Just added second z-troller. Now what?

[NeverDie]

I now have two z-trollers in HSPRO, both connected by Ethernet to HSPRO. Each has a different IP address. The second z-troller was added as "Remote Interface 1". In setup, both of them appear as primary controllers. They have different HomeID's, and setup says that for both "Primary Controller ID = 1". Both are running Firmware 1.17. So, at least at that level, HSPRO sees the second z-troller.

However, in Setup the second z-troller does not have its own "manage" button. When I go to do an import, the nodes in the second z-troller--which are different than those in the first z-troller--are ignored by HSPRO and not imported.

Do I need to switch the two z-trollers to do the import? Or did I miss a step needed to finish adding the second z-troller? Or am I on the wrong track entirely?

e.g. Did I need to somehow initialize the second z-troller (e.g. erase it entirely) before adding it? If so, do I need to swap z-troller's to get HSPRO to do that?

Last night I tried looking for a post on how to do setup on for a multi z-troller configuration, but didn't find it. I thought there would be a sticky here on how to do it, but I'm not finding one.

[rmasonjr]

Here's a screenshot of my setup...

I think you're going to need to run Sync Installer Interfaces to put the nodes in both controllers. Then you can Replicate Receive and Replicate Send.

When adding any nodes, always add them on the primary, not the secondary. And always Sync the interfaces to get the new node info to the secondary.

[NeverDie]

Here's a screenshot of my setup...

I think you're going to need to run Sync Installer Interfaces to put the nodes in both controllers. Then you can Replicate Receive and Replicate Send.

When adding any nodes, always add them on the primary, not the secondary. And always Sync the interfaces to get the new node info to the secondary.

Thank you! "Sync Installer Interfaces" made it so that both my z-troller's now have the same HomeID.

Are the Replicate Receive and Replicate Send steps needed? I don't know how to make either one work. When I do a Replicate Receive, HSPRO says:
Replicate Receive starting...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...
Activate the "Send" function on the other controller while it is close to your HomeSeer interface...


No activity in over 2 minutes - operation cancelled.

How do I Activate the "Send" function on a z-troller? Also, even though the two z-troller's are connected by Ethernet to HSPRO, I take it that the z-troller's still need to be close to one another when I do activate the "send" function (assuming I ever figure out how to activate the send function)?

Likewise, when I do a Replicate Send, HSPRO says:
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...
Replication in progress, please wait...


No activity in over 2 minutes - operation cancelled.

Is this happening because the two z-troller's aren't close enough? Or is there some other factor?

[NeverDie]

Also, I notice your two z-troller's are Node ID #1, and Node ID#2. Mine are Node ID#2 and Node ID#20.

Would there be any advantage to my second z-troller having Node ID#2 instead of Node ID#20? There have been threads in other parts of the forum about the importance of putting key nodes into the lower single digit Node ID's because of the way Z-wave chooses which nodes to route through.

[NeverDie]

I finally found the sticky I couldn't find last night: http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=127572

It makes no mention of doing Replicate Receive or doing Replicate Send. On the other hand, it hasn't been updated in over 18 months either.

[NeverDie]

I have a question about steps 7 and 8 from the sticky:

7. Now edit all of your devices from the status page that you want to use the new interface, and IF they support associations, click the green "Associations" button to edit the associations currently set on the device. On the associations page, REMOVE any associations in any groups to the OLD HomeSeer interface (your main/primary interface). Usually (but not always) this is Node 1.

8. Now edit all of your devices from the status page that you want to use the new interface, and select the Z-Wave interface you want that device to use and save the device.

I can do step #7. However, I don't see how to do step #8, because neither z-troller appears in the picklist used in adding associations and because HSPRO won't allow me to simply input the numerical node id # of the z-troller I want the device to use. So, how do I do it?

[NeverDie]

OK, I see now that if I uncheck "Prevent HomeSeer Associations", then "HomeSeer" now appears in the picklist. "HomeSeer" is just Node #1, which is the first z-troller that I started with. However, I still don't see the remote Z-troller in the picklist. How do I set a device's association to the remote z-troller (Node #20 in my case)?

I'm trying to follow the instructions from the sticky, but I'm getting stuck on step #8.

Anybody?

[rmasonjr]

I'm not 100% sure which way to go. I dont remember having any problems adding the second ZTroller - it was a long time ago.

If possible, I think you might need to start over with adding the second ZTroller.
Maybe even revert to a HS backup from before you added.

[NeverDie]

OK, I erased everything and started again from scratch. I even put the main interface on a z-troller serial connection, the way you did, and I put the SecondZTroller on an Ethernet connection using a Global Cache, just as you did. I even made SecondZTroller have Primary Controller ID=2, just as you did.

To keep things simple, I started by adding just a single z-wave device (a light switch).

I followed Steps 1 to 7 on the sticky. However, on step 8, where I am supposed to change the association of a device that I want to use the SecondZTroller to reference the SecondZTroller (Node id #2), HomeSeer is only one item in the picklist. It refers to node id #1. I still don't see any way to associate the light switch with the SecondZTroller (Node id #2).

I'm stuck. Can anyone offer advice on what to do?

[vasrc]

How do you have more nodes on your 2nd controller than on your the Master?
Have you removed some from the Master and just not sync'd lately?

Z

[rmasonjr]

OK, I erased everything and started again from scratch. I even put the main interface on a z-troller serial connection, the way you did, and I put the SecondZTroller on an Ethernet connection using a Global Cache, just as you did. I even made SecondZTroller have Primary Controller ID=2, just as you did.

To keep things simple, I started by adding just a single z-wave device (a light switch).

I followed Steps 1 to 7 on the sticky. However, on step 8, where I am supposed to change the association of a device that I want to use the SecondZTroller to reference the SecondZTroller (Node id #2), HomeSeer is only one item in the picklist. It refers to node id #1. I still don't see any way to associate the light switch with the SecondZTroller (Node id #2).

I'm stuck. Can anyone offer advice on what to do?

I think you need to change the device so that it uses the SecondZTroller then click 'Save'. Go back into the device to see if the association can be set.

How do you have more nodes on your 2nd controller than on your the Master?
Have you removed some from the Master and just not sync'd lately?

Z

Yes - I actually have a 3rd ZTroller just for HS3 and removed some devices from my Main controller to test with HS3. I havent done a Sync Installer Interfaces in quite a while.

[vasrc]

Ah so..
Have never encountered that before, thanks.

HS3 (yeah, I know ), tries to autosync whenever you add/remove now. Not sure that's necessarily going to be a "good thing"...

Thanks,
Z

[NeverDie]

I think you need to change the device so that it uses the SecondZTroller then click 'Save'. Go back into the device to see if the association can be set.

OK, if I do that, then I can change the association. "HomeSeer" is still all that lists in the pick list, but when I pick it and add it, the node that is associated is node 2 (i.e. SecondZTroller). So far, so good. It would seem I'm making progress.

HOWEVER, if afterward I leave the device's "Z-Wave Interface to Use:" left set to SecondZTroller, then when I move on to step #9 (running regular "Optimize Network"), I get a failure:
"The operation did not start successfully, Add Return Route was not attempted. Check the log for any additional information."
Also, because the z-troller's have LED's, I can see that the command to the light switch node to discover its neighbors is coming from z-troller#1, not SecondZTroller. That makes no sense.
Oddly enough, though, it does go on to show both z-trollers as neighbors. Note, as per the sticky instructions, that I am NOT attempting a "Full Optimize Network".

On the other hand, if I return to the device's properties and set "Z-Wave Interface to Use:" back to "(MainInterface)", do a save, and then run "Optimize Network", it says:
"Done. The optimization was successful, Add Return Route was not done. "
but it only shows Node 1 as a neighbor, and does not show the SecondZTroller as a neighbor. That can't be right, as both are within a foot of each other (I put them that way to help with debugging this setup problem) and a fairly short line-of-sight distance to the light switch.

Thirdly, if I change it from "(MainInterface)" to "(Automatic"), it says:
"The optimization was successful, Add Return Route was not done. The remote ZW interface to use was updated. " This time, it again only shows Node 1 as a neighbor. When I examine the device properties, it had changed "(Automatic)" back to "(MainInterface)" and it re-added the association to Node 1 back to the Group 1 associations (but it did leave the association to SecondZTroller in Group 1 that I had previously set manually above. However, if I then run another "Optimize Network", it then shows both z-troller's as neighbors.

Lastly, if I leave both associations in place but I change "(MainInterface)" back to SecondZTroller, and then run "Optimize Network", I get the same failure as before:
"The operation did not start successfully, Add Return Route was not attempted. Check the log for any additional information." As before, because the z-troller's have LED's, I can see that the command to the light switch node to discover its neighbors is coming from z-troller#1, not SecondZTroller. Just as before, that makes no sense. As before, though, it nonetheless does show both z-troller's as neighbors.

I've stripped down my network to be as simple and plain vanilla as it's possible to get.
1. Are these the results other people are getting also?
2. What settings and associations do you have for device nodes that are linked to your SecondZTroller?

The sticky directions either don't work or are too vague as to the details. My attempt above at getting to a working answer through trial-and-error has failed. I'm this far into it, and yet for all practical purposes my SecondZTroller might as well be a boat anchor. I need help.

[NeverDie]

My hypothesis now is that "Optimize Network" is buggy. I can run an "Optimize Node" and even a "Full Optimize Node" on the device's configure page, and both finish without claiming an error has occurred. Both interactions are mediated by SecondZTroller, as confirmed by the ztroller's LED's. Also, I can turn on and off the switch using the SecondZTroller, as confirmed by the LED's. "Optimize Network", however, continues to fail as I describe above.

Neither "Optimize Node" nor "Full Optimize Node" report what the device thinks its neighbors are, though, so I'm not sure whether or not it ever does gets it right. Is there a way to check?

[rmasonjr]

You only need to set an association for devices that support instant-status. The association tells HS to listen for updates from that device.

The Second ZTroller wont be a neighbor as far as I know. Once a device is set to use a specific interface, then it uses that one exclusively.