Problems including distant Zwave nodes using a new SmartStick+ Zwave controller......

[grp]

I have just retired my old Z-Troller, and replaced it with a SmartStick+. I have a couple of nodes that are located in my detached garage. With my Z-Troller, I was able to walk out and add the nodes with no issues. When I attempted to add my Garage light, the SmartStick+ did not receive the inclusion signal when I clicked the dimmer. Is there a trick (short of pulling out the switch and getting it closer to the SmartStick+) that can be used to have the inclusion signal detected?

When the controller is in ADD MODE, do neighbouring Zwave nodes listen and transmit the inclusion signal to the controller, or does the controller need to be able to detect the inclusion signal directly? If it is the former, then perhaps I just need to perform some more Full Optimizations and it will improve my network connectivity.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

George

[cowinger]

If you have a tablet or your phone you could download the app Z-Tool+ and try that. No guarantees.

[grp]

Hi Cowinger,

Thanks for your suggestion. Does the Z-Tool+ application on the iPhone actually act as a transmitter for the node being included? I knew that it provided an interface to the Zwave Management tools, but was unaware that it would bridge the gap between the controller (SmartStick+ in my case) and the device being included. I will surely give it a try, and let you know if it worked.

[mmn]

Afaik, the z-tool is just a remote to the HS functions, i.e. you're still using the SmartStick+, not the phone/notebook, to interface to the Z-wave network.

[cowinger]

Afaik, the z-tool is just a remote to the HS functions, i.e. you're still using the SmartStick+, not the phone/notebook, to interface to the Z-wave network.

Like I said it's no guarantee because I am not sure if the app transmits the info or not or if it stores the info until you get back to the smartstick+ and export it to the stick. I would think the latter. No idea.

[cowinger]

Hi Cowinger,

Thanks for your suggestion. Does the Z-Tool+ application on the iPhone actually act as a transmitter for the node being included? I knew that it provided an interface to the Zwave Management tools, but was unaware that it would bridge the gap between the controller (SmartStick+ in my case) and the device being included. I will surely give it a try, and let you know if it worked.

The only answer I have is what I said to mmn. Reading the explanation in HS on the app doesn't give a very detailed description as to what it actually does and how it does it. So give it a try and see. You never know.

[mmn]

Here's what it does (in a nutshell):
it accesses the built-in add/delete/name functions of HS3 without the need to use the web interface. That's it! In fact, if you open the controller management part of HS3, with the green log window showing, and you click add or delete in Z-Tool+, you'll see the green log window update along with the Z-Tool+ log.

It just make life a little easier. It won't change how the protocol works, however. If you're adding or deleting a device and it's older or too far away, you'll still need to move the interface or controller closer to the device.

Post #23 in thread "Introducing Z-Tool+" in forum "Z-Tool+ Software".

[cowinger]

Post #23 in thread "Introducing Z-Tool+" in forum "Z-Tool+ Software".

So as we all know in order to take the controller closer to the device you would have to have a laptop running HS3 and then standing next to the device you would then include it. OR Remove the switch and connect the switch to a short extension and place it close to the controller and include.

So the app is only as good as someone being within z-wave range!

[grp]

Thanks for the clarification on that. Now, I currently have HS3 running on a server in an equipment rack. So, if I got a laptop, installed a demo copy of HS3 on it, copied my entire database onto the laptop, then removed the SmartStick+ and the connected it to the laptop, would that work? It’s a lot of hassle. So I want to ensure it will work before I go to all this trouble. If anybody knows for sure, please let me know at your earliest possible convenience.

[grp]

One last question...does the new zwave device need direct connection to the SmartStick+, or can it communicate through other devices already in the network?

[mmn]

I think you can also use the z-troller as a secondary controller and do it the way you used to. I believe you have to temporarily make the z-troller the primary to do this. I'm trying myself to understand how to do this.

[cowinger]

One last question...does the new zwave device need direct connection to the SmartStick+, or can it communicate through other devices already in the network?

You only need a laptop not HS. Open a browser and type in the IP address of the server plus /deviceutility after it. There you can include the device. If the device is not z-wave+ and the devices around it are not plus then you would need to close the gap by using a z-wave+ device somewhere in between the house and the garage. Then you may want to optimize the system.

[simplextech]

Is the device you are trying to add Z-Wave Plus?
Are the devices between that end device and the SmartStick+ also Z-Wave Plus?

How many devices are in between?
Have you done a full optimize to update the routing information?

If all devices are Z-Wave Plus they should be able to use Network Wide Inclusion (NWI) as long as routes are good and not too many hops. Are you getting errors while trying to do the include? Or is just nothing happening? Have you done an exclude to verify if the end device is ready for inclusion since you are changing controllers?

[grp]

So, basically, the majority of my Zwave devices are older devices, and are not ZWavePlus. What is interesting is that once the garage devices were added before (with my ZTroller), they were fine. A couple of network optimizations, and all was good. The real issue is simply getting the devices included into the network. That being said, Cowinger, I need a little clarification of your previous comment. I want to confirm the process for using my laptop to get the garage devices included into my network. Do I have to shut down the SmartStick+ on my HS3 server, remove it, and then insert it into my laptop? You commented that I just open up the IP address of my HS3 server in a web browser on my laptop. I am not sure how to get the laptop, (with the SmartStick+ connected) to include new ZWave devices into the network. Do I need to be running some software on the laptop? I guess I am just confused how to associate the laptop, with the SmartStick+ connected to my HS3 server. If someone has actually done this, I sure could use a step-by-step procedure on how to move my ZWave interface from my HS3 server, connect to my laptop, and initiate the inclusion process of the garage devices.

Sorry for my obvious ignorance, but before I attempt this kind of activity, I really want to understand exactly what I need to be doing.

Thanks,

George

[cowinger]

So, basically, the majority of my Zwave devices are older devices, and are not ZWavePlus. What is interesting is that once the garage devices were added before (with my ZTroller), they were fine. A couple of network optimizations, and all was good. The real issue is simply getting the devices included into the network. That being said, Cowinger, I need a little clarification of your previous comment. I want to confirm the process for using my laptop to get the garage devices included into my network. Do I have to shut down the SmartStick+ on my HS3 server, remove it, and then insert it into my laptop? You commented that I just open up the IP address of my HS3 server in a web browser on my laptop. I am not sure how to get the laptop, (with the SmartStick+ connected) to include new ZWave devices into the network. Do I need to be running some software on the laptop? I guess I am just confused how to associate the laptop, with the SmartStick+ connected to my HS3 server. If someone has actually done this, I sure could use a step-by-step procedure on how to move my ZWave interface from my HS3 server, connect to my laptop, and initiate the inclusion process of the garage devices.

Sorry for my obvious ignorance, but before I attempt this kind of activity, I really want to understand exactly what I need to be doing.

Thanks,

George

There are 2 ways to do this:
1. You can use a tablet or a phone with Z-Tool+ loaded on one or the other
2. You can use a laptop connected to your wifi, no controller necessary

A. Remember these 2 ways depend on whether you can talk to the devices from the controller in the house to the z-wave device in the garage. If you can't then neither will work. You will have to remove them from the garage, make a short cord that will connect to the H, N, G screws, and do the include inside and take them back to the garage and see if they work. Now...

If you have a tablet or phone you can put Z-Tool+ on either one and take that to the garage. Using Z-Tool+ you can then include the device only if A. above is true.

If you have a laptop (connected to WIFI) you can take it to the garage (no controller necessary), open your browser and type in the IP address with /deviceutility after it of your computer that runs HS3. You should get the UI that you see when you call it up from your host computer (the one with HS3). From there you can go to Plug-Ins, Z-wave, Controller Management and try and do an include like you usually do from the host computer. You are talking with it directly just in the garage. I hope you have good WIFI so you can connect back to the host server. Once again statement A. must be true.

I hope this helps clear it up.