THE SMARTEST BLOG
March 22, 2023 4 Comments
Let’s take a closer look at the first Z-Wave focused hub for US and Canada. We will uncover its primary benefits, UI features, how to use the Z-Box mobile app, and what sets the system apart from other hubs available today.
WHAT YOU GET
As we often tell our customers, there isn’t one perfect smart home platform to solve it all. The Z-Box Hub is no exception. What makes it unique is its focus on easy access to advanced automation functionality while keeping the key data and processes off-cloud.
THE BENEFITS:
- SECURE FOREVER: The system can be used 100% offline with your smart home kept private and secure within your home network only. The Z-Wave S2 security protocol for wireless communication adds to the peace of mind that your devices are safe and can’t be easily hacked. Because your data and automations are kept locally on the hub, nobody can “turn the lights off” on your smart home and take the locally connected rules or device control away from you, even if the company stops supporting the product.
- SIMPLY ACCESSIBLE: Start small with plain scenarios and smart schedules or go big with full-on automated house running on advanced logic and multiple conditions. The intuitive scene builder in the Z-Box hub allows you to program everything in one screen. You also get access to the platform’s API and lua code editor straight from the WEB UI if you want to add custom integrations.
- TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE: The Z-Box project is backed by two companies, each with its own area of expertise that bring incredible value to this solution. Consumer-centric team at Zooz makes sure the user experience is constantly simplified and that there’s clear and updated documentation easily available to you every step of the way. Textbook Z-Wave implementation and constant automation improvements are delivered by Fibaro, the engineering power house. We’ve been using Fibaro hubs here at The Smartest House as our go-to testing platforms for years because they “just work” and don’t rely on custom drivers or library entries.
THE CHALLENGES:
- NO ZIGBEE CHIP: The Z-Box Hub doesn’t come with a Zigbee chip for direct integration of Zigbee devices. You can use a Zigbee bridge to connect your Z-Box Hub to Zigbee devices, including the Philips Hue bulbs. This can be done through Quick App plug-ins, whether built-in or third party. This type of external integration is open to all members of the Z-Box community.
- FULL PROGRAMMING ON THE WEB ONLY: The Z-Box Hub mobile app is designed as a companion tool to your system. It allows you to monitor, control, add, and remove devices but you can’t create scenes or perform more advanced management tasks on it. As the solution develops, the app will gain more features. For now, it’s recommended to create all rules and automations in the WEB UI using the intuitive block building tool for scenes.
UI FEATURES
CUSTOMIZE IT
The Z-Box Hub offers a very clean UI with a modern layout and intuitive default outlook. But what’s really great about it is that you can easily customize and organize all parts of your system to navigate it in a way that makes sense for you.
Divide your smart home into sections and rooms where you can add individual devices, rename them, or even hide them. There is a nice set of built-in icons available for you to choose from but you can also upload your own icons for devices and scene to enhance the visual experience on your Z-Box Hub.
AUTOMATE IT
Program all of your smart rules from one convenient block scene tool. Drag and drop the elements of each automation and create the most elaborate logic in minutes. The interface is easy enough to accomplish simple If… Then… scenarios quickly but robust enough to help you accomplish advanced automations with multiple triggers and conditions.
You can also set up notifications to your phone or email so you know what’s going on even if you’re not at home. One of our favorite features of the Z-Box Hub are interactive notifications where you can add an action into a push notification sent to your mobile device. For example, if a leak is detected, you can program a notification to ask you if you’d like to shut the water off with your smart valve actuator and do it with a single click. Or if motion is detected at night, you can create a notification to ask if you’d like to turn on your smart security sirens with one tap. This way, you stay in control of what happens if unexpected activity occurs in your home.
ARM IT
Speaking of security, the Z-Box Hub comes with a comprehensive DIY alarm panel. Much like with the rest of your system, you decide how to protect your home. Add alarm zones, assign security devices to them, and arm or disarm your home alarm with a PIN code on a built-in keypad, just like you’re used to.
You can also arm and disarm your system remotely from the app or even have it change the mode automatically based on time, day of the week, or presence with the geofencing feature enabled. Use the alarm panel however feels right to you. Thanks to multiple security levels in the Z-Wave protocol and your hub’s local connection, the system remains safe and reliable.
PROGRAM IT
With the Z-Box WEB UI, you get easy access to advanced settings for your Z-Wave devices, network connectivity, and user permissions. Change parameter values on your smart switches or sensors to customize their behavior. Download and upload json file templates to manually add or edit the settings displayed for any product. Set, change, and remove associations between your Z-Wave devices to establish direct communication outside of the hub.
You also get the ability to update the firmware of your Z-Wave devices over the air using the files provided by the manufacturer. When it comes to updating your platform, you’ll be notified when a new release is out but it’s up to you whether you update the hub right away, wait a few days, or just leave it as is. There are no forced updates pushed to your system and both local or cloud backup is available before you proceed.
MOBILE APP
The Z-Box Hub comes with a free mobile app for Android and iOS. It’s a companion tool for the robust WEB interface where you set up and program your system. The app allows you to monitor and quickly control your favorite smart home devices. You can access it offline in your local wifi network when at home and enable remote access to check in from anywhere (Internet connection is required for that part).
Create custom dashboards by organizing the Favorites screen in the app to quickly access the most important aspects of your connected home. Add, organize, and edit rooms or sections to have full control of the layout.
The app keeps you close to your home, even if you’re away. Thanks to a few different types of notifications, you can monitor devices more effectively and react quickly. As we said before, our absolute favorite is the ability to build in actions into interactive notifications so you can turn on security sirens or shut off water with a single click when a sensor is triggered.
HOW IT COMPARES
It all starts from the moment you receive your new hub and it’s time to install it. You can set up your Z-Box Hub from an Internet browser on a computer or from the mobile app – it’s your choice. Unlike other systems out there, the Z-Box allows you to use the interface and device you feel most comfortable with to start your home automation journey.
Just like with your Zooz devices, you can count on expert and personal customer support if you need help. Community forums are wonderful and hold a wealth of experiences and advice but sometimes you just need the correct answer quickly. You can email or schedule a call, whatever works better, and you’ll always hear from a real person.
Thanks to Fibaro’s dedicated work on the Z-Wave implementation for the platform, you don’t need to worry about compatibility for Z-Wave devices that follow the protocol. There are no drivers or custom code needed, the products are simply recognized for what they are out of the box.
Once you add your smart switches and sensors to the hub, you can automate them with a single automation tool. The intuitive scene builder is easy to use yet powerful enough to help you achieve even the most complex scenario. The goal after all, is to have your smart home run itself so you can relax and enjoy the secure convenience of Z-Wave technology.
| Feature | Z-Box Hub | SmartThings | Hubitat | Home Assistant |
| Full Z-Wave compatibility without drivers or templates | Yes | No | No | No |
| Quick and easy hub set-up from the browser or app (your choice) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Single intuitive tool in the UI to build all automations | Yes | No | No | No |
| Built-in DIY Alarm Panel including virtual PIN pad | Yes | No | No | No |
| Interactive push notifications with action shortcuts | Yes | No | No | No |
| Expert customer service with email and phone support | Yes | No | No | No |
| Basic hardware to run Z-Wave included | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Clean and intuitive mobile app | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Powerful WEB UI to program automations | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to go 100% off-cloud for a private smart home | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Full remote (cloud) access included, no extra fees | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Ability to update Z-Wave devices over the air | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Ability to opt out of a platform update | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Open access to the local API for easier integrations | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Open access to create third party plug-ins and integrations | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Voice control integration with Echo and Google Home | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Zigbee chip | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Built-in WiFi chip | Yes | Yes | No | No |
4 Responses
Barkis
January 11, 2024
Is there now or will there be a Z-Box Hub Community forum? This has been invaluable on SmartThings and, as I look into transitioning to the Z-Box Hub, think it would be a definite “plus” when it comes to making a decision.
Ciro
September 11, 2023
What cameras does the Z-Box support?
James M
September 11, 2023
Comparison to homeseer?
Scott C.
September 11, 2023
Embracing Z-Wave Technology: My Journey with the Zhub Device
As a home automation enthusiast, I’ve come a long way in the past two decades. I began with X10 powerline controls, transitioned to WiFi and cloud-based controllers from Tuya/Smartlife and Brilliant/Aqara, and finally, I’ve now integrated the Zhub device into my Ubiquiti UniFi system. The journey has been exciting and challenging, but the results have been incredibly rewarding.
After installing the Zhub last weekend, I was instantly impressed by the superior local control it offered. I use a hybrid solar/battery/grid power system and rely on IoT to manage local loads during peak cost hours. With Home Assistant running on an Oracle VBox (equipped with an 800 Z-Wave USB stick in one of its virtual ports), I can now enjoy super-fast local control. This has eliminated the days of slow or broken scenes due to IEEE TCP or UDP communication queues.
One aspect of the Zhub device that I truly appreciate is the focus on security and privacy. The Z-Wave S2 security protocol, along with the ability to operate the system 100% offline, ensures that my smart home remains safe from potential hacks. The seamless accessibility provided by the Z-Box’s intuitive scene builder has made the process of creating and managing automation rules a breeze. Furthermore, having the support of both Zooz and Fibaro has been invaluable, with Zooz’s focus on user experience and Fibaro’s expertise in Z-Wave implementation.
I’ve found that using the HC3<→MQTT Quick App plug-ins works well for integrating Zigbee devices with Home Assistant. As for the full programming being available on the web only, I understand that the mobile app is designed as a companion tool, and I’ve had no issues creating rules and automations through the the Zhub locally and on Home Assistant. Having the app is great for testing / setup, but I guess I am old school with wanting a bigger screen and more room to use the cool drag and drop programming built into the Zhub and add-ons like Node-RED.
Contrary to the original blog post, I was able to locate an FCC ID for the Z-Wave/Zigbee silicon chip in the Zhub, which indicates that the device does have built-in Zigbee capabilities. This further adds to the versatility and convenience of the Zhub.
The main challenge I faced while integrating the Zhub was its OS drawing I/O from various non-USA countries. My network is highly secure, so I had to open routes to the IP/Mac addresses of the Zhub and the devices running the software. Additionally, I needed to open several ports. While not a problem per se, this certainly falls into the challenge category.
My Zhub came with built in WiFi, but I opted for the additional LAN port. I highly recommend investing in this feature as it future-proofs your system by providing dedicated connectivity. You’ll enjoy super-fast communication without the hassle of dealing with SSIDs, pre-shared keys, and IoT networks.
Lastly, I cannot praise Fibaro and Zooz’s customer support enough. They have been responsive and helpful throughout my journey with Z-Wave technology. And The Smartest Home ships fast and at a lower price than other competitors on the web.
In conclusion, the Zhub device has revolutionized my home automation experience, offering fast, reliable control and mesh capabilities. Though there were a few challenges along the way, the benefits far outweigh any minor obstacles. If you’re considering upgrading your home automation system, I highly recommend giving the Zhub and Z-Wave technology a try.
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