Latest Shelly Wave lineup enhanced with Z-Wave Long Range tech
Hot on the heels of Shelly launching a bunch of new SmartThings compatible Z-Wave devices earlier this month, the Bulgarian smart home specialist is back with a new line-up of Z-Wave Long Range gadgets.
The Sofia-based brand is kicking things up a notch with some serious upgrades to its Shelly Wave lineup, which is now supercharged with ZWLR technology.
By integrating ZWLR tech, the new devices bring an extended transmission range of over 1 mile (line of sight) at full power.
That’s right, a bloody mile. So, no more worrying about signal dropouts in those far-reaching corners of your smart home setup. In fact, ZWLR has a specification capable of supporting up to several miles, according to the Z-Wave Alliance.
The upgraded Shelly Wave range includes 11 devices, including some newly designed models as well as existing ones that have been boosted with Long Range capabilities.
It includes everything from smart plugs to dimmers and motion sensors, with three battery-powered devices also in the mix.
These new ZWLR-enabled devices are perfect for larger homes, multi-unit properties, commercial buildings, or even installations at the edges of your property, where traditional Z-Wave devices might struggle.
The technology supports up to 4,000 devices on a single network, and it can still play nice with existing Z-Wave mesh networks, so need to ditch your older devices.
The full range of ZWLR-enabled Shelly Wave devices includes: Shelly Wave Plug US, Shelly Wave Door/Window, Shelly Wave H&T, Shelly Wave Motion, Shelly Wave Dimmer, Shelly Wave Pro Dimmer 1 PM, Shelly Wave Pro Dimmer 2 PM, Shelly Wave 1, Shelly Wave 1 PM, Shelly Wave 2 PM, and Shelly Wave Shutter.
These devices are slated to hit the US market in the first half of next year.
The ZWLR story
Z-Wave Long Range was announced for North American smart homes back in 2020 and, as mentioned, is backwards compatible with existing Z-Wave networks and devices.
Despite the extended range, it remains a super low power option. In fact, the Z-Wave Alliance has stated that basic smart home sensors could run for up to 10-years from a single cell battery.
Unlike a normal Z-Wave mesh network, ZWLR devices function within a star network topology, where a central gateway serves as the focal point, allowing for direct, point-to-point connections with end devices.
Explainer: What is Z-Wave
Following the first certified Z-Wave Long Range device – the Ecolink 700 Series Garage Door Controller – that was launched in mid-2022, there are now more than 50 Z-Wave LR devices, as well excess of 300 Z-Wave devices with the new 800 series chip on board.
