Z-Wave Proxy
The zwave_proxy component allows proxying of Z-Wave data frames between a
Z-Wave Modem SoC and
Z-Wave JS via ESPHome’s Native API Component over
the WiFi Component or Ethernet Component. This allows for more flexibility when
placing your Z-Wave hardware within your home.
As the Z-Wave modem SoC communicates via a serial connection, you need to have a UART defined in your ESPHome device’s configuration.
In addition, the zwave_proxy expects to proxy messages via ESPHome’s Native API Component; this is also
required in your configuration.
ℹ️ Note
Number of connections
While ESPHome supports multiple API connections/clients, only a single client may subscribe to and receive proxied Z-Wave data frames at any given time.
Configuration
# Example configuration entry
zwave_proxy:- id (Optional, ID): Manually specify the ID for the
zwave_proxy.
Maximizing performance
Low latency is key to achieving an optimal experience with Z-Wave (or any) wireless devices.
It’s important to understand that using the zwave_proxy will increase latency between your Z-Wave devices and
Z-Wave JS – this is simply the consequence of passing messages from one medium to another.
Under near-ideal conditions:
- With a direct serial connection to the Z-Wave modem SoC, latency may be as low as approximately 20 milliseconds (ms).
- When introducing the Z-Wave proxy component, it’s still possible to achieve low latency – we’ve seen as low as 35 ms! However, in practice, it’s more realistic to expect 50-60 ms, assuming decent RF conditions.
In general, any duration less than 100 ms is quite acceptable in terms of latency; this value is generally a good target to keep in mind.
Maximizing reliability
In addition to low latency, reliability is also critical to an optimal experience.
A wired Ethernet connection will provide the best reliability for the Z-Wave proxy. Ethernet offers:
- More stable and predictable latency
- No connection drops or lag due to RF interference
- Immunity to environmental conditions
Wi-Fi considerations
Wi-Fi is impacted by:
- Interference from other RF devices
- Environmental conditions, such as:
- People/pets moving around a room
- Building construction materials
- Air density, quality, and even humidity
These factors can periodically cause momentary signal instability. While Wi-Fi devices typically recover automatically, this comes at the expense of temporarily degraded performance (latency) and, in more extreme cases, brief loss of connectivity.
If you choose to use Wi-Fi to bridge your Z-Wave modem to Z-Wave JS:
- Confirm that there is a strong, stable Wi-Fi signal available in the location you’ll place your Z-Wave proxy.
- Do not attempt to place your Z-Wave proxy at or near the edge of the coverage area your Wi-Fi router/access point provides. If in doubt, move it closer to your Wi-Fi router/access point.
- If you find that your Z-Wave devices are not operating reliably, you might try:
- moving your Z-Wave proxy closer to your Wi-Fi router/access point.
- changing the Wi-Fi channel your Wi-Fi router/access point is using.
- getting a better Wi-Fi router/access point. In particular, many ISP-provided Wi-Fi routers are designed to be cost-effective and are not optimized for performance.
