A couple of things to note here
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If you’re using the stock device handler or any device handler which implements the capability
polling, then ST will poll the device. You have no control over the polling period nor it is consistent. We’ve seen devices being polled every 3-5 minutes, others polled every 30-60 minutes and some devices that are never polled at all. ST is not clear about how polling works or even guarantee that devices will be polled at all. However they do say that it is supposed to poll every 15 minutes. -
Polling cannot explain the battery drains you’re experiencing. I’ve personally setup a lock and manually polled it every minute continuously just to see how much battery drain happens and the battery (duracell alkaline) lasted a few months. ST will definitely not poll that much.
What you’re experiencing could be caused by a couple of things:
- Battery - what type are you using? Alkaline or Lithium (not Lithium Ion) or Rechargeables - it is advisable to use only alkaline or 1.5v lithium (not lithium ion) batteries for best battery life. Rechargeables had lower voltages and can appear to die faster because locks have a cut off voltage that determines when they stop operating, higher the voltage, the longer they will operate which is why rechargeables are at a disadvantage. Here is a little post comparing the battery life:
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Some app is continuously communicating with your lock, this you can track down easily through the events page in the IDE.
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You had a bad Z-Wave chip/lock. It’s known to happen. We have 3 identical Schlage locks in our lab and the battery life between them vary a lot from 2 months to 9 months. Identical setups and batteries.
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Your Z-Wave setup if you lock is too far or you don’t have z-wave repeaters it can speed up battery drain.