Roco Z21 Review
Andy York, who will freely admit he’s not a DCC expert, tests the innovative Roco Z21 system available from
Gaugemaster or your local stockist and enjoys the freedom that using a smartphone as a controller brings.
(Loco, track and ‘phone not included)
What’s in the box?
Z21 Digital System
The simple and stylish system box houses all of the DCC-related electronics in a compact 21cm x 15cm case which
means it can be easily sited near your layout. The main purpose of the unit is to control your railway with a smartphone
or tablet but there are two X-BUS sockets on the front of unit which means you can plug an existing multiMAUS or
Lokmaus controller in to use the system without needing the WiFi router. There’s also another X-BUS socket on the rear
of the system box in addition to interfaces for LAN, loco feedback, Loco Net, CAN and Booster Bus.
The Z21 system can control 9,999 DCC loco decoders and 2,048 DCC accessory decoders and supports programming on
the main or on a programming track through use of a separate socket on the rear of the system. The system supports
loco detection and feedback via Railcom.
WLAN router
The Z21 system comes supplied with a TP Link 300Mbps Wireless N Router to enable the user to create a WiFi network
to control the layout. It’s the same sort of router you would see for home broadband but provides a separate network
from your home’s data connection. This means that multiple smartphones and/or tablets can be connected to the
system allowing several controllers which is great for a club or group project where more than one operator needs to
have control.
Power supplies
Power adaptors and leads for the Z21 and the router are supplied but came with continental 2-pin plugs which means
sourcing two 3-pin adapters.
Network cable
A 1.0m Cat5 network cable is supplied to connect the LAN socket of the Z21 to the router; although the router will
neatly sit on top of the Z21 unit it does mean that you can separate the two items if you need to optimise the coverage
from the router’s aerials.
Setting up the Z21
It really is very simple, there’s a power lead to the Z21 box and one for the router; the router and the Z21 are then
joined by the network cable and that’s the hardware bit done.
The Z21 is then connected to your layout’s track supply by connecting the legendary two-wires to the plug inserted into
the main track socket.
Assuming that you’ve not plugged in a handset to the X-BUS you will need to set up the WiFi to use your ‘phone or
tablet as a handset. Once the Z21 and router is powered up it will create a network you can connect your ‘phone or
table to. ItThe Z21’s network will be named Z21_wxyz where wxyz is the final four digits of the serial numbershown
underneath the router and the PIN needed can also be found under the router when your phone asks for it. It may be
worth printing this information out on a card as your friends will certainly want to join in when they call round!
You’ll need to download the App for your smartphone and free downloads are available for Android and iphones/ipads.
As Android now accounts for 84% of the devices sold most people will head for the Google Play store; just search for
Roco Z21 and install the App.
Getting Started
Heading for the Control Panel button will take you to the basic control and a few locos are already installed on the App
to give you an idea what things should look like.
If you had a loco set up which shared one of the addresses of a pre-installed loco all you would have to do is choose it
from the row of images shown at the bottom of the screen and use the touch slider control. The chances are though
that you’ll have to set up your own loco and that’s where the Z21 starts to shine in presentation terms above other DCC
systems.
In the Locomotive Settings menu you can start to build your own library up giving decent descriptions of your own loco
stable including using your own images from your library or by using the ‘phone or tablet’s own camera. You can really
go to town on giving descriptive information. If you use more than one device or have fellow operators you can export
the settings to them.
Once you’ve set up your loco the on-screen functionality is brilliant! The speed-step slider is intuitive and a joy to use
and it’s far easier having a graphic representation of the functions of the decoder to control lights and sounds if installed
on your loco.
What else can the Z21 do for me?
It won’t make the tea but it will do everything you’re likely to need from a good DCC system; you can read CV values
when the programming track is plugged into the Z21 and re-programme accordingly.
You can programme on the main too but you don’t get any validation responses.
If you install the App on a tablet you can control two locos and their functions at the same time.
You can use overhead images of your layout to overlay graphic interpretations of point and accessory decoders onto
and change points with a simple tap of the screen, if you’re using a tablet you can control the loco on one side and the
accessory decoders on the other side. Don’t worry if you don’t have a tablet; a simple swipe to the side and you can
toggle between loco and accessory screens in the blink of an eye.
Drive your locos with cab control
Roco have prepared graphic interpretations of several continental locos in their range which can be downloaded and
you can tap the controls on the screen to use the functions.
A real time view of your railway
Roco produce several locos with a camera discreetly installed into the cab which gives a drivers-eye view of the railway
and when combined with the cab control layout gives an immersive experience.
Gaugemaster have published support pages for the Z21 system at www.z21.co.uk so you can obtain more information
about the system and how to set it up and get the best out of it.
Summary
Some of the content may seem gimmicky to the purist but if it the potential of the system can captivate returnees or
newcomers to the hobby then that’s a good thing. You don’t have to have those literal bells and whistles but what the
system gives is a very good and extremely intuitive control system. Using your ‘phone or tablet as a handset gives a tool
which you’re already familiar with and is always to hand. You can fire up the layout and z21 system and be operating
within a few seconds, you’ll find it more difficult to keep your friends away from the layout as it means they can join in
too. Whilst a ‘newbie’ will take to the system much faster than endless button pressing on a conventional system an
experienced DCC user moving up from an earlier system will find the programming in particular a joy. If you don’t have a
smartphone it’s worth getting a cheap handset just for this!
I love the wireless aspect which means I can sit back and take a view from alternative positions around the layout and
enjoy the experience of driving. “Which DCC system is best for me?” is a perennial question on RMweb and the answer
is normally to suggest a user tries different systems but I would suggest this is a very serious contender as an answer to
that question for many users. It’s genuinely the most enjoyable control system I’ve ever used and for me the stand-out
innovation of the last year.
The price tag may put some off but it’s not much more than a decent alternative package and even if the difference
means you buy one less loco next year it will be worth it!
RRP £349.95
Gaugemaster.com
Gaugemaster House
Ford Road
Arundel
West Sussex
BN18 0BN
01903 884488