If you’ve ever tried to stick a smart motion sensor at the end of your driveway, or needed a reliable signal across your garden and outbuildings then you’ll know about the limits of regular Z-Wave gadgets; around 100m.
That’s exactly the kind of pain point Shelly is trying to solve with its new wave of Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) devices, which are now officially shipping.
First announced at the end of last year, and building on the momentum from its recent SmartThings-compatible launches, the Bulgarian smart home specialist has added ZWLR support to a bunch of its existing modules and introduced a few new ones as well.
ZWLR eliminates range anxiety with a range of up to 1.5 miles in ideal conditions, with no signal repeaters or awkward routing needed.
Unlike traditional Z-Wave mesh networks, ZWLR doesn’t need every device to talk to the next one. Instead, it uses a star network topology, with a central gateway serving as the focal point, allowing for direct, point-to-point connections with end devices.
With support for up to 4,000 devices on a single network, it makes it a perfect option for larger homes, campus-style properties, commercial retrofits, or even rural/agricultural setups where trenching Ethernet or relying on Wi-Fi doesn’t cut it.
Even with its impressive extended range, ZWLR remains a remarkably low-power option; the Z-Wave Alliance has even stated that standard smart home sensors could operate for up to 10 years on a single coin cell battery
Shelly’s new ZWLR range includes nine devices out of the gate, with more coming later this year. The current line-up shipping in the US includes:
- Shelly Wave Plug ($37.99)
- Shelly Wave 1 ($29.99)
- Shelly Wave 1PM ($29.99)
- Shelly Wave 2PM ($36.99)
- Shelly Wave 1 Mini ($28.99)
- Shelly Wave 1PM Mini ($29.99)
- Shelly Wave PM Mini ($28.99)
- Shelly Wave H&T ($34.99)
- Shelly Wave Motion ($36.99)
Pro modules (including multi-channel relays and shutter controllers) and input controllers like the Shelly Wave i4 and i4 DC are the next ZWLR devices due to land in the coming months.
Of course, you’ll need a hub with ZWLR chops, such as Hubitat’s C-8, HomeSeer’s G8, or Home Assistant running version 2025.5 or newer with an 800-series Z-Wave stick, to get in on the Long Range action.
The devices are available now via the Shelly USA store and distributors across North America.