Adding new z-wave switches, no channels shown

Jon_A · December 10, 2022, 3:55pm

Hi, long time member, but haven’t posted in over a year. I just got 8 new zwave switches to handle two rooms we just added onto to house. I did the add process through the z-wave binding which went super smooth. After one tap on each switch they were found in scanning, and added fine.

The problem is now I can’t add items and it’s showing under channels that it’s not done discovery. I’m not sure what to do/try, they’re just genertic z-wave dimmers.

Sorry for the newb type question, but I forgot how to do most config things

Jon_A · December 10, 2022, 3:56pm

Ap15e · December 10, 2022, 4:35pm

Z-Wave controller type? Z-Wave controller physically connected to? Z-Wave device type? openHAB version?

In case of battery powered devices:
Keep waking them up (see device manual).

Jon_A · December 10, 2022, 9:31pm

Openhab 3.0.1
Aeotek zwave stick on a raspPi
Device type is a simple dimmer switch.
Not battery powered.

Ap15e · December 10, 2022, 9:41pm

If your Z-Wave stick is Gen5 AND your RaspberryPi is version 4: connect your Z-Wave stick via a (powered) USB hub.

Stick7 isn’t supported.

Jon_A · December 11, 2022, 12:16am

Just to be clear, the other 45 zwave devices i added ages ago are working fine, so i assume its nothing about needed to power my usb. I also can add all the switches as things so its detecting them obviously. This means hardware wise i should be ok right?

Ap15e · December 11, 2022, 12:42am

Dunnow - you still haven’t told us the devices that are causing problems.

apella12 · December 11, 2022, 1:58am

The crux of the issue is that there are probably 50 “generic” zwave switches of the more than 1300 devices in the OH Zwave DB. Each “generic” has a unique set of identifier’s (TYPE:ID), so no one can help you until we know what those are (i.e. there are no generic switches).

The usual reason for the no channels shown is the device is not in the DB. Normally for powered device the device gives up those numbers quickly. Since that information has not been provided the assumption is that your system is not working normally, hence the suggestions. If you have five lines on the device UI page
Five Lines of configured node
and an XML in the var/lib/openhab/zwave folder for that node please provide that information. It is needed for you to add the device to the community-maintained DB. If not, something is wrong on your end.

Also since it has been a few years since your last post you might want to review the how to ask a good question post.

Jon_A · December 11, 2022, 2:30am

I also misspoke on the zwave controller. Its actually a nortek HUSBZB-1 if that makes a difference (the other one is at a friends house i helped configure last year)

I truly don’t even remember how to pull log files but will look up how to do that again, because ive literally never had an issue with adding switches.

Im also attaching a screenshot of the switch brand and details from amazon.

Jon_A · December 11, 2022, 4:40am

One more piece of info, these switches work fine in smartthings hub with no effort. Im considering switching to a retail consumer solution to save the constant effort to function.

rpwong · December 11, 2022, 8:49am

I’m going to offer some help, but I first want to share that this is a little frustrating. Posting a screenshot from your phone is the bare minimum you could do to provide us with information about the device. When we ask for details, we’re not trying to prove that you’re worthy of our time. We’re trying to get all of the information that only you have in your possession, so that we can actually help you.

If you didn’t have problems with other Z-wave devices, that’s because they were already in the database. Is your new switch in there? Well, since you know what the new device is, you could search the database to find out.

Based on your screenshot, I found the URL for the switch in amazon.ca. That would make it a Jasco UltraPro with the model number 39351 (1-pack), 54897 (2-pack), or 54898 (4-pack). It’s also possible that those numbers are just for the retail packages. I can’t tell from the listing alone.

Meanwhile, there’s exactly one Jasco UltraPro switch in our database. Its model number is 39348, which is suspiciously close to the 1-pack number. This leaves us with three possibilities:

You are the very first person in the OH community to use these switches, and will need to add them to the database.
Your switches are revsions of the 39348 switches, and the database will need an update.
Your switches are identical to the 39348 switches, and something else is wrong with your system.

That’s what @Ap15e and @apella12 were trying to help you determine. And that’s why it would all be much easier and faster if you read the box/instructions and typed, “these are Jasco UltraPro switches with model number _____).” Even better, you could provide a URL for the manufacturer’s website instead of a screenshot of an Amazon listing.

Like this one that I just googled: UltraPro Z-Wave In-Wall Smart Dimmer With QuickFit And SimpleWire.

And now I can say that you very likely have 39351 switches that are not in the database. But only you can confirm that this is correct.

I know you’re frustrated, because this isn’t proving to be as easy as it was before. That’s understandable. What’s less understandable is asking someone else to help you by guessing at information you already have in your possession. I hope you’ll take that to heart in the future.

Here are the directions for adding the switch to the database. It’s not an immediate process and will require that you update OH or install a snapshot binding after it gets added.

I’m not sure how to read this. Is it a threat that you’ll leave openHAB? No one’s forcing any of us to stay.

I also don’t know what “constant effort to function” means. I assume you’re having more issues than just this particular problem. But if so, you haven’t asked for help fixing them.

I don’t recommend openHAB to anyone who doesn’t want to treat home automation as a hobby and look after their own system. So if a retail consumer solution does everything you need, then it makes sense to go in that direction. SmartThings, Alexa, Google Assistant and Homekit are good enough for the vast majority of consumers. The same can be said of Z-Wave–just stick with WiFi devices or wait for Matter/Thread.

Of course, if you go with a retail solution then you also have to live with its limitations. They’ll just be different from OH’s limitations.

And then there’s technical support. This conversation has taken place in less than 24 hours on a weekend. Sometimes, we manage to help someone within minutes of them posting a question. I would not expect that from any retail solution.

Anyway, I hope you get it all figured out and find what works best for you. I’ve never added a device to the Z-Wave database, so I’ve done all that I can to help.

Jon_A · December 11, 2022, 4:34pm

Thanks for the detailed rundown, i wasnt even aware of thjs process to add to the database do ill go through that now. Regarding logs the reason i havent pulled them instantly is because the Pi has been runnjng flawlessly for ages and i dont even have a monitor or keyboard to connect to it (ill be buying one); what would be great is if there was an easy “export logs” button in habpanel or something i can access from my phone or laptop.

rpwong · December 11, 2022, 6:08pm

It’s stated right in the very first screenshot you posted.

No one said anything about logs. I asked you to read the box/instructions that came with your switches, or provide a URL to the manufacturer website.

So there is no “constant effort to function”.

I think you need to read the documentation again.

The frustrating part about people asking “newb type questions” isn’t that they’re new and figuring it out. What’s frustrating is when “newb” actually means “I don’t want to put in any effort, so please do it for me”.

Jon_A · December 11, 2022, 8:13pm

I said i didnt realize there was a process to add to.the database, but thanks for posting a message that says its not in the database, which is a completely different thing.

When i say constant issues it was when i setup it up, probably spent 4 weeks sorting out and restarting the process multiple times. Since i locked it down its been stable until now.

Is it also advisable to update my software version?

apella12 · December 11, 2022, 9:19pm

Actually, with the information provided we don’t actually know if this is not in the DB or there was a problem with initialization since the questions I asked above have not been answered.

Since finding the zwave folder with the potential XML appears to be a challenge. (Note that XML will be required to update the DB), post the results of the UI page- Thing properties like this;

rpwong · December 11, 2022, 9:53pm

It’s the last sentence, but I’ll concede that it’s not direct.

Yes, but opinions vary on how up to date one should be. I prefer to upgrade 2-3 months after a new release (after the dust settles). Others like to update immediately, and some use milestones and snapshots to be right on the bleeding edge. For someone who prioritizes stability, I’d only advise a snapshot if you need a bug fix or feature (such as an updated Z-Wave entry). As noted before, you can also update only the Z-Wave binding.

What’s important is to not fall too far behind. For me, that’s two minor (3.x) versions. Some people have been running OH2 or even OH1 installations for so long that it’s basically impossible to upgrade.

The biggest danger of falling too far behind is security. For example, anyone who’s still running OH2 has left open a vulnerability in Log4j2 that was patched almost immediately in OH3. The thing is, we have no way of reaching out to users to tell them this information. It’s up to all of us to keep our systems secure.

Whatever you do, make sure you have a full backup before running an update. Too many people assume that everything will be fine, and then run into a world of pain when something goes awry.