Review of HomeSeer Z-Troller
Reviewed by HAI Staff
HomeSeer® Z-Troller
Z-Troller is a must interface for anyone using HomeSeer with a significant Z-Wave network.
Overall Rating: 8.0 out of 10
Features
The HomeSeer Z-Troller serves as a primary controller in a Z-Wave network enabling your PC, with HomeSeer software installed, to control the devices in the network. Once you get beyond a handful of lighting, thermostat, or other Z-Wave devices in your home, Z-Troller is a "must have" unless you have no plans to ever add more devices in the future. Z-Troller is recommended over the USB-connected interfaces when you also need superior range, support for network backup/restore, or a real-time display of node information.
To ensure your Z-Wave network is working at peak efficiency, with the Z-Troller connected to your HomeSeer system run the "Optimize Z-Wave Network" function. A command will transmit automatically to each and every Z-Wave device telling it to rediscover the network. The same command can also be transmitted individually to any Z-Wave device you wish.
If you need to delete a Z-Wave device from your network, press and hold the "Delete" button on the Z-Troller and press any button on your Z-Wave device. If you need to move a Z-Wave device to a new location, the Global optimization option will find the relocated device and re-add it to your Z-Wave network.
A Z-Wave secondary controller is any other handheld controller ("remote control") used for manual control of your devices. To create a secondary controller with Z-Troller just set your secondary controller to receive the signal and use HomeSeer to transmit the data via the Z-Troller.
Z-Troller displays the node ID of any device that HomeSeer is controlling or receiving information from. This capability makes it very easy to monitor Z-Wave activity and ensure devices are working as expected.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
Ease of Installation
Identifying devices in your Z-Wave network is easy. For each installed Z-Wave device you simply position the portable Z-Troller near the device and press and hold the "Add" button. Then, press any button on your Z-Wave device. The node number will display and the device will be added to your network.
Next you connect the Z-Troller to a serial port on your PC using the supplied cables and click "Load Devices" on the 'Setup' page in HomeSeer to load your Z-Wave network information into the system.
Rating: 9.0 out of 10
Reliability
The Z-Troller with no moving parts should function for years in the normal home environment. Perhaps a greater concern would be the reliability of your in-home Z-Wave mesh network. As with other wireless RF protocols, the more devices installed in the home the greater the reliability of Z-Wave signal transmission as each device re-transmits the signal to the nearest neighbor device. Most Z-Wave devices have a signal transmission distance of 50 feet.
If your PC is located greater than 50 feet from the closest Z-Wave device you can optionally connect the Z-Troller to the PC via a 1-port Ethernet to Serial Converter, also available from HomeSeer.