In Use

Other Z-Wave USB controllers require installation of serial port emulation drivers, which show up in the Windows Device Manager under COM ports. In constrast, the ThinkStick shows up as a HID (Human Interface Devices) device, just like a mouse or keyboard. This allows multiple ThinkSticks to be used in the same computer.

Although not requiring serial port emulation drivers is a nice feature, it's also a limitation because most software vendors do not support HID. However, rumor has it that ControlThink is currently working on developing drivers for the ThinkStick for those who might need them.

For now, any software vendors who incorporate the ControlThink PC SDK or directly support the Wayne-Dalton controller should be capable of using the ThinkStick. This list includes ThinkEssentials, HomeSeer, HomeZix, and mControl.

The ThinkStick's firmware can be updated either manually using the standalone ThinkStick Updater application (Figure 6) or automatically using the ThinkEssentials v2.1+ automation software.

Figure 6: ThinkStick Updater Tool

The latest ThinkStick Updater can be downloaded from ControlThink's website. At the time of this writing, the current firmware version available from ControlThink is v4.25. From Figure 6, however, you will notice that v5.00 and v5.01 exist. But they are not production ready and are not recommended.

ControlThink's CEO Chris Walker said the new v4.25 firmware includes a new "Silent Acknowledgement" feature that "improves relay speed by almost 2X (when routing through devices with this feature)". So what devices are those? The new Leviton Vizia RF devices are rumored to include this feature, which makes sense since Leviton is the company behind ControlThink and ThinkEssentials. But there is no official word from any manufacturers. Customer Feedback on ControlThink's forum confirms the speed increase.

According to Chris, other features of the v4.25 firmware include improved reverse-routing reliability when responding to incoming requests, network rediscovery tweaks (for optimize and repair network feature), and miscellaneous Z-Wave bug fixes.

Using the ThinkStick Updater is simple. Just download and install the ThinkStick Updater software and run it from your Windows Start menu. The software will automatically detect your ThinkStick and it will appear in the list box with the Stick's serial number, current firmware version and the available firmware version. Checking the box to the left indicates that you want to update the firmware for that ThinkStick. Simply click the update button and let the software do its magic. You'll receive a confirmation that the update is complete.

Conclusion

For $40, the ThinkStick can provide an inexpensive way to get your Z-Wave based network up to date with the latest feature support. The only downside is that if you are currently using a handheld Z-Wave controller, the ThinkStick will bring a computer into the equation.

Tags: ControlThink, Home Control, Z-wave,

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