Z-Station

Product detailed description

Z-Station - modern Z-Wave & Zigbee/Thread/Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) USB adapter.

This device transforms your computer into a full-fledged smart home gateway. It is the first device on the market to carry all current protocols used in a Smart Home. You no longer need to connect a separate antenna for each protocol to your PC/Raspberry. Just plug in this dongle and you can communicate with all protocols.

To use the device's functions, control software compatible with the Silicon Labs Z-Wave Serial API (such as Z-Way) and Zigbee NCP is required. Of course, this antenna is compatible with Home Assistant, Z-WaveJS, Zigbee2MQTT, Node-RED, OpenHAB, Domoticz, FHEM, and others.

The Z-Station adapter supports Z-Wave and Zigbee/Thread/Bluetooth Low Energy (based on your choice, selected by a firmware update).

Connection is via a USB-C interface, and a 1m cable is included in the package. Once connected, it appears as two serial interfaces: one for Z-Wave and one for Zigbee/Thread/BLE. Moreover, the external antennas offer up to 3x higher range than comparable products. Thanks to the built-in tool (Z-Way), you also have advanced network analytics at your disposal.

The device implements two virtual serial interfaces used by Z-Wave and Zigbee/Thread/BLE applications. Linux and Mac OSX have built-in device drivers and will create a new device named /dev/ttyUSB* (Linux) or /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART (OSX). Windows lists a new device with a COM port but may require a device driver from Silicon Labs.

This device supports Z-Wave Security S2, Smart Start, and Long Range technologies, as well as the Zigbee HA 3.0 protocol.

Compared to the standard firmware design used by almost all Z-Wave USB sticks and other Z-Wave Host Interface hardware, this device's firmware offers several extensions and improvements:

• Built-in Z-Wave and Zigbee sniffer tool
• Backup and restore function, including network topology
• Optimized transmission queue handling to speed up the transmission process
• Firmware updates from the OS level in the field
• Extended Wakeup Notification to extend the battery life of battery-powered devices on the network
• Advanced statistics on actual network usage
• Allows frequency switching from the software
• Z-Station can be used along with any other third-party software that uses the Z-Wave Serial API and Zigbee NCP Serial API. There are firmwares for a static controller or bridge (for Z/IP).

Firmware:

Z-Station supports Z-Wave and Zigbee NCP, OpenThread RCP, Bluetooth Low Energy, or Zigbee NCP/OpenThread RCP (based on your choice, selected by a firmware update). It is also possible to use Z-Station as a Z-Wave/Zigbee/Thread repeater (special firmware is required).

Z-Wave support:

Compared to the standard firmware design used by almost all Z-Wave USB sticks and other Z-Wave Host Interface hardware, this device's firmware offers several extensions and improvements:

• Built-in Z-Wave Zniffer tool
• Backup and restore function, including network topology
• Optimized transmission queue handling to speed up the transmission process
• Firmware updates from the OS level
• Extended Wakeup Notification to extend the battery life of battery-powered devices on the network
• Advanced statistics on actual network usage
• Allows frequency switching from the software
• Compatible with third-party software such as Home Assistant, Z-WaveJS, OpenZWave, Domoticz, OpenHAB, Jeedom (thanks to static library mode)

Zigbee support:

Zigbee is available in NCP (Network Co-Processor) and RCP (Radio Co-Processor) variants. The Zigbee HA 3.0 protocol is supported.

• Built-in 802.15.4 sniffer tool
• Optimized configuration for stable operation in large networks
• Firmware updates from the OS level
• Compatible with third-party software such as Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT, OpenHAB

Thread support:

Both Zigbee and Thread use the 802.15.4 MAC/PHY layer. OpenThread is available in the RCP version.

• Built-in 802.15.4 sniffer tool
• Firmware updates from the OS level
• Compatible with third-party software such as Home Assistant, OpenThread Border Router

Matter support:

Matter support requires Thread firmware and a host application supporting the Matter protocol. The Z-Station adapter with OpenThread firmware is compatible with the Project CHIP source code.

Bluetooth Low Energy support:

BLE RCP firmware provides an HCI serial interface. Supported by the Linux BlueZ Bluetooth infrastructure.

Designed for advanced users:

Z-Station is a professional multi-protocol solution for home and commercial automation. High-quality external antennas and a 1-meter USB cable allow you to place Z-Station far away from metal parts and achieve up to 3x better range compared to classic USB sticks. The built-in Zniffer function allows network diagnostics and debugging without additional hardware.