Pair zwave relay without physical access

[dbarck2000]

I'm planning to use a Zooz zen52 relay to control the speed of a ceiling fan. I'll install the zen52 in the ceiling fan canopy.

During initial installation I'll pair the zen52 with HE by clicking the zwave button 3 times. After it is paired I'll close up the canopy.

What if I want to exclude and re-pair the zen52 in the future? Will I have to disassemble the canopy to get access to the zwave button on the zen52? Is there a way to pair the zen52 without physical access to the zen52?

[rlithgow1]

yes

[hydro311]

I'm pretty sure Rick intended "Yes" to the question of "will I need to disassemble the canopy if a re-pair is needed?".

AFAIK, there is no way to re-pair any device (incl Z52) without manually pressing something on it.

[dbarck2000]

I looked at the doc. For the zen52. It says you can use the "SmartStart" method, which involves scanning a qr code or entering a 5 digit code printed on the device. Does anyone have experience using SmartStart? Does Hubitat support it?

[woodsby]

I’m guessing if it’s already been included, smartstart won’t reinclude it until it’s been excluded… which I’m guessing will require some physical intervention - i.e. Removing the canopy.

[kahn-hubitat]

maybe try a zigbee relay instead.. many zigbee devices can be reincluded without access.

[Slate]

Get a Fingerbot to press the button?

[anon47916022]

FWIW, unless you nuke your Z-Wave network or move to another system, having to re-pair shouldn't be too big of a concern since it shouldn't ever be needed again after the first go round.

[dbarck2000]

Yes, I think I'll just install it and face the pain of having to open the canopy if needed in the future.

I wonder what people do that have many of these embedded in their switch boxes. It would be very painful to have to open them all up if they need to be re-paired.

[velvetfoot]

@dbarck2000

I wonder what people do that have many of these embedded in their switch boxes. It would be very painful to have to open them all up if they need to be re-paired.

I'd be interested in that too.
I had a small taste of that with a Fibaro Smart Implant that needed its button pushed.

[vitaliy_kh]

Necessity for the physical access to the device for pairing/removing process is a security measure.

[daniel.winks]

@dbarck2000

I wonder what people do that have many of these embedded in their switch boxes.

They subscribe to Hub Protect... that's what they do.

[rlithgow1]

@dbarck2000

I looked at the doc. For the zen52. It says you can use the "SmartStart" method, which involves scanning a qr code or entering a 5 digit code printed on the device. Does anyone have experience using SmartStart? Does Hubitat support it?

In the event of disconnection or moving the device you would still have to reset the device even using smart start. Now if you're restoring a hub as a whole you could use hub protect to restore the z-wave radio database. (you cannot restore individual devices to the database)

[hubitrep]

@dbarck2000

What if I want to exclude and re-pair the zen52 in the future?

Check the manual. The Zen51 can be set to exclude/include by three quick cycles of the dumb switch wired to it (assuming there is one) and it might be the same for the zen52

See parameter 27 ZEN52 Double Relay Advanced Settings - Zooz Support Center

[daniel.winks]

Yep, almost every "in the wiring box" type device I've ever seen has a similar way to put it into pairing/inclusion mode from the wall switch. Or in the case of WiFi devices, they create an AP you can join and reconfigure them that way.

It's still a royal PITA to rejoin everything making Hub Protect worth every last penny, but the chances of having to actually need to open the wall box is low.

[lcw731]

@dbarck2000

I looked at the doc. For the zen52. It says you can use the "SmartStart" method, which involves scanning a qr code or entering a 5 digit code printed on the device. Does anyone have experience using SmartStart? Does Hubitat support it?

Take it for what it's worth, but the last ten or so devices (within the last 3 months) I've tried to pair using smart start never even showed up in smart start once I scanned the code (i.e. the screen just went back to blank) much less paired. If they ever do get smart start working properly again, the zen52 would need to be excluded first.

[TArman]

@hubitrep

See parameter 27 ZEN52 Double Relay Advanced Settings - Zooz Support Center

Parameter 27 info strongly implies that you could wire a small switch to the device and toggle it 3 times to exclude/include.

External Switch Type Multiple Click Detection

Parameter 27: Enable or disable the external switch multiple click detection.

Values: 0 – disable the external switch multiple click detection (clicking the external switch 3 times quickly for inclusion/exclusion will be disabled, and the central scene (multi-taps) will be disabled. 1 – enable external switch multiple click detection (default).

Size: 1 byte dec

Mount this in an obscure yet accessible spot on the canopy.
https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-GSW-21-Electrical-Push-Button/dp/B00004WLKD/

[dbarck2000]

Thanks.
I think I'll either wire a push button to the device and mount the button to the canopy, or possibly drill a hole to allow access to the zwave pairing button on the device, or just live with having to disassemble the canopy if the need arises to exclude/re-pair the device.