Kwikset 910 and problem with z-wave devices

I have a Kwikset 910 z-wave plus on my front door. I’m noticing when it gets cold, somewhere below 30F, the batteries drop to 1% for a day or 2 and then die. This sucks as I’m really getting tired of the battery swap game. But one problem at a time…
I have also noticed when this happens, the lock is obviously no longer on the hub network and other things either disappear too, or just don’t work. It’s almost like this lock has become a very key device (no pun intended) to the z-wave network. When I put in fresh batteries, everything goes back to normal within a few minutes.
Is there a way to remove this device from being used as a relay? I’ve thought about doing a network repair without the lock powered, but it will just be added back when it is powered again.

Battery powered devices don’t act as routers. I won’t doubt the cold isn’t doing the lock any favors - but it won’t impact others like that. Now a common router taking out the lock AND… Possible. What kind of hardwired line powered devices do you have relatively close to the lock?

Most battery powered devices in the price range that operate with a smartthings account are only spec’d for down to freezing. The batteries themselves just don’t operate well below that.

The Kwikset 910 is typical for smart locks in that it assumes that the interior side is in a heated area and it is only the exterior that is exposed to the weather.

Temperature Range
Humidity
Command Classes
6V (4 x AA alkaline batteries)
2 1⁄8" diameter face hole & 1" diameter latch hole
Adjustable 2 3⁄8" or 2 3⁄4"
1 3⁄8" – 2" automatic adjustment
1" x 2 1⁄4" round corner standard
Round corner strike 2 3⁄4" x 2 1⁄8"
Round corner adjustable 2 3⁄8" x 2 3⁄4"
1" throw, steel deadbolt
Reversible
SmartKey SecurityTM
Exterior: -40°F to 150°F Interior: 32°F to 140°F
Exterior: 100% condensing Interior: 99% non-condensing

https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/content/Kwikset/SmartCode-910TRL-Z-Wave-Data-Sheet

If you have it on an unheated garage or outbuilding, so that the interior side is also subject to temperatures below freezing, you’re going to see battery issues.

If the interior side is above freezing while the exterior side is not, it should work fine. If it’s failing under those conditions, contact the manufacturer as it may be a defective device.

As @nathancu mentioned, as a battery operated device it shouldn’t have any impact on the other devices on your Z-Wave network. There are only a few battery powered Z wave devices that can act as a repeater, and those were probably prominently noted: they are usually parts of a security system and designed to keep the sensor messages getting to the hub even when the power is out. But at the time of this writing none of the Kwikset locks fall into this category. :thinking:

Routers? I didn’t mention anything about the lock being a router. Repeater or relay device. And you are the first one I’ve ever heard say battery powered devices don’t work as relays. Assuming that’s what you meant. I did find another post where someone said their 910 takes down the Smartthings network when the lock dies.
Mine takes out a good chunk of devices when it dies. I’m 100% sure this lock is being used as a middleman in some fashion. I just had the lock die, I had at least 6 devices, some of which are closer to the hub then the lock, all non responsive or show as off the network. As soon as I put in fresh batteries and the lock was back online, everything is working flawless. This is the 5th time in about 2 months I’ve done this.
My lock sits about 18in from 2 leviton z-wave switches and a GE Jasco switch. The lock is 15 steps from the Smartthings hub and in line of sight. I have a total of 11 GE Jasco Z-wave switches within 12 to 25 ft of the lock. I believe 2 of those are Z-wave plus.

This lock is probably in the worst place to be any kind of middleman relay. For example, 2 of the devices that became non responsive tonight when the lock died are closer to the hub then the lock. In fact, the hub is almost in the middle of the lock and non responsive devices.

Most battery powered zwave devices don’t work as repeaters because it would use up too much battery life. You can check this for any individual device by going to the official Z wave alliance site and looking at the conformance statement to see what type of device it is. If it’s a repeater, it will say so there. In this case, it is described as a “sleepy” device. Those are not repeaters.

https://products.z-wavealliance.org/products/2188

In contrast, here is the conformance statement for a device which is a repeater:

(By the way, the term “relay“ is not used in this context for repeaters for Zwave. In a Z wave contact, relay means a binary on/off device.

The term “router” IS used for repeaters for zigbee and Thread. Just different protocols have different terminology.)

JDRoberts,
It is my front door so the inside is above freezing. However, those batteries get cold. I know the cold is impacting them. Ive also been experimenting with different types of batteries when I have to replace. Rechargeable lithium 2400 have worked the longest. We had a couple warm days last week, above 50F and not below 30F at night and the batteries stayed at 90%. Friday night it dropped to 25F for the high and 17 at night. Took 2 days of that and tonight the lock died at about 9pm. At least 6 devices that I tried to use or saw in the app went down too. As soon as I put in the new batteries, they all came back. Almost immediately.
I hear what your saying about battery devices not being repeaters, but WTH? I’m by no means new to Smartthings. Every switch in my house with the exception of 1 hallway is a Z-Wave or ZigBee switch. I’ve pulled devices, moved devices, added, replaced, upgraded devices. I have never seen anything like what happens when this lock dies. I would almost swear it’s a mini hub.
This strange behavior with devices happens every time the lock dies. I can’t say it’s the same devices, at least 3 definitely are though.

It’s definitely weird, but it’s not acting as a middleman. :thinking:

What it might be doing, though, is flooding the network with “help, I’m dying “messages of some sort, even just rapidly repeated battery status messages, and that’s interfering with your other devices.

So I’m not questioning the symptoms that you’re seeing, it’s just not for the reason you initially suspected. The other devices don’t need it to be there to communicate. But the process of its failing might be causing problems on the network.

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I had that same thought about the lock flooding the network with signal. As soon as I saw in the app that the lock was off the network, I figured all communication was stopped. Maybe that is true with the hub but the lock is reaching out to those other devices and screwing them up? Certainly this isn’t programed normal behavior. Assuming that’s what’s going on.
I think to test this, I will pull the batteries and see if any devices drop or give issues.
I think I may reach out to Kwikset and see if they maybe want to replace the z-wave radio module. I read about people doing that.

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That makes sense as a test.

BTW, I had a similar issue with a Schlage lock a few years ago, where it was eating through batteries really quickly. After two weeks of dealing with Schlage support, they ultimately sent me a replacement radio module and that did fix the problem. So I think it is a problem they had on some versions of the module. I know that’s a different brand, but I think it’s a problem that might occur on other Z wave locks, so I just mention it. :thinking:

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