What's the cheapest Z Wave anything?

Configuration Z-Wave
1

I have a door lock (August) that's supposed to respond to Bluetooth, WiFi and ZWave commands.

I really want to add this device to HA.

The device does respond to Bluetooth. Running the August app, the lock opens and closes as expected. This is of course a manual process, so not what I'm looking for.

WiFi should work for me, except that it requires a "bridge". I have such a bridge .. it was included with the lock .. but the bridge is clearly defective, as evidenced by the lack of LEDs lighting up.

However, the lock internally supports ZWave! (I suspect the bridge is a WiFi to ZWave convertor.)

So I bought the HA recommended ZWave controller, added it to HA and then attempted to add the lock as a new device.

The instructions that came with the lock for doing so are pretty simple and actually include Home Assistant specifics!

Sadly, no joy. The ZWave device is never discovered.

Maybe the lock is bad. However, it responds to Bluetooth, so that seems unlikely.

Maybe there's "flavours" of ZWave and my two ZWave devices won't ever work. But that's not what I've heard about ZWave.

Or maybe my ZWave/HA install has a problem.

This third option seems possible (even though I followed all the steps) but it occurs to me that a good way to check is to try another ZWave device and see what happens.

However, I'm leery of throwing too much good money after bad. I'm already into this for four hundred dollars! (Like I say, I really want to make this work.)

And I can't think of a single ZWave home automation item that I need to buy; my home is automated.

So, if I don't buy something necessary, I should buy something cheap.

But nothing ZWave seems to be cheap ...

Any thoughts appreciated.

Alan

2

August locks no longer work with Z-Wave. I decommissioned one at my old place and in the process of commissioning at the new place an update was required to proceed. This update effectively made Z-Wave useless (can't pair).

Yale/August locks sent me this email:

Hello ,

Thank you for reaching out to us!

We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences you're experiencing while trying to setup your Smart Lock with your Z-Wave hubs, we understand this may result frustrating for you, I'll be happy to provide you with the necessary guidance on this matter,

Unfortunately, as of right now, Z-Wave connectivity for August Smart Locks has been discontinued and is no longer supported; existing connections with other devices that were already setup may stop working with no way to re-pair them. Now these devices are only operable through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi via the August app, We understand your concern and once again we sincerely apologize for any inconveniences this may cause.

If you need further assistance, you can reach out to us anytime!

Warm regards,

Thank you,

Alain Baeza

North America Smart Residential

In addition, the August Lock is put into Whisper mode meaning that the lock has to be within a meter or so of the Z-Wave controller (for me, the dongle). But it never connected, period. You must use WiFi mode and the Yale/August integration (cloud) to be able to use your lock with HA

That said, the one thing I don't think I tried was, when you get to the security S2/S0, leave the S2 checked and uncheck S0. I haven't done this because I would have to take the lock off the door to take it to the controller. (can't bring controller to door) Let me know if this works so I can ditch the cloud.

The sad truth of it is, August stole this feature from us and they don't care because you'd have to file suit in San Francisco because that's their mailing address and the suit would be a federal suit, costing you much much more than the $250 you paid for the lock. Sumus Fututus.

Why is thread/matter an absolute dumpster fire
3

Thanks for the reply!

And BUMMER!

Especially since I did in fact just order an inexpensive ZWave test device.

The door I wish to lock remotely is one that's frequently left unlocked .. it's used a lot on some days and frequently the last use of the day is not the planned last use of the day, which leaves it unlocked.

But it's at the far end of my workshop which is attached to my basement, so it's a hike through a cluttered basement, then through the metal shavings of the machine shop, then through the sawdust and wood chips of the woodworking shop at a time when I'm usually already in bed.

"Hey, did I lock the outside door ..."

It has to be locked though .. the local bears know how to open doors and come foraging for food in spring when they wake up and fall before they go to bed for the winter and sometimes in summer just for the fun of it. Worse, this door doesn't have a knob (which doesn't really slow them down much anyway), it has a horizontal handle in defference to my arthritis.

Well, I have one last thing to try, since the cloud/WiFi option is not available to me.

I have to admit the mechanical aspects of this lock are very good, so maybe I toss all the electronics and bring the motor leads out to a home brew controller running ESPHome. I have all the needed parts, so at least it will only cost me time, not any more money.

Annoying, but life is sometimes, I suppose.

Thanks again!

4

So I put my lock about 6" away from my ZWave controller and attempted to Add a Device.

About 1/2 second after tapping "Add to ZWave Network" in the August app, the app returns an error message.

5

Just an apology and nothing else for discontinuing a feature that you paid for? Wow. As we used to say: "That, and a nickel will get you a phone call." A little goodwill gesture might have salvaged some future business . . .

6

That's pretty sh!tty of August to do that. The least they could have done was to leave the Z-wave functional and not brick it to whisper mode.
@alanbc which cheap z-wave controller did you buy? does it even have Z-wave plus? I am assuming the minimum needed is that for a lock to work unless your lock is just the old z-wave.