How to/Should I use an Aeotec Z-Wave Stick Gen5+ with HE

[erktrek]

@hendrec

I am currently going through the same drama with moving from Smartthings to HE and so far, it has been a nightmare as far as the Z-wave part is concerned. I am experiencing the same issues as what you describe. I am trying to figure out how to use the Aeotec Z-wave stick at the moment to follow the advice regarding S0 connected devices. It seems all that trouble might be a waste of time as well. I have left the network for 3 days now to "stabilise", but so far, nothing has improved. Devices would work the one moment, but fail to respond a second later.

Any 700 series controller will have the forced S0 issue with older devices - it's per SiLabs spec unfortunately.

There is a lot to unpack here.. what devices are you using? Are they in the list of compatible devices? Using any community apps drivers?

• I would first try and remove any ghosts to make sure your mesh is as clean as possible. Recommended is trying the HE way via Z-Wave settings or the PCS way.
• Exclude and Factory Reset each device.
• After you pair the Z-Stick with HE you should be able to walk around and pair each device then plug it back into your PC and run the PC Controller sw. Disclaimer: I have not done this in a very long time so ymmv.

Also keep in mind that some devices like locks require S0. I have a ZW+ Fibaro keyfob that I cannot get working properly even after many attempts at pairing via the PCS route with both a Z-Stick and UZB-7.

As @MarkG mentions you might consider checking out HomeAssistant and use that Z-Stick for the controller. If you have some technical chops it should be relatively straightforward (until it's not!) - you'll need a server machine or vm to dedicate to the process. You could then share those devices with HE to make a cohesive system via the HA community bridge.