![\"TKB](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/TKB-TZ88E-front-rear.jpg?resize=500%2C393&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nSo there I was, putting together an order for half a dozen or so of the Fibaro Z-Wave Wall Plug, resigned to the fact that it was the best option for a \u201cmetering\u201d wall plug socket in the UK, when I suddenly received news that the Z-Wave product manufacturer TKB Home had released an actual UK version.<\/p>\n
Never could there be a starker contrast between how companies handle product launches \u2013 look at the way Fibaro go about things, masses of pre-launch rumours, chatter and gossip, big fanfare and marketing propaganda releases.\u00a0 And now compare the launch of the \u201cTKB TZ88E Wall Plug Switch \/ Meter\u201d (hereafter referred to simple as the \u201cTZ88E\u201d) from TKB Home \u2013 exactly, what launch!? \u00a0The first I knew of it was it appearing on their product page a few weeks ago!<\/p>\n
Roll forwards to last Thursday and Vesternet received our first batch into the UK to sell (they are going fast too) and by Saturday I had one in my grubby hands for testing<\/p>\n
A bit of a let-down really, no sexy packaging like the Fibaro devices, just a plain white box.\u00a0 And with the device taking the familiar shape of most UK style wall plug sockets, it\u2019s definitely no looker either. A single clear On \/ Off button on the front that houses a LED which shines red when the socket is on and that\u2019s pretty much it for \u201cdesign features\u201d.<\/p>\n
Incidentally the red LED is an improvement on other TKB sockets, which annoyingly by default have a blue LED to indicate off, apparently as a \u201cnight-light\u201d feature. \u00a0This can be changed in the settings so that it indicates on instead, but it\u2019s not possible to turn it off completely.\u00a0 So the red LED signifying on is a welcome change.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Seeing that this device is a UK version, it has a normal UK style plug at the rear and has a normal UK style socket at the front.\u00a0 So there\u2019s no need for any of the adapter shenanigans I experienced with the Fibaro Wall Plug.\u00a0Oh, and it\u2019s an off-white colour\u2026..um\u2026.can\u2019t think of much more to say about it really\u2026 move along\u2026. nothing else to see here.<\/p>\n
I mirrored the tests that I carried out with the Fibaro Wall Plug using a kettle and hair dryer with no adverse effects.\u00a0 To be honest, there\u2019s nothing much else to report here either, no flashing LED or other such gimmicks \u2013 the TZ88E just gets on with the job in hand without any fuss.<\/p>\n
One thing I did note is that if you were using a wall-wart type power supply with the socket, there\u2019s a chance that it could cover the On \/ Off button somewhat which would make it difficult to operate.\u00a0 But it\u2019s no big deal really as I would think that most people using this type of device will be operating them remotely over Z-Wave from a smart-phone or tablet App or from an Associated device.<\/p>\n
Nothing.\u00a0Seriously, this is such a boring device that there\u2019s not much else to report about it.<\/p>\n
But<\/i>, that\u2019s actually a good thing<\/em> in my opinion.\u00a0 At the end of the day, what do you really need from this type of device?\u00a0 You want it to switch stuff on and off and to report the power being used.\u00a0 And that\u2019s exactly what the TZ88E does.\u00a0 There\u2019s no superfluous extra features to bump up the cost.\u00a0 And that\u2019s reflected in the price, it\u2019s not much more than the standard on \/ off wall plug socket from the same company, is \u00a317 cheaper than the Fibaro Wall Plug<\/a> and \u00a36 – \u00a38 cheaper than other makes as well.<\/p>\n As with all Z-Wave devices, without a Z-Wave controller it\u2019s pretty pointless.\u00a0 To get the most out of it really requires a MiCasaVerde Vera<\/a>, Zipato Zipabox<\/a> or a Fibaro Home Center 2<\/a> or Lite<\/a>.<\/p>\n I tested the TZ88E with both a Vera and a Home Center Lite, but I can\u2019t see a reason why it wouldn\u2019t work with any other controller \u2013 it uses the most basic of Z-Wave Command Classes which 99% of controllers won\u2019t have a problem with.<\/p>\n Like some other Z-Wave devices, TKB have thoughtfully included an \u201cautomatic inclusion mode\u201d so that when it is initially powered up if it isn\u2019t already included in a Z-Wave network it goes into inclusion mode automatically.\u00a0 This then makes adding devices simply a case of initiating the inclusion process on the Z-Wave controller and turning on the power to the device \u2013 it really is that easy.<\/p>\n Once added to Vera and HC-Lite, it shows up in the respective web UI with the instant power consumption shown in Watts on the device icon.\u00a0 HC-Lite also includes the KWH value as well, but this appears to be absent from the Vera web UI, although the data is still available for use in Scenes, logging or Energy monitoring.<\/p>\n In contrast to the Fibaro Wall Plug which has absolutely loads of \u201cparameters\u201d that can be fiddled with and tweaked, the TZ88E has just two. \u00a0These simply control the frequency that the device sends the Watts and KWH data to the Z-Wave controller.<\/p>\n By default these parameters are both set to an hour, which seems kind of strange, especially for the Watts value which you\u2019d really want to be as near to real time as possible.\u00a0 A quick bit of editing in the Vera and HC-Lite device configuration screens soon sorted that out, after which the TZ88E was sending Watts every 60 seconds and KWH every 30 minutes.<\/p>\n In the Fibaro Wall Plug review I wrote previously<\/a>, I covered the \u201cERGY\u201d plug-in for Vera which is a fancy looking Energy monitoring and graphing facility.\u00a0 This is pretty nice, but this time I played around with the Fibaro HC-Lite \u201cEnergy Panel\u201d which makes the Vera offering look pretty naff by comparison. \u00a0I\u2019ll let the photos tell the story here as there\u2019s plenty of settings to fiddle with to view the energy data in a variety of different formats.<\/p>\n Over a period of time I compared the power measurement data from the TZ88E with that of both Current Cost<\/a> and EDF ECOManager IAM (Individual Appliance Monitor) units, as well as the Fibaro Wall Plug from the previous review.\u00a0 The TKB was easily as accurate as the Fibaro and once again I confirmed all readings taken with a plug-in meter from Maplins.<\/p>\n This was a tricky conclusion to write and in fact I\u2019ve re-written it several times now as my opinion keeps changing.\u00a0The TZ88E is in stark contrast to the Fibaro Wall Plug \u2013 it is a very simple device, does exactly what you\u2019d want it to do and comes at an incredibly attractive price point.<\/p>\n On the other hand, there\u2019s no doubt that the Fibaro Wall Plug is a more capable device with loads of additional features crammed in.\u00a0 But it comes at a cost, plus you also have to factor in the cost of any adapters that you may need to use with it as well.<\/p>\n I have to wonder if I\u2019d reviewed the TZ88E first, whether the Fibaro Wall Plug would have even got a look-in?\u00a0 I may well have been happy enough with the TZ88E and maybe the Fibaro Wall Plug would have been seen as too much of a hassle with the need for additional adapters as well as the higher initial cost?<\/p>\n After a reflective coffee, I\u2019ve decided that I\u2019ll definitely be buying plenty more of the TZ88E in the near future to add to my Z-Wave Home Automation system.\u00a0 This will probably even be in preference to the cheaper On \/ Off wall plug sockets as the price difference is negligible compared to the benefit of having the power monitoring features.<\/p>\n But<\/em>, I\u2019ll also be picking up some more Fibaro Wall Plugs for situations that demand the extra functionality that the Fibaro device has \u2013 for example the ability to set alarms should a piece of connected equipment like a fridge or freezer fail is a definite plus point.<\/p>\n Available from Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n No products found.<\/p><\/p>\nUsing it with a Z-Wave controller<\/h2>\n
![\"TKB](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/TKB-TZ88E-gauge.png?resize=500%2C395&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nReal world usage<\/h2>\n
![\"TKB](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/TKB-TZ88E-vera.png?resize=500%2C164&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
![\"Martyn](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/automatedhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/martyn_wendon.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1\")
The Home Automation Insider<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0Martyn Wendon\u00a0spent 20 years as an IT Specialist in demanding roles within leading companies in the Gaming, Financial and Retail business sectors.\u00a0During that time he has tried and tested thousands of products, protocols, systems and settings to gradually refine his own Home Automation setup. \u00a0Now what started off as a hobby has become his day job and\u00a0working at Vesternet he’s well placed to bring inside news, reviews and comments from some of the largest players in the home automation industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"