Introduction to installing Futurehome

Introduction

Most of the components used in Futurehome are very easy to install, configure and set up. However, there are some considerations you should take into account to make installation and the initial setup as smooth as possible.

You should have an idea about range and planning of range.

Location of Smarthub

A rule of thumb is that the Futurehome Smarthub should be located as centrally in the home as possible. Think of the Smarthub as your Wi-Fi router. It should be placed so that it has the best conditions for sending wireless signals in all directions in the home.

Both Zigbee and Z-Wave have repeat and mesh networks, respectively, which means that the network can be expanded more than Smarthub's ability to reach devices with a direct radio connection. The Zigbee chip allows up to 70 connected devices to the Smarthub at the same time. It is also recommended not to exceed 50 Z-Wave devices per Smarthub to maintain speed and stability.

Whether you set up an entire home with Futurehome products or just start small with a few devices here and there, it is important that you start the connection/pairing of units as close as possible to a Smarthub and work your way further and further away from the Smarthub. You should, therefore, not start by installing a product that is farthest from the Smarthub in a home.

"Start from the center and work your way out."

Futurehome Smarthub is a static Zigbee and Z-Wave controller that is designed to be fixed in place, so you should not move the Smarthub to different parts of a home to connect devices. If you are forced to control devices that are out of range of your Smarthub, it is recommended to either move the Smarthub to a more suitable location, or add more components that are capable of expanding the network. Most fixed voltage actuators and devices such as the Fibaro Dimmer, Fibaro Wall plug or Aeotec LED bulb can expand the Z-Wave Mesh network. All our Zigbee products that are connected to a fixed voltage can also be set to repeat the signal to increase the range.

Verify new devices

When a new device is connected to your Futurehome, you should check as soon as possible that it is working as intended. For example, that it can be turned on and off, or set to the desired value, that the Futurehome app, and switches that control the device, work properly both ways, and that the app updates itself. Also, that sensors included in the system report their sensor data and appear to report reasonable values, and the values change with the environment when it reports to Smarthub.

Reports from sensors

Report intervals for Smarthub from a sensor depends on the device and how it is supplied with power, etc. Some sensors report every 15 minutes, while others report once per hour. Most battery-powered devices sleep as long as they can and only report to Smarthub when they have a change to report.