I’g going to place an order here in a few days for an Qolsys system but I had questions about its 3rd party compatabilities with Aeotec gear.
I see on the Qolsys website here: http://qolsys.com/page_control.html, they list the Aeotec siren and range extender as compatible. Is none of the other Aeotech products compatible? Why just these two? Whats the magic formula that dictate’s what products work and don’t work? Normally, a companies prodcut line will work with another companies entire product line but im starting to notice that is not the case here.
Is this a Z-wave revision issue? How do I figure out which products are actually supported, even if its ‘unofficial’. The Smart Film, Recessed door switch, and microcontroller are the current Aeotec poducts that I am interested in (I know the smart film isn’t even out yet, but I want it so bad).
Ok so now I am even more confused. I thought it was the Z-wave revisions causing compatabilites issues from one Aeotec product to the next but now I just noticed that the Aeotec Siren (which Qolsys list as compatable) is Gen5 Z-wave. So why isn’t the other Gen5 products like the Aeotec recessed door sensor compatible?
Zwave devices are limited also by Command Class. Sensor devices such as the door sensor you listed will not be compatible with any dedicated security panel I am aware of. More discussion on this can be found here.
The overall signal reliability of Zwave sensors is dependent entirely on the placement of additional repeating nodes throughout your network, which is something standard 319mhz GE or 345 mhz Honeywell/2GIG RF sensors do not typically suffer from. Panel manufacturers are going to use what is most reliable in terms of security.
Certain devices which relay additional info or have multiple functions like the Mimolite, may not be compatible due to the extra functions not being supported. This is something Qolsys may eventually change and continue adding compatibility with firmware updates.