Z-Wave have a new PC Interface ZCS201

[cyf4746]

Z-Wave have a new PC Interface ZCS201 which Based on Version 2.09 of the Z-Wave™ API Library
Protocol information available in Version 4.22 of Z-Wave™
Developers Kit.
Is this ZCS201 compatible with LinuxMCE?
I intended to buy it and use with the Linuxmce. Please advice.

[marrandy]

Zwave is a technology not a company (Zensys).

Are you talking about the new ACT Solutions zwave devices ?

Zensys made a drastic change between versions 1.21 and your 1.24 which
is not downward compatible.

I understand that Paul Webber has talked to Phil Kingery of ACT about it.

Perhaps he can enlighten us.

[cyf4746]

I did asked Phil about the compatibility of this ZCS201 with LinuxMce, few weeks ago. But he seem like didn;t know there is LinuxMCE. According to him the Homeseer software is compatible with this ZCS201.
If Paul Webber talked to Phil about this. May be he should have the answer. So, Paul. Please update us with this issue.

[hkmod25]

Today we tested a LinuxMCE with two new (European) Z-Wave, PC-interface.
One of them are from Seluxit. Another (ZCU201) from ACT.
I can confirm now that both interface dont work (can not be recognised) with LinuxMCE.
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http://www.tronika.no
Bergen, Norway

[PeteK]

Well, that sucks. I've gotten pretty familiar with the zwave implementation while creating the insteon interface, so if it's something simple (like a Zwave protocol version check) then I think I could fix it.  If it involves something like a large protocol change, I think we'll need a dev kit from Zensys (and they're fairly pricey)

[hkmod25]

I can talk with guys from Seluxit (Denmark). Its look that they was interested to offer support for the LinuxMCE project.
About new ZCU201 from ACT. This interface work fine with HomeSeer. As older ZCU010 this is not a real USB device.
Like old one this unit use a COM port emulator. But if you look on Windows drivers for ZCU201 and ZCU010, they are not the same...
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http://www.tronika.no
Bergen, Norway

[totallymaxed]

Well, that sucks. I've gotten pretty familiar with the zwave implementation while creating the insteon interface, so if it's something simple (like a Zwave protocol version check) then I think I could fix it.  If it involves something like a large protocol change, I think we'll need a dev kit from Zensys (and they're fairly pricey)

Its just the drivers are not compatible... lmce looks for certain device/manufacturer codes when it auto-detects the Zwave interface... if the interface does not have a valid code then it is ignored.

[PeteK]

At one point I had tried modifying the Zwave Device Template to add the Intermatic stick to the PNP section.  It was detected, and the Zwave module was loaded up, but it failed while trying to start the device.  Switching from a usb-serial adapter (as in the ZCS000) to a native usb interface I think will require work in the Zwave module.

-Pete

[totallymaxed]

At one point I had tried modifying the Zwave Device Template to add the Intermatic stick to the PNP section.  It was detected, and the Zwave module was loaded up, but it failed while trying to start the device.  Switching from a usb-serial adapter (as in the ZCS000) to a native usb interface I think will require work in the Zwave module.

-Pete

Pete... see my new post on supporting the ZCU201 here; http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=3665.0

The issue is that ACT have used a new USB to UART chip that has no current support under Linux. Phil at ACT has provided me with the source to a partly working Linux driver... which I can provide to anyone with an interest in working on the code to complete it. Zensys have confirmed that there are no backward compatibility issues with the newer z-wave firmware used in the new ZCU201 by the way.

Another approach would be to simply buy the pure RS-232 version which should just work as the 'incompatibility' is purely at the USB level. However this might break PnP detection.

Andrew

[1audio]

It seems that the ZWave USB module builders all have a knack for picking unsupported USB chips in Linux. And the chip vendors have been very uninterested in addressing these issues. The only current ZWave serial device I know of is the Leviton one but that still needs integration. And its US only frequencies. (It may be possible to convert it, I'll check with my Zen-sys sources.) I'm at CES and will find out what I can from the various players and report back after the show.