After you connect fifty or so devices, it becomes more difficult to manage. You need to stay on top of node status.
I manage a wifi mesh using a tool by open-mesh called cloudtrax (www.cloudtrax.com). It has a cool interface that you place each node on a map and it shows how it fits into the mesh including signal strength.
It would be nice if SmartThings could create a similar layout of the zigbee and z-wave mesh.
Yeah it can get a bit fragmented. I am assuming you routinely use the Repair Z-Wave Network utility that is found within the “IDE” site?
@Ben Can you eleborate on how the Repair Z-Wave Utility works? I’d love to know what it’s doing 
Basically it just optimizes the connections between Z-Wave devices regardless of when and where you paired them. It optimizes nodes and parent-child relationships. I would need @duncan to really give you the lowdown but @urman could probably help too.
Thanks @Ben , the reason I ask is I have a device that NEVER updates its on off status, when it is turned on from a hello home phrase, but it will consistantly turn on and off when i turn the switch on and off. Was wondering if the repair should in theory solve this. I have tired it to no avail. I am debating getting a zwave repeater. Thoughts on that?
If you are thinking of getting a Z-Wave repeater because your devices are, perhaps, on the edge of the range, I would suggest getting outlets since they have a secondary use. These wil all work:
Even
hmmmmm maybe that won’t work then. I have a zwave switch 15 feet from this one that works fine. I’ll have to rethink my layout maybe.
That is where mesh information can be helpful. Sometimes it isn’t clear why the environment impacts signal. Seeing the signal strength between devices would be helpful.
Make sure the device at issue is Z-Wave and not Zigbee.
When a Z-Wave device joins, it checks every other device in the network and tells the controller which devices it is in range of. The controller uses this information to decide how to route messages to devices via repeaters. If you take one of those repeaters out of the network or move it or the controller, this information can get out of date. Z-Wave network repair asks every (listening) device which of the other devices in the network are in range and updates all the devices with their new best routes.
The hub can report the neighbor graph info, but we haven’t had the chance to add a visualization of this data yet.
@tslagle13 That sounds like a known issue. GE Z-Wave switches will sometimes get overloaded and stop sending us state reports even though you can still turn them on and off. It should start working again if you power-cycle it (for in-wall switches use the circuit breaker or air gap switch). We’re working on a fix.
Thanks @duncan that helps me understand what’s happening. Can any zwave device act as a repeater?
Any always-powered Z-Wave device will act as a repeater. A device that can run on batteries will not.
For what it’s worth, I have the same problem. It’s easy to fix for the in-wall switches, by pulling the little air gap tab out to power cycle the device. However, it’s a major pain in the ass for the in-wall receptacles, which don’t have the air gap tab, and require me to throw the circuit breaker. Happens at least once a week.
Super glad and excited to hear that you are working on a fix. Can’t wait.
I currently have 114 devices connected. About once a week or two I get one that no longer responds. I do a network repair & it shows “failed to update mesh info”. So I go around & pop the air gap on everything, then power cycle my hub then repair again. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. Then I have to exclude & re-add, which is a huge PITA since I have so many SmartApps connected to that device. I have to remove them all, reset the device & then add them all back. (Backup/restore support please!!)
I am beginning to have the same problem with my Zwave switches. Good times…
It shouldn’t be happening frequently anymore. It can still pop up when there is too much Z-Wave traffic in a short period of time. Make sure not to use high-traffic smartapps like Pollster with Z-Wave devices.
I only have one pollster running every 15 minutes for my thermostat. Must be something wrong with my Z-Wave mesh because I get at least one device with the issue a week.
