I managed to manually add new Z-Wave device to SmartThings when SmartThings hub is not the Z-Wave Master Controller

Devices & Integrations
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I don’t know if this will work for everyone, but it appears to be working for me.

I have an existing Z-Wave network when I purchased SmartThings, and I didn’t want to rebuild it with the ST hub as master controller. So I had the hub join the network instead. Works well.

However, when there are new devices, I would need to remove the hub from the network and have it join again. This would remove names, automation, rules, etc. I would also need to remove some of the Z-Wave devices from SmartThings even though it has left the network. Then I’d need to add it back and rename all the devices again, and set up automation. It’s a pain, but it works.

This got me wondering if it is possible to add a device in manually into SmartThings, AFTER it has been added to the Z-Wave home network. Since I needed to replace a failing switch, I thought this would be a good time to test. If it fails, I can always fall back to the remove / join procedure.

Switch: GE / Jasco Embrighten 46201 Z-Wave in-wall switch with S2

First, I excluded the old and failing Intermatics switch (12 years old at this point), removed it, wired in the new switch, and included it, using my Z-Stick Gen 5.

Next, I went to the IDE and went to the Device page: https://graph-na04-useast2.api.smartthings.com/device/

Device ID for Z-Wave devices is a 8 bit number, specified in hexadecimal. I noticed that they were increasing as I added devices to the network. The last ID listed was 0B, and the hub itself is 0C, so I figured it will be 0D or larger. There are software tools that can probe your network and discover their IDs, I should have used one, but I got lazy.

I clicked on “+ New Device” and filled in that page. Device Type = Z-Wave Switch, Device Network ID = 0D worked. I also filled in the Location (Home) and Hub (Home Hub). I also named it “Dining Room Light”.

After that is done, I had Alexa refresh the Smart Home devices again.

The light works from: SmartThings app (both classic and new) and through Amazon Echo.

The only difference is how it is displayed under “Devices”. It lacks details of the switch, and it does not show the routing of the device to my SmartThings hub. I include two photos of screen cap from the IDE for reference. Switch 0B was discovered from the exclude / include of the hub from my home network, and Switch 0D was added manually.

I have another two switches to add, and I’ll try this method for them as well. Again, if anything breaks, I can always do the exclude / include method.

If there’s anything anyone would like me to test, please let me know.

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First of all how you managed to add the hub as a secondary controller? What was your procedure?

Otherwise, those metrics are fulfilled when devices are joining the Z-wave network. As you added it manually, not a surprise that it is not fulfilled for Switch 0D.

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First of all how you managed to add the hub as a secondary controller? What was your procedure?

Classic SmartThings App, select hub. Select Z-Wave Utilities, Join Z-Wave network.

If you see “Remove hub from Z-Wave network”, it means you’re already in a network.

Otherwise, those metrics are fulfilled when devices are joining the Z-wave network. As you added it manually, not a surprise that it is not fulfilled for Switch 0D.

Those devices did join the Z-wave network and I’m sure the info exists … somewhere. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a way for the hub to pull this info from the master controller. But since it appears to be working fine without this info, I’m not going to worry about it.

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I had my ST as a secondary to my ADT Pulse hub. ADT pulse is gone now.

Is there anything I need to in the ST app (new) or the smarthings.com device management tool?
I notice it has a z-wave controller entry, which is either itself, or the old primary hub (ADT Pulse).

I’m having trouble adding new switches, (old ones work fine), so I want to make sure the ST itself isn’t having trouble because of a primary/secondary expectation.

I’ll start my own thread on the Add problem. I’m just checking my basic configuration since I had it weird.

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Since this popped up to the top of the feed again, I thought I just respond to the original post.

Any time you have a primary Z wave hub and a secondary Z wave hub, the secondary receives information about all of the devices which are on the network at the time that the secondary joins the network.

After that, devices which are added by the primary will be unknown to the secondary, which is why you had the issue of having to re-add the smartthings hub to get all the new information.

If you add a device to the secondary (some platforms allow you to do this) then it will be known to both the secondary and primary.

In your case, what you’ve described is adding the device to the primary and then manually updating the network information in your cloud account. Because of the way smartthings works, that will allow you to do some things with those devices, but not everything. Because, as you note, the smartthings hub doesn’t have all the device information.

You probably don’t have to worry about that as long as everything seems to be working OK. Routing might get a little goofy, and you might have some challenges setting up associations. But it just depends on the exact configuration of your network.

So… What you saw is normal for zwave, and the workaround is normal also, although not best practices. But if it solves a need you have, there shouldn’t be any harm in doing it.

Oh, One more thought: I’d be very surprised if you could use the workaround with zwave locks.

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For lots of reasons, you need to get your smartthings hub set as the primary zwave controller Now that the original master hub is gone. I just don’t know if there is anyway to do that on the SmartThings platform other than rebuilding the whole network. :thinking:

@posborne

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I just don’t know if there is anyway to do that on the SmartThings platform other than rebuilding the whole network.

In this particular case rebuilding the network is the way to go, since it seems like the ADT controller was removed without being excluded (there is still an ST device for the controller even though you have taken it off the network). In my testing when the primary controller is excluded using the ST hub, the ST hub becomes the primary controller; however, like you said, devices included with the ADT controller before the ST hub was on the network wont work perfectly because associations with the ST hub have not been setup.

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How does the primary controller appear to Smart Things in the IDE?

Is that the entry I’m seeing for Z-Wave controller?

I haven’t removed it yet, because I’m guessing it could just as easily represent the ST z-wave controller itself, not my old ADT controller.

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How does the primary controller appear to Smart Things in the IDE?

There would not be a device listed for the SmartThings z-wave controller (both primary or secondary) since the hub itself is the controller. A device that appears as a z-wave controller is a different controller than the hub.

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10

perfect. then that means the entry I have is likely the old ADT Pulse hub and not the ST itself. :slight_smile:
I should be able to Delete it, and maybe that’ll make the ST as it’s own primary. (or at least remove any ST self-doubt)