I am wanting to add a Aeotec Gen 5 Zwave USB stick to my Smartthings network as a secondary controller to update some of my Zwave devices firmware. I cannot find any instructions on the exact process but I am assuming I add it as another Smart Hub? If not what do you put it under. The hub process seems to work and it see it It gets to the last step and asks for a serial number. There is no serial number. The qr code on the box does not work. There is a serial number on the side of the box but it is too long. There is another number on a barcode sticker but it does to work. Any one else run into this?
You would think so, but no.
You will just add it as a “Z wave thing“ like any other Z wave device.
All of the work you will do with it will be through the software for the USB stick. Not through smartthings itself. You’re just adding it to the Z wave network controlled by smartthings so you can get access to those device.
Once it’s on the same network, you use its software, for whatever you want to do, including updating zwave firmware on your devices, which is a popular use.
Smartthings won’t know what the stick is doing, and won’t care. It’s just a Z wave device which has been allowed to join the network.
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Here’s an old but useful blog article on adding a USB stick to smartthings. Everything is pretty much the same except you won’t have to select. “add generic zwave device“ anymore, just scanning for a nearby device should be enough.
Also, note that all of the fancy screens you see in the article are not part of smartthings: they are the software that the author recommends for use with the stick. Yours may look a little different because you have a different brand of USB stick, but all the basic concepts are the same.
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thanks. That was it. Working now.
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This is helpful, but it never connects to ST or gives me a key. Any ideas?
When I did this recently, I had to go through a reset of the Z-Wave stick, exclude and include… and I had to wait a little bit until it finally gave me the place to add the first 5 digits of the security code.
You might have to do it a few times and be patient.
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For me I am using the Leviton software to update my switches and dimmers. https://hubconnecteddecorasmart.leviton.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407521680155-Can-Leviton-Z-Wave-Products-Firmware-Be-Updated-
I could not get the Aeotec USB to show up on my MAC so I switch to Parallels on my Mac with Windows. Took a couple tries to get Windows to see the USB but I just follow the instructions. The COM port shows. it was the only option. The went to SMartthings and did picked Zwave as the Partner Device, then Generic Zwave Device. First time I think it found it but the app new completed. I tried it again and then it found it. Went back to the Leviton software and “Get Update Nodes” and it started to scan and it took a long time but finally the dimmers showed up. Now updating. It takes a long time to update. Maybe 10 minutes for each and it freezes on occasion. 38 dimmers will take about 24 hours.
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The reset is in “simplicity” studio, and the exclude/include is in ST? When I start, I just see the one controller as expected, but after I go through this process, I get three controllers (one a remote and the other looks similar to the first one). I also get 49 devices (my network has around 100). I guess my question, if I reset, how do I know I’ve got the right controller?
The controller with the largest number [100] should be the newly added Z-Wave stick and it looks to be using S2. So you might be okay.
Do you know the network ID (in decimal) of the device you want to update the firmware?
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This was not as easy as expected- in fact this caused some other issues. Somehow when doing the scan nearby it was picked up as multiple zwave dimmer device were added and it appears to have gotten my overhead lights screwed up. Anyway, I think I’ve fixed that. I also had previously excluded the device, but now that I learned that is not required going forward, I added it back in. So I now see the ST network ID. Will see how the rest goes…
I’m not seeing the proper network ID in the simplicity studio?
I used an educated guess (highest network #, same current firmware # and manufacturer), but the network ID between ST and simplicity does not align in my case. OTA upload took two tries, the first time, simplicity died. The second time, the upload was slow, but completed successfully. Not painless, but this did work. Thanks for the input.
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SmartThings shows the Network ID in hexadecimal. The Z-Wave utility shows it in decimal. Do you remember the numbers?
I’ve seen it both ways in ST, so is that just coincidence?. this device is 62 in ST and 98 in Simplicty. It’s been while since I last did this calc.
62 hex = 98 decimal
(6x16 = 96) + 2 = 98
Thanks. Now I’ll know this for the future!
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