Nortek GoControl QuickStick Combo Model HUSBZB-1

[Oscar_Calvo]

What is the current most uptodate way of upgrading the firmware?

I tried to run via docker from here: walthowd/husbzb-firmware: Nortek GoControl HUSBZB-1 / EM3581 Firmware update image (github.com)

But this does not have an arm compatible image. I wonder if I can update from the ZwaveJS-UI using the file ncp-uart-sw-6.7.8.ebl directly.

[freshcoast]

That project is a “Zigbee coordinator firmware updater image”. It upgrades the Zigbee part of the stick. You can’t upgrade the Z-Wave part with Z-Wave JS. It requires a more invasive procedure.

HUSBZB-1 Z-Wave firmware portion update

Just thought I would share a working method to update the Nortek HUSBZB-1 device, at least the Z-Wave side. This device is both a Zigbee and Z-Wave, and doing this upgrades the 2014-2015 based firmware to one updated in 2020. As I understand this is the last update for this Z-Wave chip, as the 500 series of devices has been replaced by newer 700 series devices. Now, there isn’t really a strong reason to do this update, but it does include many years of fixes, and add SmartStart and S2 encrypt…

[Oscar_Calvo]

I only want to update the z-wave part, but the docker image fails to run:

# docker run --rm --device=/dev/serial/by-id/usb-Silicon_Labs_HubZ_Smart_Home_Controller_612017E6-if00-port0:/dev/ttyUSB
1 -it walthowd/husbzb-firmware bash
WARNING: The requested image's platform (linux/amd64) does not match the detected host platform (linux/arm64/v8) and no specific platform was requested
exec /bin/bash: exec format error
#

[freshcoast]

@freshcoast

That project is a “Zigbee coordinator firmware updater image”. It upgrades the Zigbee part of the stick.

That Docker image doesn’t upgrade the Z-Wave part.

[Oscar_Calvo]

@Oscar_Calvo

walthowd/husbzb-firmware

Has anyone tried to update directy from the ZwaveJS-UI ?

[freshcoast]

Well Z-Wave JS will not install the firmware files at that project because they are Zigbee firmware. Z-Wave JS is Z-Wave only.

I have never heard of anyone upgrading the Z-Wave part of the Nortek using ZJS. If you want to take the risk, which could brick the controller, you might be the first.

Based on the comments at https://github.com/drzwave/ZWaveOTW/tree/master/firmware, it sounds like it may be possible to upgrade from the v6.51 SDK using the serialapi_controller_static_OTU_ZW050x_US_6.61.01_intermediate.ota intermediate file. Maybe ZJS can install that, but I have no clue. After that supposedly you can then install the serialapi_controller_static_OTW_ZW050x_US_6.81.03.otz in ZJS.

That same repo has a Python script to update firmware, you could try that. GitHub - drzwave/ZWaveOTW: Z-Wave Over-The-Wire firmware update

Use the above at your own risk. It is much easier to brick a 500-series controller using the wrong firmware, compared to a 700.

[mekaneck (Rick Auch)]

I’ve update both sides of my HUSBZB-1 stick. As was already mentioned, the zwave side requires opening the case and grounding out a pin.

Mentioned in the linked thread is a comment that the stick doesn’t have enough NVRAM to support the standard upgrade mechanism.