Device status not updated when switch is physically toggled

I have GE Z-Wave switches and dimmer switches in my house. I have noticed that if I turn them on or off at the physical switch, the device status is not updated in HE. Is there a way to get this to work properly? Device type for the switches is Generic Z-Wave Switch and for the dimmer switch is Generic Z-Wave Dimmer.

This issue comes up from time to time. The problem is that many "classic" Z-Wave switches/dimmers, with GE being apparently among the most popular brands, do not report physical changes back to the hub without a refresh/poll. This is due to a patent issue (they did not want to license it) that has since expired. Here's another thread I found with some information, but there are probably more if you search:

If you don't need physical state changes reflected in Hubitat, you're fine to leave them as-is. If you do rely on state information (e.g., as conditions in rules or restrictions in apps, etc.), then you will probably want to configure polling. The easiest way to do that is with the built-in Z-Wave Poller app, which you can find discussed in a recent thread (which is also another that describes the same issue you have):

Some people also use rules with custom logic to do this instead. Others have moved the switches to places where they don't care to use physical state information (or manipulate it only digitally), like closets. Eventually, you may want to replace these with Z-Wave Plus devices (or something else), modern ones of which will not exhibit the same problems and will probably improve the range of your network and possibly support other features (e.g., multi-taps/scenes and network-wide inclusion, i.e., ability to pair Plus devices through the mesh) to boot if that is of any interest.

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Thanks for the tips. I discovered that my kitchen switches were actually set as Generic Z-Wave Smart Switch, not Generic Z-Wave Switch, and they update the status in HE when activated physically. I changed the bathroom exhaust fan switch (same kind of GE switch) to this device type, but it still doesn't update. I also changed the bathroom light, which is the GE dimmer switch, to Generic Z-Wave Smart Dimmer, and it doesn't update. Why does it work on some switches but not on others of the same kind? I discovered GE Enbrighten Z-Wave Smart Switch (and also one for dimmer) in the list of device types, so I tried these, and still no go.

I don't want to replace these switches. I don't need the extra features (I have a Homeseer switch elsewhere in the house which is great for scenes, but I don't need that here), and this worked when I was using SmartThings. I guess I'll have to take a look at the polling app and hope I can get it to work.

Did you remember to click Configure after changing the driver?

Can't remember something you didn't know in the first place. :slight_smile: What does that do?

I tried it and no change.

I don't know the internals but I do know we're supposed to use it after changing drivers. :man_shrugging:

I will remember that in the future. Unfortunately it didn't fix this issue.

Before I start a new thread, is this the same reason my Remotec ZTS-110 thermostat doesn't update the status in HE? Right now it's set as Generic Z-Wave Thermostat. Is there a custom driver I can use for it?

It didn't actually "work" in smartthings either. They forced polling at ridiculous intervals to "make it work". There is a Zwave Poller App

(Add apps -> Built in-> Zwave Poller)

The difference between HE and ST is that HE allows you to choose which devices you want polled. ST just did all of the GE switches. (It's a waste of resources to poll those that did not need it and can lead to slowdowns)

I am actually about to replace all ten of my GE swtiches and dimmers specifically because of this issue. They are ALL Zwave plus, and none are the "classic" models. However, about 50% of them report using the Smart version of the drivers, and the other half don't. Let's me know they aren't reliable enough for me.

Before you start a new thread, maybe try a search. It appears there are several posts on that particular device. (Edited to add, that wasn't meant to be a snark. I just saw several hits on the search and don't have the time to read them all myself)
https://community.hubitat.com/search?q=Remotec%20ZTS-110

Z-Wave Poller seems like it should be simple enough. Problem: Only my two dimmable smart bulbs appear in the list of devices that can be selected for polling. None of my GE switches (dimmer or on/off) show in the list. Any way to correct this?

THe Zwave poller will not poll devices with a device type of Generic Zwave SMART Switch or Generic Zwave SMART Dimmer. You would have to change the device types to Generic Zwave Switch or Dimmer (I would ONLY do this for those that are not updating properly without the need for polling). Once you change the device type, remember to click the Configure button in the device. After you have changed them, going back into the Zwave poller, they should be available. (Once you add them, remember to stop and start polling again)

Also, I would only do this for the devices you actually need status updates from. It does make the network busy and can lead to slow downs.

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Nice. Changed the device type and now polling works.

Why is there a Generic Z-Wave Smart Switch AND a Generic Z-Wave Switch? I've wondered this from day one of setting up this thing. After all, Z-Wave devices ARE smart devices, so what's the difference between these drivers, and when would you use one over the other?

I have a GE/Jasco Z-Wave switch, which seems to be the older (not Z-Wave Plus) type, set as Generic Z-Wave Switch, and I have the Z-Wave Poller app running with this switch selected. However, I have a button on an Aotec Z-Wave Quad Switch set up in the Button Controller app to toggle the light on and off, and it almost always fails on the first push. This is a bedroom light switch, so it is almost always turned on at the physical wall switch as we walk in the room. Then, after going to bed, we hit the bedside button. But the switch doesn’t seem to have updated to ON in HE, and hence the toggle appears to fail. I can see it in the logs. Any ideas on things to check?

What is the timing on the poller and what is the timing between the button pushes on the two switches? You may just be in between polls? :man_shrugging:

The time between the switch being pushed and the button can be hours. I’m not sure how to check the polling interval. I don’t see it on the page for the polling app, nor on the settings page for the app (after clicking the gear near the top). Any ideas on where else to look?

The polling is usually a matter of minutes, or several times a minute. I do not recall what the default is. But, if it is hours, then that is not the issue.

I can say, polling never worked that well for my old Z Wave non-plus GE's, so I replaced them with Innovelli and have been 100% satisfied that I did this. Has been working flawlessly since.

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The toggle used to work fine with these switches. Worked for a few years on Lowe’s Iris, and then I moved to HE and it worked there, too, using the Iris Gen 1 buttons to trigger. I moved to the quad switch so I could have some added functions, e.g., toggle the hall light, turn off the whole master suite, etc. it was only then that it stopped working, At first, I assumed the quad button had an issue, but then I noticed the switch status wasn’t updating.

I wonder if it’s possible that the new quad switch, being Z-Wave, could somehow interfere with the polling. The old Iris Gen 1 was Zigbee. But this doesn’t really make sense as we generally don’t push the remote buttons until much later after hitting the physical wall switch.

Awesome! Just move to HE from VERA and I have several GE switch doesn't poll and as I followed your steps it work! Tnx

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