SmartThings Community

Fakro Z-Wave Window Opener

(Matt Brain) #1

Hi All

Has anyone had any success with the Fakro Z-Wave Roof Windows.

I am just having some installed in my extension and am looking at including them into the SmartThings Z-Wave network. I’m guessing I may need to some code to support them unless someone has already done the work.

Device certification for the chain actuator can be seen here: http://products.z-wavealliance.org/products/105 but I can’t find any reference to the rain sensor.

It also comes with a nifty remote, badged Fakro but suspect manufactured by someone else, however I can’t seem to find any reference to it on the z-wave alliance website.

Any thoughts?

Matt

(sidjohn1) #2

I tried this with with there skylights and found out that their window/skylight is a zwave controller, its not going to pair very nicely with ST. I even wiped out my ST setup trying, it was not pretty. I also found out their support sucks and basically limited to the knowledge in the manual. Farko is the only automated product i have regretted buying. I recently found out (yesterday) that the farko remote can be controlled with the Fortress mimo light, i’ll be hacking that together over then next few weeks. I’ll let you know how that goes.

(Stuart Buchanan) #3

what specifically was the issue with pairing? did it not pair and give its fingerprint?? sureley if you got that far then writing a device handler wouldn’t be too much of a task would it?

(sidjohn1) #4

Like you I thought that adding it would be and should be a simple affair, a zwave device is a zwave device right, how hard could it be?

That would be the expected behavior if it were a zwave device, which it is not. It is a zwave controller much like the ST hub, so it wants devices paired it, like farkos shades or blinds. While it is possible to join to zwave controllers, the process of doing so corrupted my ST device database and that is when I stopped trying and completely reset up my environment.

(Stuart Buchanan) #5

aaah right got you…yes zwave controllers in ST are a pain

(Matt Brain) #6

Wow - so does this mean it can’t be done? Should I be looking at other vendors or other means to bridge between the windows and ST? Sounds pretty nuts that although ST claims ZWave compatibility it can’t work with these devices.

(Stuart Buchanan) #7

@Matt_Brain well as @sidjohn1 stated it should be doable, but since ST provide no tools to troubleshoot zwave when it fails i would be loathe to try as i have just come out the other side of severe zwave issues that were impossible to troubleshoot from ST perspective.

I also have experience of other controllers joined to ST as secondary controllers and they are a real pain as associating all devices to both controllers for both status updates and actuation is a messy affair with lots of customer configuration of devices needed. i would take his advice and steer clear

(Matt Brain) #8

@Fuzzyligic - thanks for the advice - sounds like ST need to do some more work on their implementation of ZWave - i’ll steer clear as suggested.

I don’t suppose you know whether this is something which ST plan to address or is ZWave always going to be the poor relation of ZigBee in terms of ST.

Thanks,

(Stuart Buchanan) #9

@Matt_Brain i know @duncan has stated that improved Zwave troubleshooting is in the pipeline, however i wouldn’t thing that would stretch to using a secondary controller only devices. its a shame Fakro have taken that stance on implementing thier windows. its not 100% a ST issue, but i just know firsthand troubleshooting Zwave Issues is a PITA

(Duncan) #10

It sounds like you tried to join the hub to the Fakro controller? That would be the wrong direction. You can definitely join controllers to SmartThings. The Aeon minimote is a Z-Wave controller. You just need to figure out how to put the Fakro controller in learn mode.

(sidjohn1) #11

Ducan,
Here is the manual feel free to document the steps you feel should work. I’m sure Matt would appreciate it. I’ve already nuked my device database once, so before i give it a shot i need a way to backup and restore it. It was promised to be in the works since hub v2 was unofficially announced… it should be ready by now right at least for testing right?

(Matt Brain) #12

@duncan Happy to help testing, let me know if there is anything I can do to help make this work…

(Duncan) #13

Try going to Connect Now in SmartThings and tap the IN/EX button 3 times on the Fakro. Might want to do the factory default reset first.

Make sure to never use the “Join/Leave Another Network” Z-Wave utility if you don’t want to lose your network (called “Include or Exclude Hub From Existing Z-Wave Network” on the mobile app).

(Matt Brain) #14

Hi @Duncan.

Thanks for this, to be clear is this the function on the remote, rather than the window itself? If that is the case, should I get the remote fully configured with the windows before attempting this?

Thanks,

Matt

(Matt Brain) #15

@Duncan,

I have gone about it in a slightly different way. I don’t have any other zwave devices so added the smartthings hub as a secondary device. I’m not sure if this is going to be problematic in the long run as I’m guessing this may limited being able to add further non-fakro devices to the network.

Anyway, once i had added the ST hub to the fakro network i get the following devices:

4 x Z-Wave Device with Device Network Id of 04 - 07.
1 x Z-Wave remote with Device Network Id of 01
1 x Z-Wave secure switch with Device Network id of 03

On the generic devices, I don’t have any details in raw description aside from: zw:S type:0000 mfr:0000 prod:0000 model:0000 ver:0.00 zwv:0.00 lib:00

The remote has the following: zw:S type:0101 mfr:0000 prod:0000 model:0000 ver:0.00 zwv:0.00 lib:00

and the secure switch looks like: zw:L type:1106 mfr:0085 prod:0003 model:0001 ver:4.13 zwv:3.42 lib:03 cc:26,27,25,72,86,85,75,73,98

What is interesting is, when i press the button on 1 of the generic devices, occasionally a a random window will open or close. Sometimes it will open, sometime it will close but it doesn’t operate like a toggle, the direction of movement almost seems random.

In terms of next steps:

  1. Should I make smartthings the primary controller and the remotes secondary?
    1a. If I do that, any ideas how I assign functions to the remote as joining a network and assigning functions are different processes on the remote
  2. Any ideas how i diagnose what is going on with the existing configuration, to properly control the windows?

Thanks again,

Matt

(John Lockwood) #16

@Matt_Brain @sidjohn1 @Fuzzyligic

I have also recently been looking at Fakro roof windows for my own project although I am still many months away from even having work started.

Please update this thread if any of you succeed in connecting them to Smartthings.

While it will not help those who have already bought and fitted Fakro windows, the following maybe of interest.

As I suspect many people would agree Velux roof windows are probably the leading brand, at least this is the case here in the UK. Unfortunately while Velux also do electrically powered and operated roof windows and also have a rain sensor they currently only support the io-HomeControl protocol which is so minimally supported as to be almost equivalent to a proprietary standard. :frowning:

However it has recently emerged that Velux are planning to launch a gateway from their io-HomeControl system to a standard IP network based system, this was leaked it seems by Bang&Olufsen who plan to use this to integrate with Velux.

It would therefore seem it will become possible in theory for Smartthings to control Velux roof windows via this gateway when it eventually ships. Probably towards the end of 2016. I would hold little hope that Velux themselves would do any such integration with Smartthings but potentially the Smartthings community could create suitable device entries.

(Matt Brain) #17

So I think I have these finally figured out. The device windows can be controlled with the basic switch function and report status back via the multilevel.

If the window is stationary - the on command starts it opening, and the off starts it closing. If the window is moving, the opposite command stops it, for example, if it is opening the off command stops it moving.

When it is closed, it reports its value as 0, when it is partially open it reports 254 and when it is fully open it reports 255.

I have 3 windows and they all operate at the same speed in a linear fashion, i think it will be possible to open it x% by timing the full extent of the movement and then moving a % of that time.

I’m going to have a go at implementing a device handler and let you know how i get on.

Thanks,

Matt

(James) #18

Just joined forum…

Building anew house and have fakro wave enabled windows being installed…

Had been about to order a smartthings hub to operate them and other devices, now wondering…

Anyone got them to work, without a major drama?

I’m not a coder!

(Matt Brain) #19

I have them working with SmartThings - this reminds me, I’ll do a write up on what I did in the next couple of days - works a treat.

(James) #20

Matt, good to learn you have them working!

Look forward to your write up.