Z-wave Network Stalls With Groups, Simple Lighting, Locks

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1

I have a network of 31 Z-Wave Devices (only 3 Battery Operated)

  • 14 GE/Honeywell (Jasco) Z-wave Plus Switch
  • 5 GE/Honeywell (Jasco) Z-wave Plus Dimmer
  • 2 GE/Honeywell (Jasco) Z-wave Plus Fan Controller
  • 3 Enerwave Z-wave-Plus Relays ZWN-RSM1-PLUS
  • 2 GE Z-Wave Plus Wireless Plug-In Outdoor Smart Switch
  • 1 Jasco Z-wave Plug-in Smart Switch
  • 2 Schlage Z-Wave Connect Camelot both BE469 FW 6.8
  • 1 First Alert Battery Operated Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Alarm

And 19 Zigbee Devices

  • 11 Securifi Peanut Smart Plug
  • 5 SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor V5
  • 1 Samsung SmartThings Water Leak Sensor V3
  • 2 Sylvania Osram Lightify Smart Home 65W BR30 White/Color LED

With 26 2.0 Groups

  • The Groups are organized in a Hierarchy with
    Rooms > Connecting Rooms > Floors > Everything

and 5 Simple Lighting apps

  • that turn on/off the group the device is in. IE faux 3/4 way switches.

And the remaining apps are

  • Lock Code Manager
  • Rule Machine (With 13 Rules that don't play with the groups)
  • Hubitat® Dashboard
  • HubConnect Only shares the Sensors with SmartThings for Alexa to access
    ** and I have tried removing this
  • Amazon Echo Skill
  • Google Home
  • Ecobee Integration

1. The First problem that I am running into is when I turn off Connecting Rooms, Floors and "Everything" the z-wave system is so slow that it seems unresponsive. Sometimes the system is unresponsive for up too a few minutes. And when and if it responds everything happens at once that was queue up.

The Same system under SmartThings with all the above automation being locally with their Smart Lighting app was almost instantaneous (unless the servers were having a bad day)

What may be telling is in the log I see a lot of this:

dev:742019-06-25 11:17:47.425 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:47.387 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:45.542 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:45.313 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:44.879 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:44.514 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:44.180 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:43.807 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:43.722 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:43.679 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.952 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.823 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.790 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.758 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.609 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.551 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.508 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.236 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.159 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:42.091 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:41.927 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:40.336 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:40.079 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:39.796 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:39.342 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:942019-06-25 11:17:39.243 pm infoPlay Room Light is on [physical]
dev:742019-06-25 11:17:39.229 pm infoStairs is on [physical]
dev:942019-06-25 11:17:39.082 pm infoPlay Room Light is on [physical]
dev:942019-06-25 11:17:39.039 pm infoPlay Room Light is on [physical]
dev:942019-06-25 11:17:38.980 pm infoPlay Room Light is on [physical]
dev:942019-06-25 11:17:38.749 pm infoPlay Room Light is on [physical]
dev:942019-06-25 11:17:38.654 pm infoPlay Room Light is on [physical]
dev:942019-06-25 11:17:38.574 pm infoPlay Room Light is on [physical]
dev:942019-06-25 11:17:38.263 pm infoPlay Room Light is on [physical]
And that Repeating for many of the devices.

For most of the devices. I'm wondering if there is a bug in the Groups? Or am I doing something stupid and I'm missing it?

2. The Second Issue is if I use those Schlage BE469 smart locks too much the whole Z-wave system will hang up until I go into the Z-wave Details and turn off Z-wave or Reboot the hub. This one is very frustrating and wondering if I should be a second Post for this one or is it related?

Also Zigbee is completely unaffected when the Z-wave network is hanging up. So when I tell it to turn off "everything" then turn on "everything" the zigbee devices respond as quickly as I expect.

Seriously everything that is on this system was working better on smart Things (this issue wise). Minus 1 Multi Sensor and the old "Jasco Z-wave Plug-in Smart Switch"

This is what I have tried that has not resolved this:

  • Remove the Old Jasco Z-wave Plug-in Smart Switch
  • remove HubConnect
  • Pause Simple Lighting (Seemed to help maybe a little)
  • Repair Z-Wave with reboots before and After and the Repair Again
  • More Reboots
  • Getting 2 Range Aeotec Range Extender 6 and installing near the Schlage BE469 smart locks
    ** This was to resolve the 2nd issue but did not help with the 1st either.
  • removing then re adding the Schlage BE469 smart locks (that is not fun)
  • now plea for help here.

So I'm at a loss here and I want to get this resolved before my wife starts demanding we go back to SmartThings. I can already see it in her eye. So Anyone have Any Ideas? PLEASE!

2

I wouldn't waste too much time trying to figure this out, this is a consult with support issue. support@hubitat.com

3

Are the locks using the new built-in Schlage driver? many folks have reported much improved behavior since switching to it.

4

The Zwave radios are very inferior to those in other platforms, I have well experienced this nightmare myself using the Schlage lock too much, or for that matter just when trying to include 3 Schlage locks back to back, it completely wipes out the Zwave radio to where all previously paired devices no longer show up under zwave details and the ONLY resolve is to do a hub shutdown (not reboot) and power cycle for 30 seconds to get them back......it's a bit ridiculous actually.

Hopefully they will get a better zwave radio in future C-6 hubs.....(something equivalent that other platforms use that don't require your hub to be on top of every device just to "exclude it"

5

Are the locks using the new built-in Schlage driver? many folks have reported much improved behavior since switching to it.

Yep it defaulted to that driver and I have been using it since the beginning.

6

The Zwave radios are very inferior to those in other platforms

If the issue is with the Radio in the hub I wonder if I would help to put a bunch of Z-wave plus devices close to it. I know you are a big proponent of the "Aeotec Range Extender 6" I placed them near the locks not the hub with little or no effect. Where do you put them?

Hopefully they will get a better zwave radio in future C-6 hubs

Is there anything to support this or is this just your guess? And any Idea when these would be released?

7

Repeating an already weak signal doesn't really help the issue and isn't really noticeable on "simple" devices, locks appear to require a much stronger signal, as this isn't just a Schlage issue others with other brands report the same problems , I had 5 (standard repeating devices) near each lock having issues, which is why I'm a supporter of the range extenders because they "amplify" the signal which helps tremendously, but I never "needed" those on my other platforms zwave radio.

There is nothing to support this, other than they previously had a C-3 hub, then a C-4 hub, now a C-5 hub, so one could make a fairly reasonable assumption that sometime there will be eventually a C-6 hub.......at which I truly hope they CHANGE which zwave radio they use in it.

8

You need one range extender 6 within 5 feet of the hub, and one very close to each lock, and if the distance between the lock and hub is more than about 20 feet, I would recommend putting another in between the two.

The one close to the hub is the most important as your other "standard repeating devices" will pick up that amplified signal.

9

I’m not sure about the locks, but I have 4 first alert zwave smoke/co alarms that work perfectly and have read that they only will connect directly to the hub. For what it’s worth, I had issues with one of them disconnecting on SmartThings, but no issues on HE. I do have the hub in the center of the house close to the ceiling which made a huge difference for zigbee reliability in my house. Zwave hasn’t been an issue for me.