Smart Home company from the Netherlands Think (pronounced "Tinka") launched its new gateway, Think Z-Wave. If you are relatively deep in smart home technology, you may have heard of it Z-Wave, but usually not in the same breath as HomeKit, so far it is because this new hub is the world's first Apple HomeKit-certified Z-Wave controller. It is designed to be compatible with a choice of fish 3,300 Z-Wave smart products which, through the new gateway, will, in turn, beexposed to the HomeKit. By choosing Z-Wave as the protocol, a new range of smart devices is now available to HomeKit users through the new hub. While the focus of this product is HomeKit, Thinka Z-Wave also supports it Amazon and Google Home.

As mentioned earlier, Thinka especially benefits from HomeKit support as a preferred home automation platform, mainly due to strong aspect of privacy offered by HomeKit compared to other platforms, which is also an aspect that Thinka and Z-Wave, as an organization, want to emphasize as the core of Z-Wave and, by extension, the Thinka Hub.

The company states that by connecting Think Z-Wave at your home HomeKit, a whole arsenal of high-quality Z-Wave smart devices becomes available. This gives users instant access to things like smart switches, dimmers, thermostats, bells, sprinklers, speakers, fans, curtains and all sorts of smart sensors from 600 different brands.

Although many experienced Smart Home users may have had mixed experiences with Z-Wave in the past with HomeKit connectivity, things are going to get a lot easier. Unlike WiFi and Bluetooth, the Z-Wave is developed specifically for home automation; the protocol has an optimal range from basement to attic to the farthest corners of the garden, has no interference with other networks and is very energy efficient, so that the batteries in the sensors can last more than 10 years. The Z-Wave protocol has the largest range of products in the world, with products that connect perfectly with each other. Add to this the statement that this hub is what you might be referring to with humor "One hub to drive them all", in the case of Thinka Z-Wave, it almost becomes that, in terms of Z-Wave products, at least compared to Zigbee hubs by those like Shade or Read for example, if the hubs are designed only to work largely with their own products.

We will put this new hub at its own pace to see that it can rise to the level of claims made, and assuming it does, it could mean that Z-Wave can finally be seen as a viable option for HomeKit users. The gateway uses a visual look similar to other hubs, with underrated white plastic and only two user-operable ports in the back - an ethernet port to connect the gateway to your network and a USB-C port to power the device . There is also a USB-A port, although it is for internal use by Thinka at the moment. The hub can also be wall mounted with a plate included.

Thinka is a technology company from Amsterdam. Starting with 2015 with the launch of their first product Thinka - HomeKit for KNX, Thinka focuses on smart home technology. Thinka provides homeowners with the tools to install and manage their smart home in an intuitive and easy way. Thinka believes that interacting with your home should be like driving a car; smart, safe and comfortable. Their goal is to build products that make life easier and more fun. For more information visit the company's website - www.thinka.eu