Hi, I have Zwave Schlage locks and they are loosing communication with the HE within 48 hours. Sometime it is fixed by rebooting the hub, sometime I have to pull the batteries, which is hard because I am at this house maybe 2 days every 2 weeks.
I have installed Lutron power switches within 1 feet to act as a repeater, I purchased the Aotec range extenders and placed them within 5 feet, I rebuild the zwave network - nothing. I can usually lock/unlock but the debug will not show any responses and I can't program new codes (the goal).
I will skip the part that this was never an issue with Wink - I need to get to a solution.
If I #1 replace them with Zigbee Schlage locks - will I have a similar issue and would I have to buy Zigbee repeaters as well? I thought because I have plenty of Zwave (Lutron switches and dimmers) devices between HE and the locks it would be a better option but I want to verify I will not be facing the same issue.
#2 are there other RELIABLE zwave locks I could try (they need to be aged bronze or similar, ideally looking similar to the Camelot) if #1 is not a good idea?
Sorry, I am frustrated, this has taken many hours and given how little time I have at that location to experiment, ultimately to the current state as I spent $$$ I don't have only to see things still being broken.
Hey Tomas. Can we take a few minutes to evaluate what you have for devices? Can you give me a list of your zwave devices? I'm also interested in your aeotec range extenders. Are they 6's?
Lutron uses clear connect radios. Did you mean Leviton?
Schlage are a problem for many on this platform I'm sure you've discovered. If you're going to invest further into solving the issue, is there a reason for Schlage over the other choices? Not trying to steer you toward any certain brand, but I and many others have Yale locks (YRD256 and YRD246). The nice thing there is you can switch out the modules at any time. Not so with Schlage. You have only two style choices in Zigbee from Schlage. My YRD256 is Z-Wave Plus. I cannot make that lock have a problem (I've actually tried). Not everyone has the same experience with that same lock on Z-Wave, and for them, switching the module to Zigbee was the solution.
Z-Wave tries to minimize "hops" to the hub, so we are often told that having a repeater near the hub rather than the lock (or perhaps both) may be more helpful than simply having one near the lock. That being said, dedicated "repeater" devices aren't always necessary, but you often get to be more thoughtful with their placement compared to other repeater (in-wall switches, dimmers, smart plugs, and most other mains- or USB-powered) devices, and many people report particularly good luck with the ones you mentioned.
Regarding your question on protocols: I have both Zigbee and Z-Wave Schlage locks. The Zigbee ones are much less picky, but my Z-Wave ones work fine most of the time, too (I think every once in a while the hub misses a report the lock should have sent regarding some physical event like me locking it by hand...but this is rare). Like any device, you need a good mesh, but unlike the Z-Wave locks, these seem to be far less pick. There are likely things outside of your or Hubitat's control going on with the Z-Wave Schlage, including odd firmware on the device. If you're not opposed to Zigbee, those are a good option, in my opinion, but many people have still made the Z-Wave ones work well for them. I haven't used any other Zigbee options, and the only other Z-Wave lock I've used was a Kevo Convert, with no exterior keypad that I'm guessing won't meet your needs (also not sure what finish it was in).
Leviton Decora Zwave switch DZ15S (those are by the locks) - 5x
Decora Z-Wave 15 Amp Receptacle DZR15 - 1x
GE Z-Wave Plus Outdoor Smart Remote Control Outlet - 3x
Leviton Decora Zwave dimmers DZ6HD (those are by the locks) - 4x
I am look at the Yale locks, but the doors have been customized for the Schlage and I can't replace all the hand made front doors. The Yale might be too tall to fit.
I am willing to keep investing/working it but as I said I have limited options as it's 200+ miles away. And yes, I need a physical key as well as exterior keypad. If you think I should move the repeaters to be in the middle between the hub and the locks?
I can do that as well.
What is strange is the behavior - after hub reboot it works, I query get the codes back, can add new once. 48 hours later I can lock and unlock from the dashboard but the hub will not report the changes and I can't add codes. I get the firmware might be iffy, but rebooting HE fixes it...
I had the exact same symptoms as you do. I wondered if it was the aes encryption, but that doesn't seem to be the case because the extender 6's don't support it either. I have two extender 6's and a cheapo enerwave plug that supports beaming and my locks started working. I had the same problem wtih my Alfred locks. They really tossed up my network. After I added a repeater 6, things straightened out. But one of my locks bounces off of that enerwave that's 6 feet from the lock, but the other bounces off of the repeater 6 that is upstairs about 6 feet away, and the other bounces off of one that's right next to the hub. After you placed the aeotec 6's did you repair the network? Then did you reboot the lock and then lock and unlock it a few times slowly? what were the results?
BTW is there any way how to verify the repeater is doing it's job? I see no last activity in under devices and when I press get info nothing in the log either
yes, the side button flashes when something repeats through it. So if you have someone that can watch the light or turn the lock then you will see if it's doign it's job.
another way is with a zniffer - awesome little guys.
After I installed the repeaters I went to HE and selected the Z-wave repair. I have the logs saved from that.
But no, I did not reboot the locks - just locked / unlocked them. I can try the repair again and then reboot them. My wife is at the location for a few days so I am kinda lucky she can help...
These aren't easy, but some make them work. You might also move at least one of the Aeotecs closer to the lock for a test, do a repair and check it tomorrow some time.
I was looking at my zwave routing and essentially what needs to happen is that the lock needs to receive a wake up beam. essentially you want to see her physically change the status of the lock and see that light flash on the repeater. It might just need to be placed. I'd put one repeater within 10 feet of the lock and the other close to the hub and do a repair.
Don't forget that the lock will not just start communicating after the repair because of it's protocol. You need to physically activate communication by locking and unlocking it a few times. If you unplug the battery pack and plug in again it will also reach out, but I'd still turn that thumb crank on the lock.
