Hey, I am new to Home Assistant. I just program Home Assistant to my raspberry pi. How do I add the Zwave integration?
Thank You
Chris
If you go to configuration (the cog bit) the integrations are at the top.
Of the list, z wave is at the bottom of the list that follows
I tried going there and when i click submit, I get an error which say Z-Wave validation failed. Is the path to the USB stick correct?
What does that mean?
Thank You
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You should have an entry in your configuration.yaml, something like : -
zwave:
usb_path: /dev/ttyACM0
network_key: !secret ky_zwave
This is the path its referring to.
Look at https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/z-wave/installation
As the path is sometimes slightly different
Note : the above shows that the network key is in my secrets file, yours may just include the key (you have to create it)
I am new to this type of system. Where would I find configuration.yaml info for the zwave. I guess im a little confuse. Thank You for helping.
First off, welcome to the community! 
I was going to point you to one of the HA docs, but I think given your level of knowledge the way those docs are written is likely to throw more curves at you. So Iāll try feeding you just the bare requirements here:
-
Install the HA configurator add-on:
Click āHass.ioā, then click āAdd-On storeā, and install āConfiguratorā. After install, make sure āshow in sidebarā is turned on. The configurator should now be accessible from the sidebar. -
Add zwave lines to your configuration.yaml:
Open the configurator by clicking the newly added sidebar button, and browse to open your configuration.yaml file. This is the main file we refer to 99% of the time when configuring HA. In this file, you will need to add the relevant zwave lines, click save. You need to at least have the usb_path specified in the zwave: section. The above example of ā/dev/ttyacm0ā often works, but sometimes it doesnāt, then you have to use the command line to find the explicit address for the zwave adapter (if it doesnāt, report back and Iāll guide you through how to find that address). -
Verify config and restart HA:
Hit the configuration button on sidebar, server controls. Now hit the āCheck Configurationā button, to make sure your changes are valid before restarting. This is crucial, because some invalid configurations will result in the webui not loading up properly, and yaml syntax is very easy to screw up for newbs (just add an extra space in the wrong place and youāll be stuck SSHāing in to fix it). If it checks out ok, hit the āserver management/restartā buttonā¦ all the way at the bottom.
Now, after restarting (it takes a few minutes for everything to come up), the zwave integration should show up in configuration/integrations. If not, it is likely you need to find that above mentioned usb address for the zwave control.
[edit: Since I already mentioned the command line and sshā¦ while you are doing step 1, you might as well throw in a step 1bā¦
1b) Install the ssh server addon:
Install the hassio ssh server addon through the add-on webstore. It is best to secure the ssh server with rsa keys instead of user/password, but if thatās too much for now you can just start by configuring a password instead. If you donāt understand what ssh is for, donāt worry about it for now. Later you can learn what it is and how to configure the rsa key thing, but for now, you will want this installed ājust in case you screw up the config fileāā¦ experts here can guide you through recovery if you have ssh installed and working.]
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I would definitely recommend ssh, when almost everything else fails ssh seems to keep running.
Samba, I would also recommend Samba, this allows you to access your config folder almost like a local file system
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Yes with regard to āfixing a broken config fileā, many folks find samba useful and easier to setup than ssh. However ssh is more powerful in that it gives you remote access to the cli, on top of providing file editing access like samba (plus, with WinSCP, itās just as easy as samba for file management). Of course samba is not as secure, but unless youāre forwarding ports on your router etc, then security in this context is not relevant. In this case, the only benefit of ssh is the cli.
On a side note, if you need the explicit USB address of a zwave stick, then you will need the CLI to find it. So just setting up this zwave stick might require setting it up, LOL.
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Thank You guys, I do starting to understand this type of system more. When I go to check the configuration, it say Configuration invalid.
2 reasons it is invalid. The first is you are missing double spaces before usb_path: and device_config:. It should look exactly like this:
zwave:
usb_path: /dev/ttyacm0
The second (likely) reason that would pop up after fixing the double spaces, might be a missing zwave_device_config.yaml file. I left out device_config above because most folks donāt use custom device configs, and itās likely you donāt need one yet. For example, I only added a custom device config for a GE dimmer that had issues with showing proper state (note again, the double spacings):
zwave:
usb_path: /dev/ttyacm0
device_config:
# GE/Jasco dimmers don't self report state so rely on zwave polling.
# The result is an incorrect state shown in HA when turning on/off from HA.
# A 2sec delay before polling allows enough time for dimmer to transition
# before HA gets the new state.
light.backyard_lights:
refresh_value: true
delay: 2
OTOH, 2 more commonly used zwave options are config_path and network_key. First Iād get your stick integration running, then play with those options as needed. On a side note, instead of posting screen grabs, use the triple back-ticks (```) to enter formatted code in your posts. It makes the pages load faster and is easier to read/copy/paste.
[edit: It is a blessing that this missing double space thing happened right away. Everyone playing with HA has learned at some point the importance of white spaces when it comes to yaml code formatting. You will eventually get used to how yaml works, but as you get in to it be very mindful of how the spaces, quotes, mustaches, etc are typed.]
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Thank You for all your help. Im still learning this type of system. That looks like it worked. Im sure I will have other questions alone the way.
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You are welcome. I also had many random questions when I started with HA not long ago. This community for me was (and still is) vital at solidifying the meaning of all the random tid-bits info I found googling about HA stuff. 
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Also, the ādevelopmentā of the platform (still at beta) means you sometimes need a sounding board when something goes wrong 
shhā¦ 'bout that beta thing! 
lol well here goes another question which im sure is something I should know. How would I add a device? Like a zwave lock or light?
this is completely different then what I used to use.
Thank You Guys again
Configuration/z-wave/add-node secureā¦ while the zwave device is awake and in pairing mode. After adding the device and moving it to itās final location, do a zwave heal (configuration/z-wave/heal network). For more info:
The light should be easy, the lock youāll have to make sure it stays awake while being added. Some devices like to fall asleep while being added, which can result in incompletely configured devices (some locks are known for this).
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !
Do not add anything in secure mode if you can avoid it
(you may have to for the locks, though)
A secure message takes 4 message blocks whereas a normal command takes just 1
Secure messages can be routed via non secure nodes on the same network but it really slows down you network sometimes.
I built networks both ways and after 5 attempts would avoid secure like the plague
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I went to Configuration/z-wave. Then it show node as a drop down but will not let you click on it. There is no add node next to it neither. Thoughts?
@ITLogic, you donāt see something like this?
Note how I selected my zwave stick (node 1 on most systems) under the node dropdown. Have you restarted HA after saving the config? Also, verify your usb stick is detected by looking at hass.io/system/hardware and finding it under serial devices. Hereās what my serial devices looks like, with my zwave usb stick is located at /dev/serial/by-id/usb-ā¦ port0 :
Then, in my configuration.yaml I have:
zwave:
usb_path: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Silicon_Labs_HubZ_Smart_Home_Controller_612011D2-if00-port0
Again, yours may work with /dev/ttyAMA0 etc, and you may just have to wait a while for everything to automagically configure itself. Otherwise you may have to use the cli to verify the zwave stick is seen properly, then enter the /dev/serial/by-idā¦ path to your configuration.yaml. What stick btw?
@Mutt
Interestingā¦ I figured there is some overhead with security, and I guess there can be some applications where that comes in to play (I imagine large properties with several hops involved), but I havenāt heard it should be avoided as such. It is anecdotal, but my network has 23 zwave devices (not including the controller), all securely added and Iāve had no issues. I even go to the trouble of verifying security after adding new zwave devices.
