Running HS3Pro and HS4Pro on Pi4

[PFL]

I did run HS3Pro on Pi4 and it is pretty good. The performance is enough to run HS3Pro. on Pi4, I am running samba which is good file server to share music and data. My SONOS system is using the Pi4 as music library. and this Pi4 is also as a wireless router and VPN server. I did change the EZZee on board antenna to external antenna, the external antenna is 3 dBi. it makes my Z-Wave system much stable than before.

[PFL]

[PFL]

Linux SmartHome 5.4.51-v7l+ #1327 SMP Thu Jul 23 11:04:39 BST 2020 armv7l




The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software;

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Last login: Sun Jul 26 15:05:49 2020 from 10.0.1.215

root@SmartHome:~# vcgencmd measure_temp

temp=49.0'C

[dbrunt]

I did the same thing to my RaZberry board in my Pi3B+ and noticed a dramatic improvement in Z-Wave reliability and range...

[Tillsy]

Hmmmmm, this is a super super super super cool idea. I wish USB sticks had an external socket on them... I wonder if there is a Pi hat for AUS frequency? Black Cat ?

[dbrunt]

The RaZberry has selectable frequency. Out of the box it is typically EU. I recently updated the firmware about 5 revisions and it stopped working. ZWolfpack helped me figure out that it reset to back to EU 868 MHz and I was able to change it to US but along the path I somehow ended up on 921 MHz which I believe is your frequency. See https://z-wave.me/products/razberry/

[Tillsy]

The RaZberry has selectable frequency. Out of the box it is typically EU. I recently updated the firmware about 5 revisions and it stopped working. ZWolfpack helped me figure out that it reset to back to EU 868 MHz and I was able to change it to US but along the path I somehow ended up on 921 MHz which I believe is your frequency. See https://z-wave.me/products/razberry/

Although Z-Wave.ME is the product HST officially provide for international markets, HST also have also said various problems such as compatibility with restoring backups is Z-Wave.ME's fault - and Z-Wave.ME insisted it was HST's fault and that they were willing to provide anything and anything to help them.

Never going back to that finger pointing fiasco again so hoping there might be another vendor/product.

[dbrunt]

I initially disabled the PCBA by removing a 0 ohm resistor and soldered a length of wire cut to the exact 1/4 wavelength for my frequency (something like 82.4 mm) to the PCB hole for external wire antenna which sticks out through a hole I drilled in the top cover and it works great. I ordered a "professional" antenna from adafruit https://www.adafruit.com/product/3340 but have yet to install it...

[dbrunt]

Although Z-Wave.ME is the product HST officially provide for international markets, HST also have also said various problems such as compatibility with restoring backups is Z-Wave.ME's fault - and Z-Wave.ME insisted it was HST's fault and that they were willing to provide anything and anything to help them.

Never going back to that finger pointing fiasco again so hoping there might be another vendor/product.

That's interesting. Initially when looking at fw updates, some engineer in the forum told me something like that, that HS did not support their latest firmware. But Zwolfpack was running it no problem so I forged ahead. I've also done controller backups/restores between this and a Nortek I was testing and it all worked fine.
Since my z-wave only has 22 nodes and I've recently trashed & rebuilt it with detailed documentation on all the various button presses the different nodes require for inclusion, and I only have a handful of events in HS tied to Z-Wave, I'm willing to retest backup/erase/restore again to confirm HS does not have an issue with RaZberry fw v5.36, if you like...

[Black Cat]

Hmmmmm, this is a super super super super cool idea. I wish USB sticks had an external socket on them... I wonder if there is a Pi hat for AUS frequency? Black Cat ?

The ZWBCUZB has a helictical coil aerial, not PCB trace as used in the ZWave.Me products.
Adding a external aerial to a ZWBCUZB would result in minimum gain but you can try it by removing the case and in this case unrolling the helix.

FWIW, I suggest using a powered USB switch with a USB extension placing the dongle as far away and as high as you can from the PC Board/Case - First- You might be surprised by the outcome of just this simple addition/alteration!

As far as the Pi Hat goes, they where available, sold out now and awaiting GEN7, personally I'm not a lover of them as the aerial is PCB trace.
Similar antenna mods where undertaken by Vera users several years ago with good results reported.
However, adding an external aerial to a Pi Hat is a different proposition and one that I personally like, you just need to get the aerial matched correctly.
As to the frequency flashing, there are other factors apart from flashing the appropriate software such as additional hardware, for instance SAW filters are used in AU/NZS regions to prevent interference from adjacent frequency users, these are missing in the US and EU regions.

[PFL]

Hmmmmm, this is a super super super super cool idea. I wish USB sticks had an external socket on them... I wonder if there is a Pi hat for AUS frequency? Black Cat ?

You could replace the on board Z-Wave module with this Australian frequency, https://www.digikey.com/product-deta...3-2-ND/4135452

[PFL]

The ZWBCUZB has a helictical coil aerial, not PCB trace as used in the ZWave.Me products.
Adding a external aerial to a ZWBCUZB would result in minimum gain but you can try it by removing the case and in this case unrolling the helix.

FWIW, I suggest using a powered USB switch with a USB extension placing the dongle as far away and as high as you can from the PC Board/Case - First- You might be surprised by the outcome of just this simple addition/alteration!

As far as the Pi Hat goes, they where available, sold out now and awaiting GEN7, personally I'm not a lover of them as the aerial is PCB trace.
Similar antenna mods where undertaken by Vera users several years ago with good results reported.
However, adding an external aerial to a Pi Hat is a different proposition and one that I personally like, you just need to get the aerial matched correctly.
As to the frequency flashing, there are other factors apart from flashing the appropriate software such as additional hardware, for instance SAW filters are used in AU/NZS regions to prevent interference from adjacent frequency users, these are missing in the US and EU regions.

The matching circuit for EZZee is only change the value of C7, that is about SMD0402 12pf for US frequency 908.42MHz. after that, you could change the the antenna from 3dBi to 12 dBi if you like. The SAW is combined with the Z-Wave module.

[zwolfpack]

... I'm willing to retest backup/erase/restore again to confirm HS does not have an issue with RaZberry fw v5.36, if you like...

I'm afraid you'll find that the HS restore will not work properly for the Razberry. I am able to restore a HomeSeer backup to the Razberry but have to use an external process -- see https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/ho...55#post1379555

Tillsy, your account sounds eerily familiar. In Jan 2019, I was included in an email exchange initiated by another forum member between a ZWave.me rep and Rich from HomeSeer. Rich stated that "The restore process is quite complex since it deals with writing memory bytes. I think I have all the info I need, just need some time to work on it. I don't have a time frame right now." ... followed up with "low priority ... weeks at least". It was pretty apparent at the time that nothing was going to come of it. It's now a year and a half later ... just more over-promises.

Rich also stated "I have found that the memory locations in the eeprom change between UZB versions". This was contested by the ZWave.me rep, but no response and that was the end of the exchange. In my subsequent research in the above linked thread, I confirmed that is indeed a false statement -- every ZWave controller tested to date has exactly the same internal memory layout.

(I found the part about the "restore process is quite complex since it deals with writing memory bytes" a bit bizarre -- ummm, isn't that basically what computers do??)

[PFL]

I'm afraid you'll find that the HS restore will not work properly for the Razberry. I am able to restore a HomeSeer backup to the Razberry but have to use an external process -- see https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/ho...55#post1379555

Tillsy, your account sounds eerily familiar. In Jan 2019, I was included in an email exchange initiated by another forum member between a ZWave.me rep and Rich from HomeSeer. Rich stated that "The restore process is quite complex since it deals with writing memory bytes. I think I have all the info I need, just need some time to work on it. I don't have a time frame right now." ... followed up with "low priority ... weeks at least". It was pretty apparent at the time that nothing was going to come of it. It's now a year and a half later ... just more over-promises.

Rich also stated "I have found that the memory locations in the eeprom change between UZB versions". This was contested by the ZWave.me rep, but no response and that was the end of the exchange. In my subsequent research in the above linked thread, I confirmed that is indeed a false statement -- every ZWave controller tested to date has exactly the same internal memory layout.

(I found the part about the "restore process is quite complex since it deals with writing memory bytes" a bit bizarre -- ummm, isn't that basically what computers do??)

You are right. Z-Wave module includes a single chip computer 8051, the different manufacture wrote their own firmware, usually it would cause compatibility issues.

[mycastle]

The matching circuit for EZZee is only change the value of C7, that is about SMD0402 12pf for US frequency 908.42MHz. after that, you could change the the antenna from 3dBi to 12 dBi if you like. The SAW is combined with the Z-Wave module.

And C2 & C5 remain in circuit when utilizing J3 for ext ant? I wonder from your pic and descript as it seems (from my 'old school' training) that this is similar to a dipole (kinda) but I was not too sure of that theory on this high of freq? and then there's C6...
Thoughts?
Thx, jeff