Multiple Z-Wave usb sticks in a single server?

Setup, Configuration and Use Beginners
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Is it possible to use two Z-Wave usb sticks in a single server?

If so, would it then theoretically be possible to use usb sticks from different regions and then be able to use both US and EU Z-Wave sensors on the same server?

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Apart from the fact that, depending on where you are actually located, you might then be using frequencies that you are not allowed to use, that would indeed be possible.

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Like @RolfV say,
You would have to check where you stand legally. You may be breaking the law by using frequencies that you are not allowed to use in your country.

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if you are in europe, like me, i can see how you would often find stuff on the Z-wave us frequencies that isn’t available in the EU.
BUT
Legal issues aside, you would also get 2 separate networks that don’t talk to each other(or might interfere with each other’s communications being on closeby frequencies), except through openhab, as if they were 2 different protocols => so maybe you would be better off using openhab to integrate different protocols on the european frequencies (say mqtt(on wifi)+ zigbee+z-wave) to achieve what you wish for…

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Thanks for the replies guys, I was just thinking about this from the point of view of openhab and not from a legal point of view.

I’m aware that it might be illegal in some countries to use frequencies targeted to other regions but it seems that some countries do not have a specified frequency for Z-wave and for that reason perhaps use them all?

It’s good to know that there should not be any limitation in openhab, it makes sense that z-wave devices on different frequencies can not communicate with each other directly and the communication would have to be through openhab, just like it were completely different platforms.

This brings up another question though, if there are any devices that are multi regional or can switch regions. If the frequency is controlled by software I would assume it would be possible, but perhaps it’s a hardware limitation?

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to my knowledge -
The z-wave chip is always the same, and i believe they don’t even harmonise the antennas lenghts for different regions due to production costs in differentiating such things. Both are designed by sigma designs or silicon labs now, for all the regions, so it’s not that straight forward hardware related.

More like:

  • the management of a controller (and it’s sdk) are designed for machines that allow for user interaction and higher amounts of memory available(from rpi upwards), so they can let the user switch operating frequency.

  • the devices (relays, sensors and whatnot) have a much more limited firmware, designed for much lower power consumption, computing power and memory availability, and they would ship flashed from factory with one single available operating frequency. those firmwares are brand specific, share only a common development sdk and aren’t pubblic for you to be able to flash them over.

I haven’t met a hybrid of the2.

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Interesting information @lagging
From what I looked at the usb dongles and raspberry pi modules all seemed to be region specific, are you saying there are some of those that can be switched between regions by the user?

From my quick research the only thing that I saw that supposedly supports multiple regions is the ZIY (Z-Wave It Yourself) project, however that project seems to be completely dead so I’m not even sure if it’s true that they support multiple regions.

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hmm maybe not all controllers let you switch frequencies
(allthough i reckon hidden somwhere where you are not supposed to look- or not supposed to wander too often, they would have the ability to do that. They probably set up the operating frequency during their first boot based on the nation you say you are located in, or the location of the ip you use to connect to their cloud for the first time etc - and things might vary from one firmware version to another).
I can say for sure the hardware tagged z-wave.me(UZB or raZberry shield) if controlled by their own controller software let’s you switch it’s frequencies - tho it’s seen as a one time thing at the beginning, if the operating frequency doesn’t match your area, and as a fix in case the operating frequency would get messed up after a frmware update of the shield itself ( not something you would usually do to jump from connnecting from one device to another, with unknown consequences to the rest of your network)

I haven’t tested the z-wave binding in OH, so i don’t know how deep of a control does that enable on the mentioned hardware, might well be just as deep.