensor
Load = light bulb, motor, fan, heater, pump; Total load = add up all Loads.
Resistive Load: incandescent light bulb, heating element and have uniform voltage and amp draw; Inductive load: motor, pump etc. Inductive loads pull many amps during start up. CA3750 is rated for resistive and inductive.
Load rating... light bulb shows wattage, label on water heater shows volts-watts etc Figure volts amps watts
Volts x amps = watts Water heater formulas .pdf
Hot wire = wire or wires that carry voltage and would shock you if breaker was on Image residential breaker box
Neutral wire = by code, a white wire used for 120V and 277V circuits to complete circuit, and carries no voltage
Ground wire = green or bare copper wire that connects to ground busbar in breaker box Why ground is needed
208 and 240 volt circuits have 2 Hot wires. (US electric) Image residential breaker box
Some countries have 230-240Volt circuits with 1 Hot and 1 Neutral (instead of 2 Hot wires). Unknown if CA3750 works with this power source.
120 and 277 volt circuits have 1 Hot and 1 Neutral / Usually 277volt is found in commercial applications (US)
Other voltages include 12V 24V 230V 380V 440V 480V 600V etc found in various applications worldwide
DC direct current generated by solar panels and batteries. Large arc when switching high voltage DC is fire hazard. Device must show DC rating. CA3750 is not rated for DC. Read about DC vrs AC
AC alternating current produced by power plant, windmill, or portable generator. CA3750 is rated for AC More
Single-phase = residential electrical systems are single phase AC, requiring 2 wires to complete circuit More
Three-phase = commercial wiring requiring 3 Hot wires to complete circuit More
Wire gauge = diameter of wire. The wire size and load rating and breaker must match Select wire and breaker
Breaker: circuit breaker will trip when amp draw from Load overheats wire. Turn breaker fully off and then fully on.
60Hz or 60 cycle = number of times AC generator rotates each second. Americas use 60 Hz power, while other countries use 50Hz. CA3750 is rated 50/60 Hz. Read more
Jumper = short wire used to connect 2 electrical points together.
Each Z-wave network requires 1 main controller.
Controllers can be a hand-held controller (portable controller), or wall-mount controller (static controller), or SmartThings Hub (static controller) etc. Controllers can be battery-powered or hardwired. SmartThings Hub is 'hardwired' and continually powered.
At the factory, controllers are given unique Home-id number.
No two controllers have same Home-id. The Home-id cannot be changed inside the controller.
During inclusion of each device, such as the GE Contactor, the controller will assign it's unique Home-id to that device.
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Each Z-wave network also requires 1 to 232 devices (actors and sensors).
For example the GE Contactor is an example device (or actor), while Z-wave wall switch is another device.
During inclusion, each device will be assigned a unique Node id by the controller.
To summarize: During inclusion, the controller will assign its Home-id and a unique Node-id to each device.
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GE Contactor arrives new out of the box without Home-id or Node-id. Therefore the GE Contactor device is ready to interoperate with any Z-wave controller.
Recommended that each device be excluded before being included. This is to clear any prior inclusions.
If a device falls off network, it must be excluded and then included again.
Most zwave devices today are auto-inclusion type and will automatically seek the network signal.
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During inclusion, the device automatically exchanges its node-information-frame to the controller.
The information-frame tells the controller what kind of device and what command classes are supported.
GE Contactor requires no further configuration after inclusion. The controller knows this after receiving the node information frame from the GE Contactor.
While other z-wave devices, such as battery-powered motion detector, can be configured with various parameters such as time interval etc.
Battery operated devices should be configured immediately. When battery-operated device is included, it will stay awake while waiting for configuration... and this can drain battery.
GE Contactor is powered by electricity and not battery, so battery drain is not as issue.
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After the controller's Home-id is assigned to a device, then the device will not accept signals from any other controller (unless network has secondary controller or bridge to another network).
This assures that the GE Contactor cannot be operated through somebody else's controller.
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Summary: When inclusion is complete, the GE Contactor is assigned the same Home-id as the controller, and is assigned a unique Node-id. And the controller knows what commands can be sent to the GE Contactor.
