United Arab Emirates

Does anyone know what system would work in the UAE and would I be able to connect via an elite router?
I am thinking of a Vera Z wave. Of course I know nothing much about this except that I want to be ale to control my air conditioners and front door and gate via my iPad etc!

Hi Gerrys,

I don’t know what frequency Z-wave is allowed to operate on in the UAE, but these guys sell Z-Wave stuff there: http://store.portadata.com/

In general, on /off (or dimmed) stuff like lights, gates, garage doors etc can be controlled from Vera, with the appropriate Z-wave device, and in some cases with some effort and creativity. Z-wave will let you open/close a relay remotely, or turn a mains outlet on or off.

Climate control is trickier, and depends on your current means of control. If you control your A/C with a thermostat, chances are you can get a WiFi enabled replacement for which a Vera plugin exists. If you control your A/C with an IR remote, there’s a Z-wave device for that too but compatibility is not guaranteed.

My advice to anyone getting into Z-Wave or home automation is: be prepared to tinker, experiment, and occasionally curse; much of this stuff will not work out of the box, but with some effort you can do great things. If you have specific questions, you could ask them here or perhaps get in touch with a local stockist who has experience in setting up a smart home.

Intveltr, thank you very much! I shall probably study this a whole lot more.

UAE uses : 868.4 MHz

http://www.z-wave.com/modules/xoopsfaq/index.php?cat_id=2

(From this page)

In which frequency band does Z-Wave communicate?
Z-Wave operates on a variety of sub-GigaHertz frequencies throughout the world:

Australia: 921.4 MHz
Brazil: 921.4 MHz
CEPT*: 868.4 MHz
China: 868.4 MHz
Hong Kong: 919.8 MHz
India: 865.2 MHz
Japan (950): 951-956 MHz
Japan (920)
: 922-926 MHz
Malaysia: 868.1 MHz
Mexico: 908.4 MHz
New Zealand: 921.4 MHz
Russia: 869.0 MHz
Singapore: 868.4 MHz
South Africa: 868.4 MHz
UAE: 868.4 MHz
USA/Canada: 908.4 MHz

*CEPT is the European regional organization dealing with postal and telecommunications issues and presently has 45 Members: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vatican.

**In February 2012, Japanese regulatory body ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses) released new 920MHz frequency band for radio equipment, due to LTE rollout. The 950MHz frequency band will be obsolete by end of 2015.

Hello ,

And what about Costa Rica ?
Is it the US standard or as there is no Zwave certification there so the EU standard can be used ?

Regards

Good question. I know that the Dominican Republic seems to be using the US standard (seems, since one of the sites selling Fibaro products lists the US frequency being used.)

From this site:

http://www.zwaveworld.com/new_past.php

February 2, 2009

Z-Wave Goes to Costa Rica

Zwave Products, a distributor of Z-Wave enabled devices, has reached an agreement with Hitec Homes of Costa Rica to install Z-Wave technology into 600 residential homes in Costa Rica.

Hitec Homes will begin the installations this spring with Aspire RF Z-Wave lighting switches and controllers and plan to add additional Z-Wave devices (such as the Schlage Link product) in the coming months.

Each home will start off with 12 Z-Wave switches and two Z-Wave wireless remotes. Zwave Products will be supplying all the Z-Wave devices as well technical support and design help with the project.

And from the HomeSeer site:

http://store.homeseer.com/store/Z-Wave-Products-All-C52.aspx

HomeSeer is proud to be one of the largest distributors of Z-Wave products in North America! Check here for the latest offerings from 2GIG, ACT, Aeon-Labs, Cooper, Everspring, Evolve, FortrezZ, GE/Jasco, Kwikset, Leviton, RCS, Schlage, Wayne Dalton, Yale and more. Note: Unless specified, most products support only the 908 MHZ frequency for use in the US, Canada, and some parts of South America.

I can’t find anything definitive, like the list I posted above. What I would recommend you do is contact Hitec Homes and see if they know anything about the frequency used. You could also check for other ZWave distributors in Costa Rica. In the past, unless the country has close ties to a European country due to its history, many South American countries will standardize on the US frequencies for things.

Usually its due to being easier and cheaper to get parts/supplies from the neighbor to the North than overseas (but I’m sure there are a TON of exceptions to this).

I would imagine that if you use 110/120v, then you would use the US/Canadian frequency. If you use 220v, then you would choose from one of the other frequencies.

I have discussed with with www.signalsecure.com in Costa Rica and their reply is " Z-Wave is not yet certified by Costa Rica’s Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL), however we use 904 Mhz since it’s on the “free spectrum”.

Anyway it makes sense as Costa Rica uses the US electricity standard (110 Volts and plug )

I live in Dubai, and actually install VERA for a living.

You can only use the EU version here. You also need to use EU only Zwave devices (switches/dimmers…etc).

Hello All,

This is Majid from HomeKit Limited Abu Dhabi UAE.

We are offering 3 Days Free Trial Smart Home Kits using VeraEdge and VistaCam (EU Version). Here is the link to our Website https://www.homekit.ae

Because it is free, I thought it may be helpful to exercise the product. Please book your free trial kit online here https://www.homekit.ae/book-online

Many Thanks,
HomeKit Limited