Hi,
Could someone clarify on the proper process of excluding a z-wave device: remove first, then exclude or just exclude?
I’ve come across contradicting information across the community forums and hubitat documentation.
Thank you.
Just exclude otherwise you'll cause more work for yourself, potentially creating ghost devices. Remove should not be needed unless you have a device that is unresponsive and exclude cannot be used.
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IMHO, excluding a device is my preferred as first method of choice.
If that HE exclusion does not work for some reason, then remove is last resort and a factory reset that device per the device's instructions to include later.
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As said, attempt to exclude first (exclude on hubitat first, then hit pairing button on device)
If device is problematic and cannot exclude. Power off device (unplug or remove battery) Wait a couple of mins then remove device from device page or z-wave settings page. (Factory reset before pairing again)
You overall want to avoid ghosts and dead devices.
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To echo what others have said for emphasis.
Selecting 
on the Device Details page creates a ghost that could be hard to remove. IF the device is not known to be dead, then excluding it first is imperative to maintaining a healthy mesh. Just because the device refuses to exclude doesn't necessarily mean the device's radio is bad. Bring the device/hub closer the the hub/device, take your time performing the exclusion process several times. Perseverance might save you from bigger mesh issues down the road,
If the device is known to be dead, and force removal is the only option, then be sure to check the Z-Wave Details page, after removing the device from Device Details page, and remove the dead Z-Wave node.
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