Unknown Node When Pairing GE 14291 In-Wall Smart Z-Wave Switches

I’ve paired several of the GE 14291 Z-Wave switches to an Aeotec ZW090 Z-Stick Gen5 and Hass.io has recognized those Z-Wave switches just fine. But for some reason I cannot get it to work correctly this time. I’m pairing two brand new Z-Wave 14291 switches and neither one is recognized by Hass.io as a Z-Wave switch and it just reports them as: Unknown Node. This is what I found in the log for one of the switches:

2018-11-28 17:24:46.073 Detail, Node024, Notification: ValueAdded
2018-11-28 17:24:46.092 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1985 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueAsByte
2018-11-28 17:24:46.092 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1633 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueLabel
2018-11-28 17:24:46.092 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1681 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueUnits
2018-11-28 17:24:46.092 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1827 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to IsValueReadOnly
2018-11-28 17:24:46.096 Detail, Node024, Notification: ValueAdded
2018-11-28 17:24:46.101 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:2133 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueAsShort
2018-11-28 17:24:46.101 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1633 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueLabel
2018-11-28 17:24:46.102 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1681 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueUnits
2018-11-28 17:24:46.102 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1827 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to IsValueReadOnly
2018-11-28 17:24:46.105 Detail, Node024, Notification: ValueAdded
2018-11-28 17:24:46.130 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:2133 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueAsShort
2018-11-28 17:24:46.130 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1633 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueLabel
2018-11-28 17:24:46.130 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1681 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueUnits
2018-11-28 17:24:46.130 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1827 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to IsValueReadOnly
2018-11-28 17:24:46.134 Detail, Node024, Notification: ValueAdded
2018-11-28 17:24:46.139 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:2344 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueListSelection
2018-11-28 17:24:46.140 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1633 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueLabel
2018-11-28 17:24:46.140 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1681 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueUnits
2018-11-28 17:24:46.140 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1827 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to IsValueReadOnly
2018-11-28 17:24:46.143 Detail, Node024, Notification: ValueAdded
2018-11-28 17:24:46.149 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:2344 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueListSelection
2018-11-28 17:24:46.149 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1633 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueLabel
2018-11-28 17:24:46.149 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1681 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueUnits
2018-11-28 17:24:46.149 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1827 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to IsValueReadOnly
2018-11-28 17:24:46.153 Detail, Node024, Notification: ValueAdded
2018-11-28 17:24:46.167 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:2344 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueListSelection
2018-11-28 17:24:46.168 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1633 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueLabel
2018-11-28 17:24:46.168 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1681 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to GetValueUnits
2018-11-28 17:24:46.168 Warning, Exception: Manager.cpp:1827 - 101 - Invalid ValueID passed to IsValueReadOnly

Would anyone know how to correct this issue?

Could anyone help me out?

Its possible that your new switch is different, and has a different configuration. Can you compare the entries for node 24 with one of your working switches from your zwcfg…xml file (located in /config)?

I’m sure you’ve already done this, but have you excluded and re added them. Were they brand new switches, never paired to any other zwave controller? Are they further away from your hub that the other switches you added?

These are pretty common switches, so I suspect that it’s not an issue with the device not being recognized. For me most of the time I’ve seen unknown node with devices of a type that I have already added successfully in the past, its just a “bad pairing”, and removing/readding works.

Also even though they say unknown, are you able to control them?

I’m not sure what’s going on, I know the log file I posted is for Node 24 but I cannot find that Node anywhere in my config file which I’m looking at through the Configurator:

/config/zwcfg_0xf72d953d.xml

I’m missing Nodes 24, 25 and 26 but I do have a node 27 which should be the newly paired Zwave GE 14291 switch:

Node 27 lists this:

	</Node>
	<Node id="27" name="" location="" basic="0" generic="0" specific="0" type="" listening="true" frequentListening="false" beaming="false" routing="false" max_baud_rate="0" version="0" query_stage="Complete">
		<Manufacturer id="0" name="">
			<Product type="0" id="0" name="" />
		</Manufacturer>
		<CommandClasses />
	</Node>

That’s everything listed for Node 27.

Node 22 is working and lists this:

</Node>
	<Node id="22" name="" location="" basic="4" generic="16" specific="1" roletype="5" devicetype="1792" nodetype="0" type="Binary Power Switch" listening="true" frequentListening="false" beaming="true" routing="true" max_baud_rate="40000" version="4" query_stage="Complete">
		<Manufacturer id="63" name="GE">
			<Product type="4952" id="3036" name="14291 In-Wall Smart Switch" />
		</Manufacturer>

Theres a lot more information listed with Node 22 but that’s the start of it.

I’ve got this same issue since ~0.82 with HomeSeer devices. But all my working switches got lost in the entity_registry upgrade and trying to add new switches results in what you experience; unknown nodes.

I agree and feel this all started within the last two updates. I’m currently on HomeAssistant version: 0.83.2 but all the Zwave switches that are paired and working were paired 1-2 years ago on much earlier versions of HA. The Zwave switches I’m trying to pair now were installed a week or so ago and were purchased brand new from Lowes…I find it hard to believe that two brand new Zwave switches are bad and I’m leaning more towards something has changed in HomeAssistant.

Here’s my setup info:

core-ssh:~# hassio homeassistant info

        "version": "0.83.2",
        "last_version": "0.83.2",
        "machine": "raspberrypi3",
        "image": "homeassistant/raspberrypi3-homeassistant",
        "custom": false,

Hass.io supervisor

Version 140
Latest version 140

Host system

Hostname hassio
System HassOS 1.13
Deployment production

Yes, I’ve put my Aeotec ZW090 Z-Stick Gen5 in Exclude mode and excluded the two Zwave switches. I then plugged the Aeotec Z-Stick back into HA and rebooted. I saw the Zwave switches were removed so I put the Aeotec Z-Stick back in pairing mode and paired the Zwave switches. I used the button on the Aeotec Z-Stick to accomplish both the excluding and pairing. The Zwave switches paired but were classified as: Unknown Node. The Zwave switches were both brand new sealed packages from Lowes. These two Zwave switches are in the basement and the HA is on the 2nd floor but I have one other Zwave switch in the basement that works just fine. I’m not able to control either Zwave switch because they do not show up as switches but instead show up as Entity: zwave.unknown_node_27 for example.

You should not have to remove the zwave stick to pair. Use the Configuration > Zwave network Management > Add Node command throught the web UI. It also can cause problems by removing and reinserting the device in the OS stack.

I’m not sure what is causing the discovery issue, but you can try and stop HA, then manually edit the new node entry in the zwcfg…xml file to match your working node 22.

For whatever reason leaving the Aeotec Z-Stick plugged into my RPi and clicking: “Add Node”, turning on the GE Zwave switch and then clicking: “Cancel Command” worked! I’ve never had to leave my Z-Stick plugged in before in order to pair any of my Zwave switches so I’m not sure what changed.

It’s also the only way you can securely add nodes - it has to be done through the APP.

Yes, I found that out the hard way when I was pairing my Schlage Zwave Deadbolt but the Zwave switches I have always paired using the button on the Aeotec Z-Stick. Now I just need to figure out how to remove failed nodes as the: “Remove Failed Node” button no longer appears. I previously could go to the States section, set the node to: “is_failed: true” and then click: “Remove Failed Node” in the “Z-Wave Network Management” section. That no longer appears to be an option.