Hi All!
Is there a way for me to find out the path/route/hops that the z wave devices use to connect to the SmartThings hub?
Our master suite is about 40 feet from the hub and the in-wall z wave switch is behind 2 to 3 walls in the master suite. In the hallway we have couple ceiling lights using z wave bulbs. I recently discovered that if I turn of the power switch to the ceiling lights, I am no longer able to control the z wave device in master suite and as soon as the ceiling lights turn on, switch is accessible again.
The FAQ should be of interest (this is a clickable link)
But the short answer is no, SmartThings does not provide us with this utility.
Your Z wave lightbulbs can be excellent repeaters, but only when they are on power. They can look dark, but they still need to have power to the radio or they cannot hear the messages they are supposed to repeat.
Beyond that, you should not be using a regular switch to cut off the current to the bulbs on a regular basis – – the inrush current when you turn the bulbs back on can damage the radios overtime and significantly reduce the useful life of what are already expensive bulbs.
It’s OK if you just have an occasional power outage, say two or three times a year, but if you want to put these lights on a switch you use every day you need to provide a different alternative than just the regular switch that cuts power to them.
See the following FAQ for that. Although it says hue in the topic title, it applies to any smart bulb, including zwave bulbs.
So choose an alternative which always leaves your zwave bulbs on power and not only will you improve the routing through your Z wave network, you will also extend the life of the bulbs.
