I’ve been using Z-Way on my Raspberry Pi (with Razberry2 board) and it works great. I really like the tools in Z-Way for troubleshooting, etc).
However, I use Home Assistant for all of my home automation. I know I could switch from Z-Way to openzwave (zwave2mqtt or ozwdaemon), but I’ve read it’s possible to have secondary controllers on z-wave networks?
Is it possible to use a zwave2mqtt/ozwdaemon as a secondary controller?
I’m hoping to full/direct z-wave integration with Home Assistant AND keep my Z-Way controller system?
From a zwave perspective yes you can. But be careful. In Z-way you can configure to not become SUC SIS (if you start all over). This must also be possible on openzwave although I do not know how to do it there. Then it is just a matter of “including a secondary controller in your network”. But be careful and read before.
Yes. Put the primary controller in Inclusion mode, then in the Zwave2MQTT Web GUI’s “Control Panel”, assuming you have your ZStick running with Zwave2MQTT, you select as an “action” to Receive Configuration.
As an FYI, in my experience, the secondary controller simply doesn’t work out so well, mainly because a lot of devices (in my case anyway) only send certain information to at most one entity on the lifeline group, that being the primary controller. So the secondary controller doesn’t get updated like the primary.
This has worked for me, the two or three times I’ve done it.
My understanding is that the ‘Receive Configuration’ mode puts the ZStick in ‘learn’ mode.
I have not tried to do a transfer of the Primary Controller, but I believe to do that,
the Primary controller is put in 'Transfer Primary Role" mode. Whereas for adding a Secondary Controller, the Primary Controller is put in ‘Inclusion mode’; but in both case the local ZStick is put in ‘learn’ mode.
I still need to research this and better understand how a secondary controller works. I was hoping to use Z-Way (w/Razberry) as my primary controller and main Z-Wave interface.
…but I want the ‘full’ or ‘best’ Home Assistant integration so I thought using a secondary controller with OpenZWave (zwave2mqtt/ozwdaemon) would be perfect, but if Z-Wave nodes only inform the primary controller then it sounds like the secondary controller won’t benefit or help me at all?
While the protocol supports it at a high level, in “reality” the software is going to fight over control of your network. As @wmaker says - Lots of “nodes” don’t support more than a single controller to report status updates too and even worse, battery powered devices will only ever send a “I’m awake” signal to a single controller.
What ends up happening is the software on both controllers ends up “fighting” over the end devices. Even if you configure OZW to be passive, your going to miss a LOT of functionality.
The idea of Secondary Controllers really came from “hand held” controllers (way back in 2010 days) and just doesn’t work so nicely in this new “software gateway world”
I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how to make my Silicon Labs USB zwave a secondary to my ISY. The reason I am trying to do this is to all HA/NodeRed to have more controller over setting lights to colors and LED status updates.
From what I have read here is that I can’t use the openzwave to have the SiliconLabs be put into learning mode in order to have the ISY include it? Is that right? Can I install the zwave2mqtt on the HA and have it set the USB into learning mode, then remove it? Or am I getting software confusion here?
Including is not going to be your issue. ISY and OpenZwave are going to fight over “who controls” the network, and even if “one” wins, your going to have lots of issues like missing events etc.
@Fishwaldo, thanks. Yes, my research is starting to show exactly what you say. I am going to punt on the idea.
The reason I was thinking it could work is that my current pool controller, the Intermatic PE653, had to be connected to my network by making it’s handheld controller a secondary controller to my ISY. That worked, but OpenZwave has better support for my pool controller than ISY does, so I wanted to have HA control the pool system only, but still be part of the overall z-wave network.
I think now that the best idea is to perhaps remove the pool controller from the ISY network, and include it on my HA network as HA’s only device. Since the ISY and HA are very well integrated these days, I have have the best of both worlds. I could migrate all my z-wave to HA, but I am too lazy to go through all that work
Thanks for helping me avoid headaches and issues!!
Were you able to include your Multiwave to HA? I have a special ROM from Intermatic that might help. I was able to include it to my Vera Zwave controller but now looking at HA.
Andy, I never converted away from the ISY controller for my Intermatic. I keep thinking I will do it, but end up decided to leave it alone for now. I also have special firmware on my Intermatic pool controller. V39 as I recall. They installed it for me several years ago when I did some beta testing for them. Is that the version you have?
I also have an Intermatic PE653 with a PE953 Handheld that I have be
en trying to find a way to connect to HA. My searches for a way to add to HA has been
Can you share your setup on how you did this? This is the only Z-Wave device I have - everything else is ZigBee or WiFi.
