I bought a SmartStick+ to update a couple of switches. On the Homeseer page, it specifically says it’s compatible with SmartThings. I called their support and they recommend pulling the switches out of my existing ZWave network and adding them to the SmartStick network, updating the switches, then re-adding them back to the SmartThings network. It was like the guy didn’t know his own product and it was infuriating.
Can anyone help me get the ZmartStick added as a secondary controller so that I can update the device in my network without pulling them out?
The HomeSeer Switches/Dimmers are compatible with SmartThings and DH’s are provided. Be mindful the latest firmware has a typo/bug so you may not want to update just yet.
I don’t know if/how firmware updates can be manually done with SmartThings. @JDRoberts or someone with deeper SmartThings background could hlep with that.
The SmartStick+ may come in handy but you would have to remove the switches from SmartThings and add them to the z-wave network from the SmartStick+. However any other z-wave stick would work as well, it doesn’t have to be the SmartStick+. You will however need a z-wave controller software that can perform the firmware updates.
If you really don’t want to pull the switches you could use the SmartStick+ with another controller software and then Add that as a secondary controller to SmartThings. Yet again, not sure how through SmartThings you could then push the firmware update.
Seems to be some confusion. The smartstick plus is intended as a primary controller to be used with the Homeseer software.
The Homeseer software utility which can be used with SmartThings to update zwave devices OTA is the “z flash.”
You can buy the Z flash software separately in the homeseer store. Or you can buy a kit with the stick and the software. The software will run on a laptop.
You won’t be able to update zwave devices on your SmartThings network unless you also have the zflash software.
However there’s another thread by the same poster of having updated the firmware and the version typo. I have replied there as well. I’m going to guess they bought the “kit” version if they have done the firmware update.
So I’m assuming you figured out the steps for your original question , which are covered in the video which is linked to in the FAQ
For anyone finding this thread later:
Make sure the zwave devices you want to update are already active on your SmartThings network
start Z flash software on your laptop and set the correct com port
initiate “add a thing” in SmartThings. You don’t have to select any advanced options, smartthings will just automatically add secondary controller at this point as a new thing. It’s up to the secondary to do all the device table copying, which it will in the next step.
Go back to the Z flash software and do the “add to existing network“ process
The Smart stick plus will then be added as a secondary controller to your smartthings account and you can then use the zflash software to update the firmware on the individual devices.
Actual quote from that page: “Compatible with a variety or systems including HomeSeer, SmartThings, Wink and many others”
I’m so ticked off I got this “kit”. False advertising as far as I’m concerned. I asked HomeSeer support to please show me how it’s compatible with SmartThings. They kept saying “you just need to remove your switches”. I told them "that’s not compatibility, again, please explain to me how to use this with my SmartThings hub, and around and around we went.
Technically, they’re not saying the USB device is compatible, because it really doesn’t work well as a secondary, because of limitations on the SmartThings side.
That is the ZFlash software will work without you having to remove any switches, because you’re just going to use it for the one time purpose of OTA firmware updates.
It’s true that Zstick is the vehicle being used to allow those updates to happen, but they want to set the expectations appropriately, so you don’t think you can continue to operate it as a secondary controller. They want you to remove it from the SmartThings network as soon as the firmware updates are done.
I’m pretty sure that’s why they only have the “compatible with SmartThings” references on the Z flash pages. It’s compatible for the purposes of that single utility, but not for the way people normally use a secondary Z wave controller.
it’s a semantics thing. Your first post stated SmartStick+ but you were meaning the Z-Flash kit. I was then answering the SmartStick+ which by itself would be useless to you
back to the issue of the firmware. Was the other response of talk to support and send back if needed helpful?