August Lock: Connected to hub but cannot control

Hello all. I just installed an August Smart Lock Pro, and after some fiddling (range issues) was able to get it connected to my Smartthings hub. Here is the issue I am having: the lock almost instantly reports its status to the hub, but I cannot control the lock. That is to say that from the Smartthings classic app I can see the current and correct status of the lock, but if I try to lock or unlock it, nothing happens.

I am not sure if this is a contributor to the issue or not, but the lock is communicating with the hub via a repeater (a Smartthings plug-in outlet) in the same room as the lock. I have had to use the repeater because for some reason the range on the lock is very short.

I would appreciate any help or advice you have. Thanks.

If it’s a SmartThings branded plug, then it isn’t being used as a repeater for that lock. SmartThings plugs are Zigbee and that lock is zwave.

Well dumb me. That is absolutely correct. So, the outlet is not acting as a repeater for the lock, and thus the lock must be communicating directly with my hub (at least its current status). But, if the lock can communicate its status to the hub, why am I unable to control the lock from the hub using the classic app?

Probably only partially paired. Try moving the hub and lock closer when pairing.

Probably the lock is sleeping when the message from the hub arrives (to save battery life). :sleeping: You need a beaming repeater close to the lock to hold the messages until the lock wakes up again.

See the article in the community – created wiki:

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=Beaming

Thanks. I will try resetting re-pairing the lock and hub.

I have never heard of a beaming repeater. Is this a feature of all z-wave devices? If not, how do you tell the difference between a beaming repeater and a non-beaming repeater?

Support for beaming is optional. If you read the wiki article it will answer your questions. :sunglasses:

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Thanks for the help. The issue appears to be a range problem with the hub. Oddly, I am getting better range from my Zigbee devices than my Z-wave devices.

It sounds like you have some zigbee devices that can act as repeaters.

Do you also have z-wave repeaters?

Most devices that are permanently powered can repeat signals (but zigbee devices only repeat zigbee traffic, and z-wave devices only repeat z-wave).

As it turns out, I do have more zigbee devices than I thought (see my mistake in my initial post). That said, I am currently re-installing old devices in a new home, and I don’t have many actually up and running at this point. So, after refreshing my memory as to what device ran on what network, I have been able to test the range of the hub without repeaters for either type device. I have a zigbee light bulb (Cree) set up in my garage. It is about 60 to 70 feet from the hub with no repeaters in between, and it gets perfect connection despite there being numerous walls and other obstructions in between. I have tried to install my z-wave garage door opener (Linear GD00Z) in that same garage and can’t get a connection. In fact, I lose connection with the hub at about half the distance to the garage (about 30 to 35 feet).

I hope it is not a long-term issue, as I plan to finish installing a number of z-wave switches and outlets soon. I just found it interesting as I have read that z-wave devices tend to have greater range than zigbee.

Z-wave runs on a lower frequency than zigbee, so theoretically it penetrates walls and other obstructions more easily.

And zigbee has to contend with interference from other 2.4GHz devices, most notably WiFi.

But there are a million reasons why, in a specific location within your house, a certain device of one protocol or the other could have better or worse communications with the hub.

Use the fact that zigbee and z-wave are meant to act as mesh networks to your advantage. If the z-wave garage door controller doesn’t connect well to the hub, add a repeating device somewhere in between, like a switch.

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