Were you able to use the Aeon Backup Software to backup yould old Non-Aeotec stick?
Yes, that was what surprised so much. It worked like a charm.
That is indes surprising…which Stick did you have?
Thanks Bob, I found out that the issue is actually that the tabs, hence the download tab, doesn’t work in firefox. So one has to use a different browser. I added the Silicon links to the top of the thread.
Btw, I definitely recommend to read the “Z-Wave networking Basics” pdf that comes along with the SDK download.
Even though the installation process is described in full detail and nothing is missing, here are some tips to become succesful in doing it as the process is far from being intuitive. 
- Reserve time - it will take some minutes!
- Download the SDK - as far as I have noticed you don’t really need it but it needs to be done to be allowed to download the other two downloads
- Then download the sniffer and the programmer. Unzip both.
- Have patience, read carefully and follow the instructions step by step…
- I needed to start ZWaveZnifferUI.exe (not ZWaveZniffer.exe)
Finally the nerd factor is pretty high when it works 
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Good Post. Should be helpful to others !
- About a year ago @robmac wrote a series for the OH community on Zwave networking Basics that was based on the SDK .pdf you noted and included useful advice and observations relating to OH. I have referred back to it several times. It’s a good read also.
- Agree it can be addicting. When I started zniffing a couple of months ago, I would walk around and trigger sensors and use the UI to trigger switches just to watch the frames.
Bob
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Thanks for posting this.
I’m struggling with how to recover nodes 2-5 on this stick. Is there any way except by resetting the stick?
Nodes 2-5 were test devices that I subsequently removed but the node numbers can’t be re-used?
Using PC Controller you can remove the zombie nodes. I think it is up to the controller whether to re-use the IDs though. Removing the nodes is recommended to maintain network health.
Short answer is no without a factory reset. I have read that once the maximum number is reached ( and it’s somewhere in the 230-255 range, new Nodes will be assigned in the unused spaces (like 2-5) in your case, but I can’t verify that. I have 47 nodes and my last one is 79, for example.
Bob
You are correct.
232 is max and then any unused id are assigned starting with the lowest id.
.
As you only have one node do a hard reset which will remove all nodes and start a new network. The home id will change and the next node you add will be 2. Remove node 6 first so it is ready to add to the new network.
Add your nodes working out from the controller by distance so low id are nearest the controller. Z-wave routing works best in networks built this way.
Thanks @Andrew_Rowe for pointing me at this @stefan.hoehn post.
After weeks of digging I think I have located 3 problem z-wave nodes (at least)… 2 are Fibaro sensors, outside in waterproof boxes, both have had water get in and are totally dead. the third is a Fibaro dimmer which I thought I had removed ages ago but is still showing up on the z-stick. The module is definitely not connected any more.
I have downloaded the latest zensys z-wave pc controller tool and plugged my Aeotec z-stick into the PC. I could not find any “Queue Override” checkbox to toggle? I assume that was an older version?
I highlighted the first of the 3 nodes (the Fibaro dimmer) - I clicked the “is Failed” and it did a NOP and an Is Failed Node Check - telling me that the node status “is failed”. I clicked “Remove Failed” and it returned to say that “Remove Failed Node completed”. The Node seems to have gone from the list… All good I think 
But the 2 Fibaro sensor modules are a problem. Both are totally dead, so I can’t press the buttons to remove them etc. NOP fails to each as does Is Failed.
What to try/test next? Anyone have any ideas?
Over time helping people who report sluggish performance from a zwave system, it always turns out to be zombie nodes on the system… always… every time. Often, one offline node is enough to cause huge problems. I think you are on to the issue, can’t advice how to proceed as I haven’t used the pc controller tool but good job figuring it out so far and keep digging
Report back if you figure out how to remove the other two dead nodes and maybe somebody with experience using the software can jump in to help 
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So I literally tried everything… from both OH3 and from the zensys tools… Both removal and replacement routes… No idea what I changed or did, but suddenly the node responded positively and eventually got deleted… So I now seem to have a z-wave network with no new errors…
My concern now is the distance between the house and the garage nodes… especially with wet bushes… May need to try the 2 z-stick approach next… Still so many things to do… but I’m hoping it starts behaving reliably again now… fingers crossed 
Thanks for the help.
That is good news indeed!
Well, I’m sure you realize that mains powered nodes can act as repeaters and extend the mesh network’s range so maybe you have already strategically placed mains powered device between the two structures and it is just to much distance but if not give that some thought
me as well, but report back on that in a week or two
I had the same experience when trying to remove the nodes. Follow exactly what I wrote above. Sometimes what happens is that within the node list the node is still visible after trying to remove it, you you think the removal didn’t work. However, if you stop and start the tool and the node list is loaded again, almost 100% of the times, the node is actually gone.
With mine it reported errors every time and was still there after reloads etc… then after numerous attempts over a couple of days it reported success… Odd… You would have thought that in this day and age it would be possible to build a mesh network that routes around repeatedly unreliable nodes etc…
Thanks.
I had a switch module strategically placed in an IP68 box but that’s one of the units that kept reporting disconnects, so I have removed it… see how I go without it… Don’t know if some units are better than others for that task…
I’ll either re-do the IP68 boxes or an IP66 mains socket higher up on a wall half way with a repeater plugged in. Or I’ll try to Share Z-wave dongle over IP (USB over IP using ser2net / socat ) guide… I have a spare z-stick and Pi3… and the garage is networked…
Thanks.
Are we on the same page that you are using zensys to remove the node? Removing via the openhab controller doesn’t work, you need to use the zensys tool to work on a lower level.
Converting the zstick to a Zniffer (if you have not done that already) will help in repeater replacement. I have found that what I “think” is a good location was not actually. Radio communications are tricky.