I’m not wanting anything extreme. Just a simple security alarm system and I can’t get this system to work correctly. Now I thought my Fortrezz siren quit working because the app couldn’t control it, so I went to Lowes and bought their siren. ST can’t find it and then I tried a new ecolink motion that ST can’t find either. Unplugged and plugged hub back in and still can’t find new items. Support is no help at all and I’m basically a newbie that doesn’t understand 9/10 of the information I read on the community board. Now my decision is which company to which I’m going to switch. Sorry for the rant but I’ve had it!
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Sounds to me you may have a bad hub. Try returning it for a new one. Did you get it from Amazon, Best Buy, SmartThings shop?
I got it from ST and they are no help whatsoever! I would appreciate anyone with suggestions. The hub works fine with the items that I already have connected, but with no siren, the security is useless.
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Sounds like you might have had a connection issue with the first siren. How close is it to the hub? Are there any z-wave devices between the hub and the siren that are wall-powered or direct-wired?
Also, some devices don’t like to pair unless you have a custom devicetype that specifically works for them. Range from the hub while pairing if you don’t have a strong ‘mesh’ network setup in your house will also cause issues. You can extend the range of the ‘mesh’ by using wall-powered/direct-wired z-wave devices (or zigbee to expand the zigbee mesh, they’re completely separate standards). These wall-powered/direct-wired devices will almost always act as a repeater for the network, effectively extending the range of your z-wave or zigbee signal.
Final question, was the siren you bought from Lowes an ‘Iris’ branded one? Because those use a proprietary form of zigbee and are not compatible with the ST hub.
I placed the fortrezz siren next to the hub and it connected. Still not working correctly though. Placed the motion detector in the same spot and the hub can’t find it. Yes, the Lowes siren had Iris written on the packaging. I had read where many people on the community had gotten them to work easily. Not so in my case though.
Looks like the Iris siren is a rebranded utilitech. You will have to get the custom devicetype for it to pair correctly if you haven’t already.
I can confirm that the Lowes (Utilitech) siren works with ST. You don’t need a custom driver. You may want to try excluding it first in case your previous unsuccessful inclusion attempts left it in some weird state.
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You can find instructions for excluding devices here:
https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/200878314-How-to-exclude-Z-Wave-devices
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All the posts you see above are basically the same topics we discussed in your PM to me earlier today. In my honest opinion, if you want a security system, then don’t rely on ST. I have over 200 devices, and there’s always something to address. Sometimes it’s platform related, and sometimes it’s an issue with a device.
Additionally, it’s going to take some expertise with the IDE to set things up like a control panel, which will need a custom device type, as well as for debugging issues. You could use other button controllers too. Either option will require time and effort, including after the install. If you expect to integrate presence sensors like your phone or ST’s devices, you will be disappointed with reliability and performance.
Based on our PM discussions, and your other threads, I can’t recommend ST to you as your security system. For home automation - Yes, I do recommend ST. If you’re looking for a “set and forget” security system, I’d recommend security systems that are purposely designed for the job rather than you trying to build up your own. There are wired and wireless systems that do a great job.
With everything I have invested in SmartThings (time and money), I do not use it for security. I have a dedicated system by Honeywell with a network module I use for remote management, and I do not pay monthly fees. I think that may be your best alternative to ST in my opinion.
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Thank you for the posts and recommendations. I was able to finally pair them but the alarms are still not working correctly. I may still save the ST for future use and investigate in an designated security system that will meet my needs like the Honeywell suggestion. Thanks to all!
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