Cool I just checked it out. I think it will work. the main thing is I want to keep my current style wall switch, and add control with Hubitat. since they show similar switches to mine working with it I think I will be good. I only have single color led strips so I wont need all of the features it offers, but If it works I am happy.
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They make single color controllers as well. And @bcopeland has written drivers for ALL their z-wave products.
That dude is so prolific, he should be in NASCAR - he's running on 110 Octane already!
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I talked to Sean over at RGB Genie. I am going to have to replace my switch. the way it is now I can not add any type of automation to it and keep it functional. it is one or the other. I will probably buy a new switch and controller from him. it is going to be a little over $100 so it just got moved a little down the list.
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@scotnemily I was good talking with you this morning. As a reminder to the community, we have a permanent code on our website to save 15%. And you guessed it, HUBITAT is the code.
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Nice talking to you too. Right now I put this down below the smoke detectors, which is going to be my next purchase. then I will be back to these. Unless we come up with another alternative after the email I sent you.
So the first night I tried the front door unlocking when I got home it worked great. Last night is didnāt work until after I unlocked it manually walked inside and locked it manually. As I walked away it unlocked. Tonight not only did it not unlock, when I manually unlocked it the kitchen lights (which are set to come on if the door is unlocked after sunset) also did not come on. After I got inside I checked and Hubitat detected I was home, yet the door still didnāt unlock. I checked the logs for it and it did not detect me unlocking and locking it. I tried unlocking it from the device page and it did nothing. So I tried unlocking it from my dashboard. After 30 or more seconds it unlocked and the lights came on as they should. I was then able to lock it again with no delay. Not sure what is going on or what to do to fix it.
Locks are not like any other device. Garage Door Openers are close but they don't use batteries.. locks do. As a result, locks must wake up BEFORE a command can be delivered. As you must have realized, for a motorized anything to work for more than a short time, they need to be off virtually all the time.
The way this is cured is using FLiRS in which a nearby Line Powered device is not only a repeater, but a Beaming device too. That means it works with the Hub to let the Lock know that the Hub has a message.
What happens without, is that the Lock wakes, rarely and for a much shorter time than for most battery devices. It asks the Hub "got anything?" and it either hears back or it goes back to sleep.
With a Beaming device in range, the Hub sends the wake message to the Lock and the Beamer retains it.. when the Lock wakes, its the Beaming device that answers "Yes, the hub has a message" and the lock extends it's wake time.
Your symptoms have made me think you don't have a beaming repeater 'in the path.' If you are sure you do, then a ZWave repair can help to let the hub know which Beamer is in the path. If you have a plugin repeater that you think might be doing the job, perhaps moving it will convince the pair of them to cooperate (After a ZWave repair, because you moved it.)
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I completely agree.
One common suggestion to have stably functioning z-wave locks on Hubitat is to place a dedicated repeater, such as the Aeotec Range Extender 6 or 7 very close to the Hubitat (within 1-2 feet), and additional 2-3 range extenders distributed around the house (but within 5-10 feet of each lock). A z-wave repair would need to be done after adding the range extenders.
Tagging @april.brandt, whose locks have been rock solid after addressing this issue.
I do have a zwave plus switch about 12 feet from the door lock. I am also not saying you are wrong about the lock taking time to wake up, but any time of the day I hit the button, it unlocks or locks with no noticeable delay. And I should say it has been working with Wink with mostly no issues for a few years. Only time it didnāt work is if the network was down. And a few random times it took a extra min or two to detect I was home. But I would say 97% of the time over the past 3 years it has worked. If it wouldnāt have worked fine the 1st day setting it up, then I would think something was wrong with my settings. But it did work, and almost worked last night...
I will look for this and see what I find. Thanks
I also must mention I wouldnāt think it was a range issue. I have some z wave devices on the 2nd floor of my house further away from any other device and they do not have issues with being out of range. That combined with having 3 zwave plus devices that are supposed to act as a repeater/ extender all within 1 room from the lock. Makes be hesitant to think it is a range issue. That and as I said it worked with wink with no issues
That zwave plus switch will do nothing for your locks. I have two next to each of my locks.
My locks have been solid since adding an aeotec repeater. Those particular repeaters support beaming. that is key. See, the locks sleep and check in often, so what beaming does (as I'm told) is hangs on to that command until the lock wakes up and checks in. That is a very rudimentary explanation of what occurs through the repeaters. So the switches don't support beaming and won't solve your issue. The key is to place the repeaters where the locks like them. Not necessarily one foot from the hub. Be prepared to troubleshoot placement. With the aeotecs, you get the benefit of having a little light that flashes when something passes through the repeater. And I will tell you no lie, your lock will ignore a repeater placed right next to it if the path isn't just right. Things repeat in strange ways. And it's going to be trial and error.
Ok thanks that make since about the z wave plus devices
As explained by @csteele, and @april.brandt, for sleepy FLiRS devices like locks, it is the beaming that matters, not the presence of repeaters.
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They wouldn't work ever if that wasn't true.. the problem is all about taking a motorized device that by definition eats batteries, and make the batteries last months. It's a tough balancing act.
I'm sure you've had a remote control car with significantly larger batteries and you get 20 mins of play? Yes, the lock motor is smaller, etc. but the challenge is the same. A tiny jam as the bolt extends consumes amperage and that cuts how many minutes from the battery life, each?
The ZWave radio in a Lock will wake for a VERY short time. Much shorter than a motion sensor etc. ZWave is half duplex. When the hub is listening to a Motion Sensor, it will NOT hear the lock. When the lock is awake, it needs instant, much more instant than a hub can reliably be expected to respond, to ask the lock to "Hang on, got something for ya" -- and that's the role the Beaming device fills.
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I will take the advice given as I donāt know as much as you guys. Thatās why I ask. But I am confused still as to why it worked for wink without these beamers but they are needed now, and only after it worked without them...
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I use this to see if something is beaming. Look in the Z-Wave Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (View) to see if it has beaming.
Thanks I will look into that too. Also could it be my geofence area is too small? Maybe I had it set a little larger with wink. Maybe if I up it to a block or more it will give it more time to detect I am home and talk to the lock. Just a thought.
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Hubitat doesn't use the same components as wink. Comparatively in size, it's obvious that the components are much smaller with Hubitat. Perhaps this was intentional as not to have something the size of a refrigerator on your shelf? That being said, every device is going to have a shortcoming. The key is that the issue has been troubleshot and solved. And, it's not your fault that you had this on another hub and it worked fine and you're forced to migrate. Just the nature of the beast, I guess. The thing you want to focus on is that you don't have to shell out another two hundred bucks for a compatible lock. We already solved the problem. All you have to do is apply the fix. Then you'll know what you're getting into with new purchases as you expand your already smart home.
Besides, those repeaters will be a benefit for your mesh in the future. For sure
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