Just saw this.
The range is amazing but how do battery powered PowerG devices like locks compare to Z-Wave when it comes to battery life? Will I have to change batteries more frequently?
PowerG is efficient when it comes to power consumption. It uses adaptive transmission in which the receiver tells the transmitter how well the signal is being received. This allows the transmitter to transmit with only as much power as necessary for reliable communication.
The only PowerG home automation device that’s battery powered is the door lock. The light switches and plugs are wall-powered, of course, so battery life isn’t an issue with them.
So if the IQ PowerG door lock is near the control panel or has a clear line of sight to the panel then the battery life should be (estimated, in my opinion) as good as or better than Z-Wave locks. If it’s very far from the panel or the transmission path is very obstructed then that would probably reduce battery life, but in that case Z-Wave probably wouldn’t work at all so PowerG probably performs better in either case.
Also keep in mind that powering the motor in the lock probably uses more energy than wireless transmission. So the difference between PowerG and Z-Wave may not have a significant impact on battery life. I don’t have specs on the battery usage ratio between motor and wireless transmission.
Here are the specs from the IQ PowerG door lock showing an estimated battery life of more than a year.
So in short, the answer is no. You won’t have to change batteries more often with PowerG locks.
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