There's a huge thread about updating Z-wave Plus devices using the HomeSeer Z-Flash software (I'm waiting on them to get the kit in stock), but I don't see any info about whether Hubitat will eventually support Zigbee OTA updates.
Anyone happen to know?
Thanks!
I'd love to see native OTA updates supported in the future. That being said I haven't seen any mention of this being on the road map.
The problem is that very few manufacturers actually make their firmware files available. I was considering ordering the HomeSeer Z-Flash software during last year's black friday sale. Then I had a look at the number of manufacturers supported and discovered that Jasco/GE wasn't among them. I believe that the Homeseer site had a list of manufacturers supported by Z-Flash--have a look before you buy to make sure your devices are updateable.
If they aren't, shoot an email to the device manufacturer and let them know you'd like them to make the firmware bin files available.
I think the updates are another tool used by manufacturers to try and lock you in.
Well Smartthings had firmware for Osram and Cree bulbs and the Iris V2 sensors. I would guess that most manufactures of devices avoid putting the firmware binaries out so they don't have to support the updating. Hubutat might have more luck if they roll out OTA as a feature.
Yeah, but that wasn't until Samsung acquired SmartThings. Most manufacturers won't work with small companies in regards of firmware upgrades.
Wink also has OTA updates.
I imagine Hubitat would have better luck getting updates from manufacturers than individuals would (an NDA between two companies is easier). But yes, it's frustrating that they don't share them.
This begs the question of how this would be implement. Would Hubitat hold the files and update through there service so the files would be secured, and just delivered to the device? Just curious, as I am in process of developing some devices, and am curious too.
If and when we get to this, the binaries would be included and added to future platform updates.
To be honest any manufacturer that sells me a zigbee or zwave device that straight out of the box requires a firmware update in order to provide the basic advertised functionality gets added to my do not buy list...
No not out of box but if you find a bug, or there is a security update to the stack, wouldn’t you want to be able to update?
I absolutely understand this. Manufacturers seem to too often release product that has been rushed to market with buggy drivers or firmware. Not buying these products gives companies an incentive to fully vet the product prior to release. But, there are products out there that provided the advertised functionality at the time of release, but then platforms or usage patterns change, or other issues emerge that the manufacturer hadn't taken into account, and updates are necessary. I'm thinking about the Sylvania RGBW lights I have that absolutely suck with the original firmware that they still ship with (randomly drop off the network, don' t respond to commands, reset themselves and have to be rejoined if ramped up too long). I was able to get the Sylvania RGBW recessed can lights for $11 each and once I updated them they worked perfectly. Then there are products that had issues from the start, but were promptly updated and the issues were resolved. I'm looking at you Hue motion sensors, and you SmartThings Button. The point is that there are a lot of products released that (like computer software) eventually work well and are worth buying, but also (like computer software) continue to ship with the bugs and have to be updated by the consumer. There really should be a better way to update these devices, especially when all of the platforms maintain a continuous connection to the internet. It seems crazy that I have to keep my old ST hub around just to update devices. The same goes for Hue; having to pair devices and update and then remove and add to HE. There should have been a consumer friendly way for updating devices built into the zigbee and z-wave specs.
I'll agree devices should have at least basic functionality without requiring an update. That being said to claim something you write will never need an update to correct an issue with functionality...
Firmware upgrades are a double edged sword, on one hand they can and do fix and/or introduce new functionality. On the other hand they can by virtue of the process and/or upgrade itself break the device in question.
Personally, I would rather see a slightly smaller pool of supported devices with the ability to upgrade the firmware to improve functionality.
Did I say that?, anyway my complaint was specifically about zigbee and zwave device firmware given that it's so easy to update them...
Trying to open this topic again.
Ikea does have their firmware updates publicly available, listed at
http://fw.ota.homesmart.ikea.net/feed/version_info.json
Yeah, the Ikea hub is only $30, and I'll probably get that, but it'd be much more convenient (no extra pairing involved) to be able to do the update from the Hubitat hub, just like we're able to do z-wave updates now.
Turns out that you cannot pair outlets to the TRÅDFRI hub!
Outlets have to be paired to a "steering device" (e.g., a controller like a button) to be recognized by the hub. No way am I going to 1) buy a controller in addition to the hub, and 2) go through the hoops of pairing the outlet to the controller, then to the hub, just to update the firmware.
Guess I'm back to my original request: OTA firmware updates for zigbee, pretty please.
Any further news on this? Before I removed my bulbs from SmartThings some of my Lightify products updated and show LEDVANCE instead of OSRAM and some did not. Would be nice to get all the bulbs up to date as it seems things work a bit differently... Oddly enough tho the LEDVANCE (updated) ones don't seem to like the "Standard Blue" you get when you use the configure with Advanced Zigbee drivers. The flash the colors fine and then when it settles on the blue it flashes at 100% and then goes down to 20%. Then when you try and set the level nothing happens. On that color it is stuck at 20%. If you change to other colors or white it works fine. Maybe a bug with the drivers? The old OSRAM firmware does not have this issue. Anyone of the staff have some insight?
Ledvance is the company that made those bulbs that say Ledvance. Osram sold them off years ago, which is why they now go by Sylvania Smart+, and also why the Lightify cloud is shutting down (Osram kept that). BTW: They still kept the same model number and one can only tell them apart by the Smart+ on the bulb versus Osram, or the zigbee controller chip info written in tiny print above the socket. They updated because there have been updates for Ledvance firmware (different Zigbee board, different manufacturer), but the final Osram firmware was released around 3 or 4 years ago I believe.
In my experience, the Ledvance bulbs are better routers and more reliable than the Osram were, excluding the A-19 RGBW bulbs which overheat, drop off the network, and lose all of their brightness.
Others on here, myself included, have witnessed this behavior and reported it to @mike.maxwell, so it is a known phenomenon. I thought it was going to be a deal-breaker for me using the new Advanced Zigbee RGBW driver, but it seems to have at least mostly gotten better after changing to different colors and color temperatures. It may just be needing a new Advanced Zigbee Group device driver to go with it 
Thanks... Weird because those bulbs are all branded the same... Maybe SmartThings pushed some firmware that did it. They all look exactly the same and were bought at the same time. But yes that is the same thing I am seeing. If I change the color etc they work... The LEDVANCE ones just dont like blue over 20% at all. The OSRAM firmware ones are fine.
I'm not seeing that with any of mine and I have BR30s, RT 5/6, Flex XL, and A19 RGBWs made by Ledvance. Now.....I do still have 2 lone Osram RT5/6 RGBWs that are exhibiting something similar to what you are describing. I think I may have them working slightly better now, but can't test them because they are in my daughter's room and it's late here. Try switching back to the Generic Zigbee RGBW driver, hit save, then hit configure. See if they work, and if they update status on the driver page. If they do, you can leave well enough alone, or try switching back to the Advanced Zigbee RGBW, hitting save, then hitting configure (without changing the default preferences) and see if they work correctly. That is what I did, and at least on the driver page they were updating on/off and dim level, but it looked as though the CT and color weren't changing.
The funny thing is that they are in a group with 4 other Zigbee RGBW bulbs and they will change to whatever setting the group changes to using Zigbee group messaging, but the device page doesn't update for these, and I didn't notice it until I read your reply.
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