I have 2 Schlage FE599s that work maybe 10% of the time. I switched over from ST which they never worked on. The first one I had wasn't working so Schlage sent me a replacement and the same thing happened. When I first paired it to HE it worked great for the first 20 minutes or so, then completely stopped and now it will respond to 1 command every couple of hours. I have a GE Z-Wave repeater next to one of the locks and the other has another Z-Wave sensor right next to the other lock and the sensor is very responsive.
I have seen others having the same issue but none of them seem to have resolved the issue.
I have a schlage BE model and they've been removed from the compatibility list. I'm not a know it all by any means, and I've had my share of lock problems. I have zwave switches next to each lock and they do nothing to help them. What solved my issue was adding an enerwave zwave plus plug for the schlage and recently, to fix two other locks that I have, I added an aeotec repeater 6. Locks started talking almost immediately. I plan on adding one more repeater to the mix to see if I can increase the stability. If you look on amazon, there is a pack of two aeotec repeater 7's for around 50$. That looks to be the best deal. Otherwise you'll pay around $30 for a single 6. I can't say that this will fix your problem without a doubt, but It did fix mine. Might be worth a try.
I have been fighting that battle for months. However my locks worked great in ST, so I was pretty sure it wasn't a mesh issue. Since moving to HE they have been unreliable, until recently. When my locks stop responding, a reboot of the hub brings them back online 100% of the time. I do not know, why I gave up trying to figure that out.
I have repeaters/switches near all 3 locks, and using Z-Tools I can see the locks ignoring them using other routes, or most times going directly to the hub; when they want to talk. I have also moved my Z-wave stick (C-4) away from the hub, and other stuff, with a 10 foot USB extension cable which did help. Now the Z-stick is directly under the floor of my kitchen door lock.
In the end my locks still "fall off" the network once a day, or so (yesterday they stayed up all day for the first time in a week!). I use the Reliable Locks app to check the status of the lock, and then use Device Watchdog to see if the lock has reported that status back to the hub. If it misses two check-in's, an event is logged with Follow Me, and the hub is rebooted.
Check and see if rebooting your hub gets the locks back online. If so LMK if want help setting up the rules to automate the process. Knock on wood, so far it has restored my sanity, and the reliability of my locks. Good luck!
I have mains switches right next to the locks and they don't help. You saw that post by Bruce about simple rules instead of running complicated things. I'm convinced that an aeotec will solve the issue. My locks have been 100% reliable since adding it.
@april.brandt Oh don't worry my rules are pretty simple. I'm to slow to make them complex. One Virtual switch and a Global variable, that is as complex things get around here. And I even do that with multiple rules. Should pass the Bruce's KISS factor test.
Don't get me wrong I wish I didn't need any of this. I wish my locks worked liked they did in ST (don't strike me down for admitting it). Just last month we put a Ring repeater right next to the door and still nothing.
I'll even buy an aeotec one in hopes that will change (I'm a fan of aeotec stuff).
I certainly agree repeaters are a good start (especially if you had issue in ST as well). However the OP did ask for ideas (and you had covered the repeater option well already). I'm just given another idea, which worked for me after adding repeaters did not.
At the end of the day, we just want the stinking locks to work. We have a solution that works for us. If you do not need, or want it, that's cool. Our locks lock/unlock now with consistency and that is all that matters here.
Nope, a little banter is good. Respectable banter. I can appreciate you coming up with the solution that you did. Everyone's environment is different, and what works for one, might not work for another. It's a slippery slope. Alternate solutions are definitely welcome and encouraged. It's becoming quite a discussion, these locks.
Respectful disagreements often result in the best overall outcomes.
buying one for hub room, and lock area today.
Can you share a link? I can only find the 6's in a two pack.
If they fix mine and I can get rid of these rules I will happily remove them all! I'd be shamed it admit the effort/$ I have put into these locks thus far. If HE weren't such a good platform in all other respects it would have drove me away.
If you can find the repeater 7, I would get that over the repeater 6. I have the repeater 6, but the 700 series chip in the 7 is supposed to improve function quite a bit over the 6.
It's not about being driven away. It's about putting it out there. Like knowing what you're getting into before you fight with it to find a solution. For example: The xiaomi's and crees. They work, but put them on a different hub. It's well known. Like, set the right expectation. If someone said "yah, April, those locks work, but you'll want to add a repeater of this brand and you'll be totally happy with it." I'd be ok with that. Setting a realistic expectation is key. Does that make sense? I don't care why it doesn't work or why it works, I just want it to work.
Yeah those linked are 6's not 7's. I know some features of the 7s are not available yet on HE, but always try to plan ahead.
Orderd them from ebay
I would agree, only if the set expectation does not change.
Over the past hmm 6 months-ish I have had many "bars" presented to me as a solution. Each one was meet, and failed. If this Aeotec one is the silver bullet, I will preach it from the hill tops!
If it is yet another (in the most respectful way) over-inflated expectation that result in no improvement, I will have to disagree. (but with love )
Well, I had a short exchange with Mike about it because I was feeling so deflated about it and he suggested the aeotec and said that he's been seeing that people are having luck with them. @jonasd1 has this plaguing his system badly and JUST now received extenders and is in the process of installing them. Perhaps he will chime in on his experience. Mine has been positive thus far.
Pay close attention to the word "suggested". Because that's what he did. Simply suggested something that he's seen has been working for several others here.
OK while we are on the subject and have avid players involved; if my Zstick is right beneath the lock (in the joist bay of an unfinished basement below the kitchen floor), how can I "make" the lock communicate via the ranger extender?
Is it best practice to move the hub stick further away from the lock to make this happen?
Again I have Z-Tools and I can see the packets go directly between the lock and the hub even though the Ring range extender is right there. Just wonder if the Aeotec will be "ignored" as well, or if there is a way to "force" it to be used.
I had also read somewhere here on one of the lock threads quite sometime ago that you should get devices that support beaming. I've been curious about "beaming" and what devices would do that? Maybe an aeotec range extender is capable? I've no idea.
Maybe you need to put the extender closer to the hub? I also read that in the same thread about the beaming. What's nice with the aeotec's is that a light blinks when it's repeating something. But your zstick will tell you that.
Yeah I thought that is what the Ring was going to give me, but I don't know all that much about it. Above my pay grade.
I know I will have 2 Aeotec's by May 12th and report back all my findings. If they work I will c/p a link into every lock post I see!! (+1 vote for including them in a HE combo pack "lock proof" set for C7)
I have 3 locks. All are within 15 feet of the hub. All have zwave plus switches right next to them. I located the repeater on the center wall about half way in distance between the locks and the hub and all three started responding better. The stars in the photo are the locks on the main floor. The smiley is the hub (basement level) and the red dot is the repeater also on the main level.
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