HA/OZW will not add *some* of my z-wave devices

Configuration Z-Wave
1

I am in the process of switching away from an HA->MQTT->SmartThings->ZWave setup because it has gotten unreliable lately. Instead, I want to have my ZWave devices paired directly to a Z-stick controlled by HA. I have an Aeon Z-stick (v2 I believe), and have Hass.io on a RPi3. My switches are primarily Linear WD500z-1 (which I would NOT recommend, but that’s another story). I’ve been running them on SmartThings for 4 years, and for around 1 year through MQTT to HA.

I began by excluding devices from SmartThings and adding them to the Z-stick’s network, 1 by 1, by using the Menu->Configuration->Z-Wave page in HA. All went well for awhile.

However, I’ve done about a dozen switches, and there are two of them that HA/OZW/my Z-stick will simply NOT detect. I put it in add mode, and for these two switches in particular…absolutely nothing happens (I have the OZW_log.txt file live-tailing, so I can see what’s happening). Here are the facts:

  1. It is not a range issue – they are literally inches from other devices I have successfully paired, in the same switch box
  2. They can still pair succesfully with SmartThings, but they will not pair to the Z-stick After I excluded them from ST, and then couldn’t include them to HA, I tried re-adding them to ST…it worked fine.
  3. I have tried using SmartThings general exclusion mode – each time, it successfully reports that has excluded the offending device.
  4. When I slick Add Node in HA, I see in the logs:
2017-11-18 16:02:24.627 Detail, 
2017-11-18 16:02:24.627 Info, contrlr, FUNC_ID_ZW_ADD_NODE_TO_NETWORK:
2017-11-18 16:02:24.628 Info, contrlr, ADD_NODE_STATUS_LEARN_READY
2017-11-18 16:02:24.628 Detail, Node001,   Expected callbackId was received
2017-11-18 16:02:24.629 Detail, Node001,   Expected reply was received
2017-11-18 16:02:24.629 Detail, Node001,   Message transaction complete
2017-11-18 16:02:24.629 Detail, 
2017-11-18 16:02:24.629 Detail, contrlr, Removing current message
2017-11-18 16:02:24.630 Detail, Notification: ControllerCommand - Waiting

And then it just sits there, endlessly, no matter how many times I try to double-tap the device’s rocker, turn it on and off, and do any other myriad of things. (Double-tapping is typically how you include these.)

Any ideas?

2

I had the exact same issue with a GE Zwave fan control switch, paired fine with Abode but no matter what I did HASS wouldnt detect it, logs looked just like yours. What I ended up doing (and I know this is not the recommended way of adding devices) is unplugging the zstick and bringing it right in front of the switch and pairing it directly to the stick, plugged stick back in and it showed up no problem. It had a GE zwave dimmer in the same electric box that paired fine first try so I know it wasnt a range issue.

1 Like
3

You are a lifesaver. That was it! :beers:

Now to figure out why I sometimes randomly lose my Zwave node names and have to rename them all…

4

That usually means you’ve got some other Z-Wave software running that also writes to your zwcfg_*.xml file.

5

I’ve since upgraded to the HUSBZB-1 combo Z-Wave Plus/Zigbee stick, and I’m having the same problem with certain switches – except this new stick doesn’t have a button on it or any way I’m aware of to do inclusion without it being attached to a computer. And even if physically moving my Raspberry Pi closer to the switch wasn’t a completely stupid thing to have to do, there’s no network jack anywhere near this switch.

The two switches I’m having this issue with are the farthest from the controller (even though they’re close to other switches/plugs, and only 20 feet line-of-site across a room from others). I have a minimote, which I thought you were able to use to include devices into a network, but it just flashes red when I tap the Include button.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I can solve this?

6

Z-Wave Plus devices can be included in place, if they’re still in range of an existing (mains/USB powered) Z-Wave Plus member of the mesh.

7

Unfortunately the offending switches aren’t ZWPlus.

I ultimately pulled the Pi’s SD card, configured WiFi for hass.io, plugged it in next to the switch in question, reconfigured my network so I could temporarily access HA at the new internal IP, added the switch, and then put it all back.

What a pain. Can’t say I’ll be recommending the HUSBZB-1 unless people have all Z-Wave Plus devices.