Hi. I have a zwave network with 40 nodes. Every day i loose some nodes and they get the red status in the zwave JS control panel and the controls in panels are greyed out. However if i expand the node in the control panel and operate it from there the status turns to green again and the node can be controlled from a panel or from node-red . I have several old nodes (all supported in https://devices.zwave-js.io/ ) but i wander if that can be the problem…
I installed HAS some month ago coming in from Vera mainly due to two issues:
Very unstable zwave network
Lack of development and very low level functionality
I lack experience and knowledge on how to debug this issue. I can’t find other with similar issues so I assume its something with my setup. So can anyone point me in the direction enabling me to debug or better hint on a solution…
I am running the latest versions. The HW is a Intel Celeron j4125 based system running proxmox virtualization server with HASS running as a VM.
I also have a Zeegbi2MQTT installation with 30nodes working fine and a number of WIFI sensors/dimmers/switches/devices which are working fine
What kind of ZWave stick /coordinator are you using. And what version firmware does it have (you should be able to find out in your ZWave stick properties)
There was a nasty bug with 700 series sticks (exhibited by random nodes dropping) that requires a firmware update to fix. While some people say it’s STILL not fixed 100 (I still have a drop now and then) its MUCH better with the updated firmware.
So if you have a 700 stick you need to know what firmware it has to determine if it’s that known issue.
I have a Aeon Stick Gen5 and FW: v1.1 SDK: v4.54.0. I do not think it is a 700 device as i think that require a Z-Pi 7 stick when using Aeotec sticks.
Comparing Z-Pi 7
Whether in USB or daughter-board format, Aeotec has shipped hundreds-of-thousands of development and antenna units which our partners and customers depend on to build their own gateway solutions. And while they empower the same outcome, there are large points of difference between Z-Pi 7 and Z-Stick Gen5+.
Z-Pi 7
Z-Stick Gen5+
Z-Stick Gen5
Platforms
Developed for Raspberry Pi, Unix
Mac, Unix, Windows
Mac, Unix, Windows
Z-Wave Plus
Yes
Yes
Yes
700 series
Yes
No
No
Gen7
Yes
No
No
SO I guess your coment then is not valid for this stick?? I have looked for FW updates but have not found it as there is a Gen5 and a Gen 5+ verson of the stick and I need to determine which i have as I find indications that there is a FW version 1.2 but for the 5+
The Gen5 doesn’t work well with USB3.0 ports, make sure you’re not using a USB 3.0 port.
Place the stick on a usb extenstion cable (about 3 inches should be enough depending on what it’s connected to) you want the stick away from the USB ports and away from the chassis of the server you’re connected to (or outside any server rack you may have as well)
Are you running this on an Intel NUC by chance? I had an issue with my setup (NUC + Aeotec Gen 5) where nodes would inexplicably drop, even those just a few feet away WITH line of sight.
Turns out, not all USB ports are created equal on an Intel NUC. To fix the problem, I had to insert the Aeotec stick specifically in the Yellow Powered USB port on the front of the NUC.
There’s also a known issue with the Gen 5 and its conformity to the USB spec. This was initially discovered on a Raspberry Pi but ultimately, the problem appeared everywhere. Aeotec has since released an updated version of the stick with the necessary fixes. Here’s some details for context.
I have been on a short holiday.
I am using a **Beelink GK MINI PC Intel Gemini Lake J4125 DDR4 8GB 256GB 5.8G WiFi Bluetooth PC. It has 4xUSB 3 only. If it does not work with USB3 I will have to get another stick… What do you mean by “it does not work well with USB3” as there no info on this at AEOTEC pages/articles?
Yes it is connected via a extension cable!
I am not using Intel NUC (see previous post).
This is interesting and I will look further into it. What is the difference between the yellow port and the others…? That it is powered? The referenced thread is old from 2019 and as I got mine during 2022 i guess its a “fixed” version.
I will anyhow get a hub and try connecting though that!
The Aeotec Gen5 (that’s the not Gen5+ version you’d have to look on the stick to confirm), has a hardware flaw that causes it not to operate properly with 3.0 ports, you could however connect a USB 2.0 hub to the port and run the stick off that.
If you want to swap the stick out, the Zooz 700 series is a good option.
Its not a gen5+ as SDK: v4.54.0 and it does not say + on the back… Very irritating that they sell a “faulty” product… I can not find the Zooz 700 series in Norway and i need a European version… What about the Aeon Z-stick 7?
in case of a usb hub, does it need to be powered? I tried with an old hub I have but the system did not find the stick “out of the box”
The yellow port on a NUC is a dedicated port for charging USB devices like a phone, etc. They are designed to provide power specifically for charging purposes. As I discovered, my previous Aeotec Gen5+ stick stopped dropping nodes when I moved it to the yellow port. My Gen5+ was also among those affected by the USB 3.0 conformity issue first discovered on the RPi4 and later confirmed elsewhere. In my case, the added power of the Yellow port actually served as a hardware solution to the USB 3.0 problem.
It’s a very specific solution for a very specific issue. Since upgrading to Z-wave 700, I’ve continued using the Yellow port and will continue to do so in the future to ensure whichever Z-wave stick I am using at the time will always have the power it needs.
Thanks! I am runing Proxmox V Server with HASS runing as a VM. In Proxmox it is possible to configure USB passthrough and dissable USB 3. I am not sure of the details SW vs HW but configured it. A consequence was that all nodes needed to be re interviewed??? (takes a lot of time). If this turns out to not work I will buy a 700 solution. All in all I am tempted to move to Ziqbee and /or WiFi devices as I have had nothing but trouble with Z-wave. (Vera, HomeSeer). Loosing nodes, ghost nodes, malfunctions, inclusion problems etc. (today I have some 60 nodes)
I had a really good run with the Aeotec Gen 5 once I figured out the yellow port issue. I think my zwave network ran for the better part of 18 months without issue until I upgraded to Zwave 7.
I implemented the above. All nodes are back now … But I lost one node today so to early to say… Since USB 2 hub with power is difficult to find I think i will go for Aeotec 7 …
I’m running Aotec Gen 5 (not +) stick on a non-powered USB 2.0 hub without problems. It’s plugged in to a raspberry PI 4.
I did have similar problems previously that seems to have been solved by the latest z-wave js server updates (devices would go “dead” quite often. After they introduced the z-wave ping I could most times get them back online by pinging them. Z-wave heal had a bug that it would never finish, so although that also got most nodes back online I could only do it once before rebooting).
After a complete reboot of your host (not just HA), how long does it take until all nodes are back up? (settings → devices & services → “configure” on Z-wave JS → upper right and "network connected XX devices (XX not ready))
hi… thank you for responding… It seems the problem is solved as after configuring the usb port in proxmox to be usb2 the system has been stable for more than 24h with all nodes ok. I have also ordered the aeotec usb stick 7 to upgrade to a 700 system…
For me it is not acceptable to rely on pinging and healing as my security system is dependent on HASS…I have a long history with zwave and i have experienced problems with different controlers (vera, Homeseer ++) all the time… I am now testing out Zigbee (15 nodes at the moment) and wifi nodes (5 nodes at the moment) no problems so far and very easy inclusion WITH NODE PHYSICALY AT ITS FINAL DESTINATION.
NB I will test the time to get all nodes back up but later as i can not take the system down now… and get back to you… What info will this provide?
I was hasty … There seems to be no easy way to migrate frome 5 stick to a 7 stick (Aeotec) … That means a full repairing of every node which is out of the question as long as there are other alternatives…
I am still missing nodes but very few and very seldom so I will get a USB2 hub and try that…
Thx… Can you please expand on that … how to do it…? I did purchase a 7 stick but was considering returning it… But then another bad thing happened which needs urgent attention: Upgraded ZWaveJS2MQTT to version 0.45.0 "LOST" both Aeotec and Dresden stick
I did see some posts that said the issue could be due to wrong instalation of z-wave JS and the add on zwavejs2mqtt… I have both Z-Wave JS (Current version: 0.1.65) and Z-Wave JS to MQTT
Current version: 0.45.0 as add ons and Z-Wave JS as integration. I will go through the instalation docs and see it it is correct as it looks strange to me
I am geting increasingly frustrated of the difficulties with achiving a stable and reliable Zwave network