Z-Wave 700 series edition.

Already powering millions of smart homes, Z-Wave and Z-Wave Plus were both upgraded in 2019 to an all new level: Z-Wave 700 series. What is it? What 700 series products should you buy? And which should you avoid?

You'll see from the comparison below that there are a LOT of things that make the 700 series edition of Z-Wave better than its predecessors, but it's not the latest version. So where are its strengths and weaknesses?

Current generation: 800 series Z-Wave

While 700 series products are undoubtedly good, they're no longer offer the best possible performance or availability. Since its release in 2019, 700 series has been superceded by 800 series Z-Wave. It's an upgraded version of the standard and, when compared to 700 series, it offers a slew of improvements, particularly focussed on battery wireless range performance.

Discover: 800 series Z-Wave

Compare: 700 vs. 800 series

Z-Wave 800 series products

Atrim is the first to release products using the newer, Z-Wave Plus V2 standard, starting with Atrim Stick.

The first step in smart home

Discover Atrim Stick >

700 series compared to older Z-Wave

Generation after generation, Z-Wave continues to develop at an exciting (but measured) pace. First there was Z-Wave, then came a major upgrade with Z-Wave Plus and 500 series. Z-Wave's 700 series has built on all that offering major advantages over older versions of Z-Wave.

The following comparison table details any advantages that Z-Wave Plus 700 series has over the older 300 and 500 standards.

	300 series	500 series	700 series
Need to know
Z-Wave Plus	No	Yes	Yes
Z-Wave Plus V2	No	No	Yes
Released	May 2005	March 2013	April 2019
End of life Limited support and security patches available	Yes	Yes	2023 Replaced by 800 series
Z-Wave Specific Features
SmartStart	No	Optional	Always
Backup compatible	Custom software only	Custom software only	Yes
Backwards compatibility	Yes, with 100 series	Yes, 100 to 300 series	Yes, 100 to 500 series
Network Wide Inclusion	No	Maker dependent	Yes
Explorer Frames	No	Yes	Yes
Advanced route diversity calculation	No	Yes	Yes
Flirs (Beaming wake-up)	Optional	Optional	Always
OTA Z-Wave firmware updates	No	Optional	Always
Hardware Platform
CPU / MCU	Optimized 8051 CPU Core	Optimized 8051 CPU Core	ARM® Cortex M4
CPU / MCU Speed	16 MHz	32 MHz	39 MHz
Memory	2 kB	16 kB	64 kB
Flash Memory	32 kB	128 kB	256 kB
Gecko	No	No	Yes
SAW Filter	No	Optional	Inbuilt
Number of GPIO pins	10	14	32
Operating ambient temperature	-15 to 85°C	-10 to 85°C	-40 to 85°C
Chipset dimensions (mm)	12.5 x 13.6	13.6 x 12.5	9 x 9
Power Use
Active power consumption	36 mA	35 mA	12.5 mA
Max. power consumption	98 mA	98 mA	75 mA
Sleep-mode power consumption	2.5 ㎂	1 ㎂	1 ㎂
Security energy use	-	-	50% less
Coin cell compatible	No	No	Yes
Maximum battery life	1 year	1.5 years	10 years
Wireless Security
Network key	Optional	Yes	Yes
AES-128 bit encryption	No	Optional	Always
ECDH	No	Optional	Always
Security 2	No	Optional	Always
Man-in-the-middle attack prevention	No	Optional	Always
Wireless Performance
Tx Current @ 0 dBm	N/A	34 mA	up to +13 dBm
Output power DBM (TX)	-2.5 dBm	300 series +2.5dBM	13.3 mA
Range sensitivity (RX)	-102 dBm / -98 dBm	down to -103 dBm with saw filter	-97.9 dBm
Wireless speed	9.6 / 40 kbit(s)	9.6 / 40 / 100 kbit/s	9.6 / 40 / 100 kbit/s
Maximum wireless range outdoors (Direct)	up to 100 metres	up to 150 metres	more than 200 metres
Maximum wireless range outdoors (Max Relay/Repeat)	up to 400 metres	up to 600 metres	more than 800 metres
Maximum wireless range indoors (Direct)	more than 30 metres	up to 75 metres	up to 100 metres
Maximum wireless range indoors (Max Relay/Repeat)	more than 120 metres	up to 300 metres	up to 400 metres
Discover: 800 series Z-Wave