Hi Community!
I recently switches from ST due to ever increasing outages. I have two Leviton Z-Wave+ rocker switches and a dimmer switch. All three were temperamental with ST and they have got worse with Hubitat.
I understand that their firmware is probably out of date. So, should I be looking at just getting zigbee switches (now that Google have joined the Alliance), finding a way to update these switches or some other suggestion?
If you want a long term solution that has value beyond which way the wind is blowing tomorrow and who's making deals with who... You should upgrade to Lutron now before you have 30+ switches to replace that won't work with whatever controller/provider system mish-mash you move to later. Any system worth being called a "Home Automation" controller works with Lutron.
You may want to do the same thing that I am doing:
Please note: Although they appear to be very similar, Hubitat is not SmartThings. It's very important with HE to make yourself a very strong mesh network, in order to get all your devices to work. Look in the documentation that HE provides on how to make a strong mesh network. It's much more important in HE than in ST.
I did email their tech support and it went nowhere, I will try calling. Thanks.
Homeseer Z-wave Flash utility and Stick can upgrade some Leviton devices.
http://help.homeseer.com/help/Z-Flash/static/#.firmware_included_with_z_flash
Drives me crazy that many vendors won't publicly post their device firmware files.
If you register you can now download the SiliconLabs PC Controller that will work with most standard z-wave sticks. I've tested with aeotec, uzb, SmartStick+ (same thing as uzb) and you can do whatever you want at very low levels with z-wave. You still need to have the hex bin file from the vendor for the firmware though.
Thats the problem with Leviton, I dont think they provide the hex files.
But the HomeSeer stick has some of them included.
Leviton does provide firmware files. You can also use the Leviton Vizia RF+ Installer tool for this as well. Again simple register to download. Their software tool however does require the Leviton Viza RF+ USB stick which is expensive but worth it if you have Leviton devices. From their tool you can download firmware updates as well.
You have links for this? I have searched and found no one that mentions this option. Only thing I have seen is call Leviton support and they might send you a stick with the firmware on it or use the Z-flash stick from Homeseer (which is what I ended up doing)
Leviton Vizia RF Installer Tool
https://www.leviton.com/en/support/resources-tools/rf-installer-tool
Used to be only for installers but there's a link that takes you to a register page. Just fill out the information and the it will download. Nothing else special anymore. Used to be only installers had access after "training". This does require the Leviton RF+ USB Stick and does NOT work with any other USB stick that I have tried to use with it.
SiliconLabs Embedded SDK
https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/software/z-wave/embedded-sdk
Follow that and there's a link for the PC Controller. This does require a SiLabs developer account. Sign up and go through the process. This is as raw bare-bones to a z-wave controller as you get without running directly CLI from the SDK. You can do pretty much whatever you want to a z-wave device of any kind and install firmware.
Not trying to be dense but where are the hex files?
I registered and got a download for the program but not seeing how to extract hex files from that.
The tool is used for installing the hex files. You still have to contact Leviton to get the firmware files or find them on the internet. The firmware files are for installers not end-users. The HomeSeer package includes "some" and older firmware files but not all of them.
That was my point from the beginning - it is difficult to get a hold of leviton hex files.
The easiest I and many people have found is to purchase the homeseer Z-Flash kit.
And that kit may not include the latest firmware. either way whatever works for you.
As soon as I get the Hex files from Leviton, I'll send them to you.
I called and they quickly said that they would put a ZStick in the mail and email me that it was on the way. No email so far...
So, I got the stick in the mail. No documentation, no instructions, nothing.
I sent the person an email.
Nothing, no response.
Update: Called and after a couple of weeks got an email that a USB Z-wave stick and return label are being sent by UPS to me. Just got a message saying that UPS wants brokerage fees for delivery to Canada. Like hell if I'm going to pay brokerage fees for a Z-wave stick that I have to return to Leviton once I update my device.
I didn't have to pay any fees.
Also Canadian.
It came with no instructions whatsoever.
I got the stick today (UPS wanted to get my details for brokerage but there were no fees. Weird). No instructions whatsoever in the box.
Actually, looked at email again and instructions are there.
Download the Hubitat app
