Practical with the home assistant Connect ZWA-2

I recently installed the largest intelligent house antenna that I have ever seen, and it helped to open new areas in my smart house, from the chicken coop. The 12 -inch high standard Home assistant Connect ZWA-2Who has been launched this week for $ 69, plugs into any home assistant system via USB and can connect to any Z-Wave deviceincluding those who use the new Long -range Spec (LR).

I connected the ZWA-2 to my Home Assistant Yellow Hub And, in a few minutes, he controlled a plug all along the bottom of my garden. I have been struggling with connectivity problems in my garden for years. A Eero Outdoor 7 was a good solution for W-FI devices such as robot cameras and lawns. Now, Z-Wave LR, which uses the same band of 900 MHz as Z-Wave to connect the devices to a mile and a half (in ideal conditions), opens the door to the use of sensors, locks and other low-power devices in the more distant corners of my property.

The antenna itself is almost comically large. To get the best performance, it must be opened, which means that it is perched in a cupboard in my living room. The HA team says it is designed to blend into the interior decoration. It is not only like a candle, but it also lights up like one. “The merit of having avoided the” Black Spider “look, but it always comes out like a brilliant blue thumb.

This size, however, allows it to collect even the lowest Z wave signal and should help make your network more reactive and stable. Until now, the Z-Wave antenna options in the home assistant have been in third-party USB sticks about 3 inches long, and on other platforms, they are generally hidden inside the hubs, which can limit their range.

The ZWA-2 configuration was easy. I screwed the stick into the base and plugged it into my yellow using a USB A to C cable supplied. The home assistant has instantly recognized it, creating a new network. If you already have a Z-Wave network on home assistant, a migration tool can move your devices in a few minutes (I saw a demo that has taken less than 5 minutes).

For my first test, I used a ZOOZ Z-WAVE LR SMART PLUG ($ 35) to control two fans in my chicken coop. The Coop is located at the bottom of my garden, about 50 meters (150 feet) from the antenna, through two brick walls. I scanned the QR code of the plug, selected the LR Z-Wave option (you can also choose the traditional mesh; the antenna can do it either), and it is on board quickly. I then plugged it into a socket in my garden hangar near the coop and I ran an extension to the fans. Even at this distance, the socket responded instantly to turn on and extinguish the fans.

Then I set up a LR ZOOZ ZOOZ ($ 39) In my attic, where my HVAC pan has recently overwhelmed, leaving a bad spot on my ceiling. The configuration was also simple. Z-Wave LR is a good solution here because the sub-GHz protocols are getting less energy than Wi-Fi, so that the part cell battery in the sensor should last longer. (There is no socket near the unit for a plug-in sensor.)

If you use Z wave devices, that many users of home assistants makeAnd have had problems with connections or want to automate more areas in your home – a mailbox sensor, a door sensor, leakage detectors in your basement, etc. – ZWA-2 is an easy recommendation.

I have only used it for a short time, so I cannot comment on reliability, but so far, the devices that I have connected have done so well in places where I had trouble finding good options. And although, despite the admirable efforts of the assistant at home, the ZWA-2 is really not a decoration room, the range gains are worth the compromise.

Photos of Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge