Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

Posted on
Thu Mar 03, 2016 6:45 pm
canalrun offline
Posts: 80
Joined: Jan 17, 2016

Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

Hello,
I've been using Indigo for about a month – so I guess I should be considered a newbie. Although, I have developed software and embedded systems for 30 years.I think Indigo is great!

I'm wondering about using a Raspberry Pi board as a custom platform for developing a device that could be added to the Indigo Z-Wave network.

I've seen things like the RaZberry module which implements Z-Wave and plugs in to a Raspberry Pi board.

I've also seen a few things in these groups, like PiBeacon, that does things similar to what I'm looking at.

I have nothing specific in mind but I can see writing software for the Raspberry Pi to read I/O inputs or collect data from a microphone or some other sort of sensor and then communicate as just another Z-Wave device with Indigo.

Is there already a project like this going on? Has anybody tried this or have some pointers?

Thanks,
Barry.

Posted on
Thu Mar 03, 2016 9:01 pm
kw123 offline
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Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

There are some products that utilize the rPi to do zwave. But they are full blown products. You need to buy their zwave hardware. The major issue is that zwave is not a protocol that you can easily use. You need to get your device and software certified (have to expose your code etc) by the owners of the zwave stack. I guess that is why indigo does not support directly door locks etc.

Karl

Posted on
Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:40 pm
canalrun offline
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Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

Thanks for the reply.

I admit I still have a lot of research to do. I don't plan on ever selling anything I put together – it would just be for my own use.

There is a company that sells something called the RaZberry Z-Wave GPIO Daughter Card: http://z-wave.us/razberry.html

This is a daughter card that plugs into a Raspberry Pi. It comes with Z-Wave software that: "The RaZberry turns every Raspberry Pi into a Z-Wave home automation gateway". Or, a secondary controller if you read further down in the documentation.

To me this sounds like this module would allow you to connect to the Indigo Z-Wave network with the Raspberry Pi acting like a custom sensor or device.

Am I close? Has anybody played with this?

Barry.

Posted on
Fri Mar 04, 2016 7:57 am
kw123 offline
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Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

Not yet but as I am a complete rpi fan now I might look at it


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Posted on
Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:26 am
jay (support) offline
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Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

While you may be able to use the combination to build a Z-Wave device, their intention is that the combination will be used as a hub - basically what Indigo is now.

Frankly, if you're just implementing some kind of device, I'd forgo the $60 bucks (or whatever it costs for the Z-Wave card) and just implement the API side using an open protocol - MQTT is one idea (and there's a plugin for that already) or just some straight forward RESTful API with JSON or XML replies (there's a plugin for automatically handling those as well). No extra cost to do that, and it's much more flexible than implementing it as a Z-Wave device.

Jay (Indigo Support)
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Posted on
Fri Mar 04, 2016 12:43 pm
afulki offline
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Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

I agree with Jay, i f you are looking for sensors etc. you could go down the https://www.mysensors.org route, you can use the Raspberry Pi or an Arduino as a gateway (I use Arduino uno plugged into a USB port).

Currently monitoring a number of temperature sensors, and controlling relays via an Indigo plugin.

Posted on
Fri Mar 04, 2016 3:00 pm
canalrun offline
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Joined: Jan 17, 2016

Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

Thanks for all the replies.

I found something else:

The same company who produces the RaZberry has a product for the Arduino becoming available:
http://z-uno.z-wave.me/

"Z-Uno is the first and only easy to use developer board that allows you to create your own Z-Wave device without deep knowledge of Z-Wave protocol or programming."

They claim March-April 2016 availability.

For me the approach of developing a Z-Wave device seems preferable since it allows me to leverage all the power of Indigo. My sensor type device would be just another input to the overall HA system.

Barry.

Posted on
Fri Mar 04, 2016 5:10 pm
jay (support) offline
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Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

canalrun wrote:
For me the approach of developing a Z-Wave device seems preferable since it allows me to leverage all the power of Indigo.


In what respect? Your sensor would have to be implemented to respond to the zwave sensor classes, which would require you to code the zwave protocol. It's ugly (bit-based), relatively inflexible, and significantly harder to test/harden. Doing a network-based API is significantly more flexible, better API, and lower cost. There are no advantages to implementing them in zwave that I can see, and it's going to take significantly more time.

The power of Indigo is it's abstraction of device types so that protocol doesn't matter. And the simple to use API, and the consistent usability of the UI. None of which have anything to do with zwave. In fact, we spent a ton of time making zwave look easy so you guys don't have to deal with it.

Jay (Indigo Support)
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Posted on
Fri Mar 04, 2016 7:00 pm
canalrun offline
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Joined: Jan 17, 2016

Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it.

Supposedly these guys have a Z-Wave certified software API that takes care of the Z-Wave interface.

When I started looking at HA stuff six months ago, I wanted something that would detect the smoke alarm going off at night and wake me up.

One way I thought of was to have a sound detector that would recognize the smoke alarm beeping and then switch on a relay that would fire up a strobe light and bed shaker.

Since I was introduced to Indigo, all that nonsense is not necessary. The solution of Indigo with Python scripting, Z-Smoke, a 12 V bed shaker, a strobe siren, and a switchable power plug is easier and better than anything I could have dreamed possible.

I really have no idea what type of sensor I could possibly need, but since I am an engineer, it might be fun to play around with something. If this module really turns an Arduino into a programmable sensor and provides the Z-Wave API, there could be tons of applications.

Barry.

Posted on
Sun Apr 17, 2016 2:06 pm
srkinard offline
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Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Raspberry Pi as Z-Wave Device

afulki wrote:
I agree with Jay, i f you are looking for sensors etc. you could go down the https://www.mysensors.org route, you can use the Raspberry Pi or an Arduino as a gateway (I use Arduino uno plugged into a USB port).

Currently monitoring a number of temperature sensors, and controlling relays via an Indigo plugin.


@afulki - Do you have the MySensors configuration working with Indigo? I'm running Indigo 6.1.7 and I've tried both 1.4 and 1.5 builds of MySensors but cannot get it to work properly.

The gateway is talking and I can see my 1st sensor communicating, but I cannot add the device into Indigo and do anything with it. When I go to add the device the list is empty (see image.)

Here's a copy of the logs with debug mode on for MySensors too

Code: Select all
  Enabling plugin "MySensors 1.2.179"
  Starting plugin "MySensors 1.2.179" (pid 26498)
  Started plugin "MySensors 1.2.179"
  MySensors Debug                 Connecting...
  MySensors                       connected to Gateway on /dev/cu.usbserial-AJV9MV3O
  MySensors Debug                 available device
N0C0 : (dict)
     id :  (string)
     model : Node (string)
     modelVersion :  (string)
     type : 17 (integer)
     version : 1.5.4 (string)
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C0
  MySensors Debug                 command 0;0;3;0;2;Get Version
  MySensors                       sent '0:0' library version  update to Get Version
  MySensors Debug                 available device
N0C1 : (dict)
     id :  (string)
     model : Node (string)
     modelVersion :  (string)
     type : 17 (integer)
     version :  (string)
  MySensors Debug                 found 2 available devices
  MySensors Debug                 Running thread
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;14;Gateway startup complete.
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C0
  MySensors                       received '0:0' Gateway startup complete.

Apr 17, 2016, 2:46:32 PM
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=255,c=0,t=17,pt=0,l=5:1.4.2
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;255;0;0;17;1.4.2
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C255
  MySensors Debug                 create device N0C255
  MySensors Debug                 now available device[N0C255] 17 Node
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C255
  MySensors Debug                 command 0;255;3;0;2;Get Version
  MySensors                       sent '0:255' library version  update to Get Version
  MySensors Debug                 update device N0C255 updated model = 'MySensors Node'
  MySensors Debug                 update device N0C255 updated version = '1.4.2'
  MySensors                       received '0:255' MySensors Node version update to 1.4.2
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=255,c=3,t=6,pt=1,l=1:0
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=255,c=3,t=12,pt=0,l=3:1.0
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=1,c=0,t=1,pt=0,l=0:
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;1;0;0;1;
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C1
  MySensors Debug                 update device N0C1 updated model = 'Motion Sensor'
  MySensors Debug                 update device N0C1 updated type = '1'
  MySensors                       received '0:1' Motion Sensor version update to
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=1,c=1,t=16,pt=0,l=1:0
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;1;1;0;16;0
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C1
  MySensors                       received '0:1' motion update to 0
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;2;1.4.2
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C0
  MySensors Debug                 update device N0C0 updated version = '1.4.2'
  MySensors                       received '0:0' library version update to 1.4.2
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=255,c=3,t=6,pt=1,l=1:0
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=255,c=3,t=11,pt=0,l=13:Motion Sensor
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=255,c=3,t=12,pt=0,l=3:1.0
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=1,c=1,t=16,pt=0,l=1:0
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;1;1;0;16;0
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C1
  MySensors                       received '0:1' motion update to 0
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;0;3;0;9;read: 0-0-0 s=1,c=1,t=16,pt=0,l=1:1
  MySensors Debug                 receive raw 0;1;1;0;16;1
  MySensors Debug                 get device N0C1
  MySensors                       received '0:1' motion update to 1


So it looks like all the back-end stuff is working but the interface layer to Indigo is not.
Attachments
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