SmartStick+ G3 - Worth the Upgrade?

[rich_theriault]

I have just upgraded to HS4 (linux) and my z-wave ecosystem is currently working adequately. I have a few hiccups from time to time, and my battery devices are not reporting their battery life status properly, but I can't complain overall with the performance and functionality.

I saw that the new SmartStick+ G3 is out now with ver 7.x ZDK. I'm currently running at ZDK 4.05 with my older SmartStick+. My question is this, aside from the security features, is it worth doing an upgrade to the new SmartStick+? Will I gain any functionality or performance enhancements?

[mulu]

Short answer: If you don't have any specific needs I would not upgrade, at least not yet.

A bit more detail:
The SmartStick+ G3 is using the 700 series chip set compared to the 500 series chipset from before (there is no 600 as I think they skip even numbers). The main reason I purchased the new SmartStick (received today) is because I plan to add a few wireless devices. Supposedly the 700 series uses much less power but both the stick and the device have to use 700 series chips. Range is supposedly better but I don't care too much about that. And then the security as you mentioned but again, that is not a big concern to me.

In addition, my entire z-wave network was wiped out by some bug in HS so I have to redo everything anyways. And the housing of my old stick came apart. That was another two reasons for me to upgrade the stick which actually feel a bit more solid on a first impression (just looked at it briefly).

Note that supposedly you should be able to upgrade by making a backup of your stick and then upload it to the new one. So theoretically you can easily upgrade.

[rich_theriault]

Thanks so much for your insight mulu! I ended up pulling the trigger on the upgrade for a couple of reasons. The main reason was price - 30 bucks during the recent promo made the decision a lot easier.

The other reason is that I'm anxiously awaiting the new HS4 z-wave plugin. I'm assuming the new plugin will be optimized for the latest version of the ZDK - stability, speed, whatever else.

Since I just upgraded from HS3 to HS4 I figured why not get on to the latest tech (crossing my fingers for minimal bugs).

[STCook]

Several, including me, have reported VERY slow response times to scenes (if they work at all) or events that set several devices at once (30-40 second delay before the event runs). You can break those events up to individual commands under the event but there should be no reason to do that. Summary, its broke Jim, but at least it was on sale LOL

[SteveW]

Summary, its broke Jim, but at least it was on sale LOL

Yeah, that. After a rocky ride migrating over from the 500-series Z-Wave HAT in my HS Pi, to the new SmartStick+, Everything works except for scenes/events, which are also painfully slow for me, too. I am optimistic that this is a firmware bug that will be fixed soon, so I can live with it for now...it is way too much work to go back to the old one.

[mulu]

I purchased it as soon as it came out but haven't deployed it yet because I wanted the 'native' 'approved' plugin first. I guess it is good I waited. I just hope I don't have to throw the stick away and buy another one... I don't understand why HS started selling this stick considering they don't have the plugin ready and that there are quite a few people with those delay issues.

[avpman]

Several, including me, have reported VERY slow response times to scenes (if they work at all) or events that set several devices at once (30-40 second delay before the event runs). You can break those events up to individual commands under the event but there should be no reason to do that. Summary, its broke Jim, but at least it was on sale LOL

So glad, in a way, to hear it's not only me experiencing the delays. I have a bedtime routine that turns off several devices and sometimes it's so slow I don't even know that it's running. I hope this is not a hardware issue in the chip but something that can be fixed by a firmware update.

[George]

Still lots of bugs in the G3 Smartstick. I'm running the latest beta on the G2, and all seems to be running well. But people have reported, almost everyone that has installed a G3, said that serial commands (multiple devices being turned on or off) take 20-40 per device. Same beta plugin, different stick.. Mine works fine on the old stick, I bought the new stick but it's sitting in it's box until these issues are addressed and there is a definitive upgrade document and FAQ on exactly what you have to do to swap out the sticks

[Guest]

Anyone have tried a 700 device with the g3 stick? Just curious.

[SteveW]

Anyone have tried a 700 device with the g3 stick? Just curious.

"Tried" meaning what? I installed a 700-series SmartStick+ G3 a couple days ago, and then I installed a new HSM200 multi-sensor, which also has a 700-series chip. There was no difference in the installation procedure, and it works as it should. I already had two WD200+ 700-series dimmers installed, and they worked before, with a 500-series Pi HAT, and they still work with the 700-series G3 stick.

HST has not yet implemented the 700 series "SmartStart" feature (scan a QR code to set up the device).

[drhtmal]

... I already had two WD200+ 700-series dimmers installed...

I missed the announcement on the WD200+ with a 700 series chip set. Where can I get more info?

[SteveW]

I missed the announcement on the WD200+ with a 700 series chip set. Where can I get more info?

I could be wrong as to the chipset generation, but they do support S2 security and SmartStart, which were not features of the WD/WS100+ series.

No doubt somebody will correct me or confirm.