Impossible to remove dead Zwave device, new devices can be added but need to be healed after every reboot

I’m stuck in a situation where my controller (Nortek HUSBZB-1) is rejecting my request to delete a dead node from my Zwave network. I run into error ZW0200 when doing so. Here’s the log below when trying to remove the dead node.

Moreover, and more concerning, is the fact that while I can still add new nodes, any newly added node needs to be “healed” after each reboot. My HA instance runs in a VMware VM, and after every VM restart, newly added nodes show up as disabled, or in an “unknown” state. They can be reactivated by healing them individually, but it’s obviously a huge bummer to have to do that after each reboot.

This all started to happen after trying to add a badly coded Zwave device to my network (Kwikset HC620 lock), that thing wrecked havoc in my Zwave network for a couple days, until I finally reset it and never added it again, but it seems to have left some bagage behind and my Zwave network hasn’t fully recovered since. In fact, the node I’m trying to remove is the Kwikset lock in question.

Not sure if this is recoverable or if I should consider completely wiping out my network, and rebuild it from scratch one device at a time. I have 42 or so devices so I’m not looking forward to that but it seems to be the only solution at this point unless there is a way to “scrub” things and get back to a good state. I just haven’t figured out how to do that yet or if that’s even possible.

Thanks in advance!

2023-08-21T17:20:55.731Z CNTRLR » [Node 067] pinging the node...
2023-08-21T17:21:05.893Z CNTRLR   No response from controller after 1/3 attempts. Scheduling next try in 100 ms.
2023-08-21T17:21:07.000Z CNTRLR   Failed to execute controller command after 2/3 attempts. Scheduling next try i
                                  n 1100 ms.
2023-08-21T17:21:09.104Z CNTRLR   [Node 067] ping failed: Timeout while waiting for an ACK from the controller (
                                  ZW0200)
2023-08-21T17:21:10.107Z CNTRLR   Failed to execute controller command after 1/3 attempts. Scheduling next try i
                                  n 100 ms.
2023-08-21T17:21:11.209Z CNTRLR   Failed to execute controller command after 2/3 attempts. Scheduling next try i
                                  n 1100 ms.
2023-08-21T17:21:14.266Z DRIVER   unexpected response, discarding...
2023-08-21T17:21:15.265Z DRIVER   unexpected response, discarding...
2023-08-21T17:21:54.729Z DRIVER     no handlers registered!

What ZWave integration are you using (builtin ZWaveJS, ZwjsUI or something else?)

How is your stick attached to your host? (direct, usb extension, hub, other?)

ZWaveJS + ZwaveJSUI, and attached through a 1-foot USB extension, I’m using a NUC PC as the host. Everything had been working great until the issue with the Kwikset HC620, I’ve been adding/removing devices with no issues for about a year on this setup, including force-removing dead devices in the past. This issue only recently started to happen, and I am looking for ways to fix it without having to redo the entire network. If I were to do so however, I would likely move to separate controllers for Zwave and ZigBee, such as the Zoos 800 and Sonoff ZB 3.0 dongle. Thanks.

Are you using add-ons or standalone container install of Z-Wave JS UI?

Installed as an add-on.

Can you clarify then, “ZWaveJS + ZwaveJSUI” means Z-Wave Integration + Z-Wave JS UI (ZUI) add-on? Or do you have both add-ons installed, the core Z-Wave JS add-on and community Z-Wave JS UI add-on? There is only one integration, named “Z-Wave”.

In case of the latter, only one add-on is allowed, and having both could result in the errors you see, but it’s not the only reason.

Yeah the naming is confusing, and I wasn’t clear. I have only one add-on, Z-Wave JS UI, as I’ve uninstalled the community Z-Wave JS add-on after installing and configuring Z-Wave JS UI… So that shouldn’t explain why I’m getting these errors… I think.