Works well but unreliable

Discussions about Z-Way software and Z-Wave technology in general
fehguy
Posts: 3
Joined: 23 Jan 2018 03:55

Works well but unreliable

Post by fehguy »

Hi all,
I've been slowly expanding a z-wave deployment and now have over 50 devices connected to a razberry running on a Raspberry Pi 3. It works, mostly, but...

* Frequently devices just "go missing" on the console. They are not reachable until I re-include them.
* Restarting or having a power outage seems to really mess up the network. I'll get flickering lights and generally weird stuff.

I have replaced the hardware once and re-including everything brought temporary peace to the galaxy. But as stated above, it wasn't permanent.

Do others have this problem? What can be done to make this system more reliable? I can't imagine that mission-critical systems can rely on this. What if a device disappears when a heater is turned on? Will it just keep blowing hot air until someone comes to attend to it?

Z-Way software version 25.09.2017 v2.3.6
RaZberry2 Z-Wave Plus Daughter Card with 500-series chip
piet66
Posts: 266
Joined: 04 Feb 2017 17:00

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by piet66 »

Hi,
similar problems here.
Since some months after installing V2.3.6 I got several times 'dead' devices which I had to include again. At first I thought of defective devices, but in the meantime I suspect ZWay. I agree with you, the current software cannot be recommended for critical applications.
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Rev 1.2
Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster, 32bit)
RaZberry by Z-Wave.Me ZW0700 7.20.00 07.38/1766938484 1025/257
Z-Way version v3.2.3 from 2022-04-06 04:56:23 +0300
fehguy
Posts: 3
Joined: 23 Jan 2018 03:55

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by fehguy »

Surprisingly the v1.x software didn’t have this problem
aidem74
Posts: 11
Joined: 30 Nov 2017 07:41

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by aidem74 »

Sadly I have the same problem with 60 devices and same version. I've asked for advice in this forum if anybody else have a solution on big system but no one answered. So I can't give you any advice. I 'm thinking of splitting my systems up in two or three networks. I already have the pi3+rzb2 for two nets just haven't got the time yet.
fehguy
Posts: 3
Joined: 23 Jan 2018 03:55

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by fehguy »

Anyone switch to another piece of hardware? I'm not sure if the problem is the SW or hardware that is making this flaky. There are a bunch of zwave sticks out there, I can't imagine they are all this bad.
piet66
Posts: 266
Joined: 04 Feb 2017 17:00

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by piet66 »

I have only 23 physical devices yet. So I don't think that dividing a network will help much.
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Rev 1.2
Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster, 32bit)
RaZberry by Z-Wave.Me ZW0700 7.20.00 07.38/1766938484 1025/257
Z-Way version v3.2.3 from 2022-04-06 04:56:23 +0300
bgr
Posts: 4
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 09:56

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by bgr »

I am just getting started with this, but thinking already if I need reliability, range, and support for large number of devices, the Razberry and Z-Way is not the way to go. i'm getting under 10' in range on my Razberry and thinking I will need to solder on an antenna to reach my entire house. At the same time, browsing these forums and seeing user's frustrations makes me think I should start looking at a commercial solution like SmartThings. Does anyone have experience with other Z-wave hub products to compare and contrast to Razberry? I'm a home brew advocate, but with something like home control, a trusted, reliable solution is required.
Benny
Posts: 48
Joined: 25 Jan 2017 15:50

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by Benny »

Ich switched to domoticz for same reasons. I have about 100 Devices and z-way is randomly stopped or has timeouts about 5 and more seconds...
Domoticz seems to working well, but I don't have the whole System running yet. So I can't say for sure it is a Hardware or Software issue...At this point I think this is a Software issue.
Eagle
Posts: 105
Joined: 18 Jun 2017 19:04

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by Eagle »

Hi,
of course in a forum, generally a place for solving problems, there a more negative than positive posts about reliability. I had my problems too at the beginning, but now im fully satisfied. I got around 50 devices now and my system is fully stable and reliable. Its running now for about 2 months without a single restart and its still very fast, respectivley not slowing down. There are some problems, especially right now with the webservice find.zwave, but i am convinced, that they will fix this too sooner or later.

I am using a UZB stick on a wd nas (2.3.6 beta)
Benny
Posts: 48
Joined: 25 Jan 2017 15:50

Re: Works well but unreliable

Post by Benny »

Most answers: I'm unhappy with my System. Your answer: I'm happy. But why? What didi you Do to solve the issues? Do you have automationed lights? That are my big problems, the timeouts when switching a light on. You won't recognized the timeouts when switching a shutter or a setpoint of Your Radiator...
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