I've been running with maybe 15-20 devices of all types for a few years now. Most devices have been reliable but there's a few that just seem to stop responding after a while of working fine..
In the past, I've removed these devices and re-added them. But, of course than I have to re-add these devices to any rules or apps that used them and it's a pain.
Is there something I can do to understand first why these devices are simply not responding anymore and second figure out how to make them more reliable?
The 2 devices that seem to stop responding the most often are Z-Wave:
Unfortunately, both devices are pretty difficult to move closer to the hub to see if range is the issue (the switch is hard-wired and the lock would just be a PITA to move).. they both have worked great for a long time and aren't that far from the hub to begin with. The lock in fact is maybe 10 feet from the hub (I originally paired it right next to the hub too before installing it to make sure I had a 'secure' connection). I should note that I do have a ZWave repeater in the house as well - so I could try moving it close to these devices but I have a feeling they won't just 'start working' either.
So, while I know I can delete and re-pair both devices.. that always works. How do I figure out why they stop responding to begin with?
I know (have read) locks are particularly tricky.. but, what about a hard-wired switch? Nothing has changed in the Z-Wave network.
Is there a way to view the signal strength for a given device?
Cant really comment on the plug. I do have a Kwickset 910 and mine has been pretty reliable, if I recall I did need to get it close to the Hub to get it to pair the first time. I would suggest getting a cheap wireless access point that way you can bring your hub to your lock. There are some pretty cheap ones out there.
Sounds like a mesh issue, bunch of threads on trying to improve it. It can be tricky.
I assume your on a C5 or earlier since you say you been running it for a few years. If on a C7, however, there is a nice tool that allows you get a little better view of how thing are routed.
You should be able to just run "Discovery" put your devices into pairing mode (maybe factory reset) and HE pops them back into all your rules and/or apps where they were before.
But I've never done it with either of those devices...
One thing I do for all my locks, Wiser and Kwikset, is do a poll-refresh in WebCore every 3 minutes.
I find that, although they function properly, the status is never updated reliably even though they are Z-Wave+.
I think this only works for zigbee devices. I think zwave devices get assigned a new ID each time they are paired. There used to be a way to do it with an option called "replace" when I was on ST. I don't recall ever seeing that option since I moved to HE though.
Actually, I had to upgrade to a C7 when my C5 died. I haven't used/tried any new tool but I'll look for it. I would like to figure out what's happening instead of just remove and replace every so often (granted, it's not that often but after a while I forget everything all over again so it seems a lot more difficult than it really is)
I see the Zwave network info page.. this is interesting - my switch ("1C") (I removed and re-added it because I didn't know how else to get it working again) goes through my Zwave extender ("0C")
But, the hub is in the middle of the switch and the extender.. so, I'm not sure how/why the network decided to route traffic through it. In fact, almost all of my devices go through my extender.. is that normal? I imagine it's higher powered/range than the hub but that doesn't seem ideal.
I have the extender on 1 edge of the network to deal with some devices that are outside the house..
I recently migrated from my C5 to a C7 and have had all sorts of Z-wave issues initially, but once I removed ghosts, I have been Ok. Last weekend I installed a lock and it seemed to pair only partially and the hub was very flaky, but a removal of the device and a full reset of it helped to pair it again with S2 security which helped.
Is your lock paired with S2? Also, I discovered an app I want to try myself to keep it connected [Release] Reliable Locks
thanks for this - I did find several ghost devices and removed them.. maybe that had something to do with my issues as well. I'm also going to check out that lock app -- ideally I wouldn't need it but if it does the trick I'm willing to give it a shot
Ghosts will always cause issues. The reason is that HE is trying to get to the duplicate which no longer exists. Any time you have a failed pairing, stop what you are doing and then check your z-wave settings. Remove ghost and continue. Also think about installing the reliable lock app from hubitat package manager.
I have had already paired Z-Wave devices "appear" when doing an include. Not sure if it is the device or HE db corruption or what but can confirm it does happen. In fact if you are not careful you can end up inadvertantly renaming your device or changing a driver if set differently.
