Aeotec Z-Stick Gen5 Plus

The Aeotec Z-Stick Gen5 Plus turns a computer into a Z-Wave hub. Plug it into a laptop, a desktop or a Raspberry Pi, run the Z-Wave software you prefer, and every Z-Wave device in the building answers to it.

• Who the Aeotec Z-Stick Gen5 Plus is for
• The battery inside is the clever part
• S2 security, and why it matters on a controller
• Firmware updates over the air
• What you need

Who the Aeotec Z-Stick Gen5 Plus is for

People who would rather run their own controller than buy a finished hub. Plug it into a laptop, a desktop or a Raspberry Pi, run HomeSeer, openHAB, Domoticz, Indigo or another Z-Wave package, and the software you chose becomes the brain of the house. Nothing depends on a manufacturer keeping a cloud service running, and nothing stops working because a company changed its mind. It is the opposite trade from a sealed hub: more control, and you are the support desk.

The battery inside is the clever part

Pairing a Z-Wave device normally means getting the controller and the device close together, which is awkward when the device is a module already in a ceiling or a switch at the far end of a house. This stick has a 100 mAh rechargeable cell, so you unplug it, carry it to wherever the device actually is, pair it on the spot, and plug it back into the computer. It runs up to fifteen days away from the machine. That saves carrying a laptop up a ladder, which is exactly the job people give up on.

S2 security, and why it matters on a controller

S2 with AES-128 encryption and ECDH key exchange. This is the piece that holds the keys for every device on your network, so encryption here is not a line item. Commands between the stick and the devices are not readable off the air, which matters most on the devices you would least like operated by somebody outside.

Firmware updates over the air

It can push firmware to the Z-Wave devices it controls, so a manufacturer fix reaches a module without anybody taking a switch plate off a wall. On a house with a dozen in-wall modules that is the difference between updating and not bothering.

What you need

A computer, which can be a Raspberry Pi, and Z-Wave software. It runs on Windows, Linux, macOS and Raspberry Pi, and setup takes about five seconds.

If you would rather buy a finished controller than build one, the Fibaro Home Center Lite and the Homey Pro are ready to run. To fill gaps in the network afterwards, the Aeotec Range Extender. Aeotec list their range at aeotec.com.