C7 and Z-Wave - Disappointed again

I purchased a z-wave hub that cannot include any of my z-wave devices. I have 6-7 hours into this just to realize its firmware issues. I now have to put this device back in the box and wait for firmware to correct the issues. So this device is a paper weight for me. I don't feel like I am being overly harsh in my statement that this device at the moment is a pile of trash/paper weight.

1 Like

I do.

If you think it is a pile of trash, then send it back then or throw it away (as it is "trash" per your definition).

As you aren't actually throwing it in the "trash", then maybe saying it is "broken" or "unusable for my purposes" is more accurate, and less inflammatory?

Anyway, good luck whichever path you choose. And I agree the state of the C-7 is quite frustrating right now for those experiencing issues.

My only question is wasn't this C-7 hub tested during production before it was released to the public? I purchased one but am waiting for issues to be ironed out before installing it. God bless the community for their hard work. Hubitat is so lucky to have a dedicated community to be what has turned out to be beta testers. My C5 is working perfectly thanks to the many in the community who offered up their time in helping me when I stumbled. I have no doubt the C-7 hub issues will be ironed out with more time and patience.

I don't really have a choice but to migrate to something. The smartthings app migration has jacked my hub up so I can't add new devices to smartthings (support is a joke). They are killing off groovy which impacts all the applications I am currently using. The good thing is I am not waiting till the last minute to migrate off so I have some time to wait around on hubitat.

That is smart. SmartThings transition is really a pickle for many!

And I apologize if I was too cranky above. I get your frustration - and it is warranted for sure.

My OPINION is that Hubitat got themselves into a really tough spot... My guess (could be completely wrong) is that they ran out of C-5 supply, with COVID-19 couldn't easily just whip up another batch quickly, and had to make the tough decision to sell NOTHING or sell the C-7 now.

Well, a company that sells nothing - but retains their employees - doesn't stay in business long. So...

But again, that is purely speculation on my part. I also don't think it was recognized that there would be as many C-7 issues as there have been until it went out to a wider audience... I don't think for a second that they sold it knowing there would be a this many issues.

7 Likes

This has been my working theory. It seems to make the most sense.

2 Likes

If that is what happened, I get it. They wouldn't be the only company that got into a serious bind when product quit flowing out of china as expected / when expected...

Or had unexpected technical delays on a new product that put a kink into the supply chain, revenue flow, and development cycle!

In the end they will get it all working, of that I'm fully confident. Then this will be but a memory before long.

3 Likes

Agreed, @JasonJoel... The staff have been very responsive, communicative, own up to bugs (unlike any other company I've known), etc so far. Based on that and their history I'm sure they are more disappointed and frustrated at this outcome/situation then the group is and are working diligently to get it corrected. I know from experience that people who 'put their name' on a product (myself included) and it doesn't perform as intended are more upset then the user.

2 Likes

ya i cannot get any wired zwave garage doors or switches basically anything that joins with s2 security working correctly. i think i have narrowed down the issues to that.. the zwave routing is hosed and they loose connectivity or only have in intermittantly even close to the hub.. that said zwave plus device ie sensors are working fine . as is zigbee. in the interim i am replaceing my zwave door locks with zigbee. nothing i can do yet for garage door openers.. also s2 inclusion is not working well. i am replacing some zwave with older zwave plus switches which do include and work well (not s2 inclusion) i found some ge older zwave plus toggle switches at lowes and ordered a few to replace my last few std zwave switches with zwave plus.. hopefully they can get the zwave stuff ironed out soon. I have no ghost devices in my zwave table but still issues.\

i have some enbrighten zwave plus switches but cannot get any s2 devices to pair unless inches from the hub which is not really realistic for in wall switches.

And the trash is starting to smell bad.

I feel your pain, but know that it will be fixed, eventually. I still have my C7 in the box, and dying to set it up, everyday, but having read the threads I will not.
I placed a poll out there last week, and it seems some 70+% of users(total responses ~140) have no issue with the C7, which is of zero help if you happen to be one of the affected ones, but helps to keep the issues in perspective.

If you leave now you'll never know what is the beauty of local, fast and incredibly flexible home automation

1 Like

I'll second this. Ive had my issues with my hubs. The C7 may not have hit the ground running. I'd wager it comes out the other side like a beast.

Yeah, me too. I'm kind of thinking of the C7 like I do with a major firmware change...wait for all the other guys to find the bugs....I probably wouldn't be so patient if I didn't have a C4 and a C5 up and running though! :slight_smile:

2 Likes

True...it's clear now that the C7 is the physical embodiment of a huge FW change. :slight_smile:

It's like a 1950's monster movie, a huge hub walking through downtown tearing up buildings left and right w/its new powerful "Z-Wave Ray Version 7."

1 Like

So I rolled back to 2.2.3.119 and rebooted. Then I powered down the device for 30 seconds. The hub is now acting like it should and including all devices. Stay off the .235 firmware I think it is and you can start migrating devices over.

1 Like

My experience has been pretty good. I had a hickup with the S2 inclusion issue but a week or so later i got the updated firmware and all was well.
I ran with this for about two or three weeks and then i added another two zwave devices. that worked well and then i got a notification that there was an update available. i updated and all was well.

Yesterday i added 10 zwave devices. Mostly in-wall switches and dimmers. Old GE stuff i've had for a while but never got a moment to install (i moved homes in the spring). Not zwave+ so old stuff. I had them all installed and included without a problem. I struggled a bit with finding the right driver for them but the GE enbrighten dimmer driver seems to work.

I need to add a repeater (probably a wall outlet) because three of them are in my poolhouse and the zwave doesn't reach there as i have it setup right now. I'm considering changing those three dimmer switches to zwave plus as i think this offers a bit longer range than my old ge dimmers. Currently looking at zooz 22 or 27 dimmer for that (haven't made up my mind).

but yeah, i think this stuff is working. pretty happy with it. I had to power cycle yesterday (including pulling the power cord) after i added the devices to get it to work right, but i figure this tolerarable since i only have to do that occasionally if i add a bunch of devices at once. S2 paired beautifully!

1 Like

If you're using the GE Enbrighten driver w/older Z-Wave switches/dimmers you may run into issues, I did w/my older Z-Wave GE/Jasco switches. Unfortunately I can't for the life of me remember what happened (my leetle grey cells are a bit gray). :wink:

I changed to the built-in Generic Z-Wave Switch or Generic Z-Wave Dimmer drivers and they behave better.

I can get them to work with the generic zwave dimmer driver.
However i think they aren't working that great with my LED's, their dimming ability isn't the greatest.
These are truly old dimmers, and they are placed far away from any zwave repeating device and they loose zwave connectivity frequently.

I've just ordered a couple of zooz 27 dimmers, largely because i'm hoping that the better zwave chipset will give them a bit better range, and their claimed wider LED compatibility.
I am putting these dimmers in my poolhouse, and i have about 150 feet with a clear line of sight from a wired zwave + S2 device and these dimmers so with a bit of luck it should work out.

1 Like

6 months later and not much better. Evalogik zw97, can't exclude even after C7(latest firmware) shutdown & pull plug for 1 minute. Works on ST and on C4.
It seems this Z-wave problem is erratic. My C7 mesh is solid with about 12 z-wave+ devices and works well, just can't exclude or add anything new.

It's very weird.. I just added a ZooZ RGBW LED Controller to my C-7 10 mins ago. It was completely a non-event. I clicked Exclude and triple clicked the buried button... the hub announced "an unknown device was excluded" -- which is exactly correct. The device had not previously been joined to this hub. Moved the mouse left and clicked Include. Triple clicked the buried button and the Hub popped up the S2 menu. I turned them all off and clicked done. The counter started over and about 30 seconds later the Controller and two child devices were added.

Understand, I completely believe you are encountering problems, and recognize very well how frustrating that would be... I just can't think of anything to say that might assist. :frowning:

I swear dude, someone mentioned the sun, and I'm picking my brain, like something has to have changed. My C7 was excluding/including like a champ after the latest update. I think I need to give it a rest, ran out of hair to pull out. Going to see what I can blowup on my pfsense router.
The devices work fine on my C4/C5 and even ST. I wanted to finish moving everything to my C7.
Oh well maybe another day.

EDIT-OH no a new update, off to smack the update button

EDIT #2- son of a glitch, IT WORKED, after the update I'm pairing/excluding again. My neck hurts from SMH

4 Likes