V2 Hub Devices NEVER show up for inclusion

I sent this to support this morning but I’m hoping someone in the community can help!

I still have not heard back from you guys. I understand you are busy, but I have had a LOT of problems getting devices to include using the iOS app and I’m beginning to think I made the wrong choice.

No matter what method of inclusion I have tried on each device (Ecolink Door Switch, Evolve LFM-20 or GE 12722 light switch) none of them show up the first… Second… Third… Or 20th time. I’ve been able to get everything to connect to the hub and function (with the exception of the GE switch), but only after trying LOTS OF TIMES.

I have relocated my hub closer to the GE Switch but it will NOT include or even show up when I try to find it.

When I press the on off switch I can hear the internal relay clicking but the lights don’t work and it isn’t recognizing on the app.

I’m stuck and running thin on patience.

I realize there could be a wiring issue with the switch, but given the problems I have had with every single device I’m thinking that isn’t the problem

Andrew,

Couple of questions for you:
Are you migrating from V1 to V2 hub?
Did you exclude all of the devices before connecting to the V2 hub?
When you say you press the switch and you can hear the relay, but the “lights don’t work” are you referring to the light on the GE switch, or lights that are connected to the load?

Regards,
David

Hey David,

Thanks for the response. To answer the questions.

  1. This is my first smartthings hub. No migration and the devices are all brand new from amazon or samsung
  2. I didn’t have the need to exclude anything.
  3. The light i’m referring to would be the lights the switch controls. The LED on the front of the switch works as intended, to the best of my knowledge!

Hope that helps!

-Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Sometimes you may need to exclude devices even though they are purchased “new”. I have received items from Amazon that have been customer returns that were already paired with another z-wave network. It doesn’t hurt to exclude devices.

The light switch should work regardless of whether it is connected to Z-wave network or not.

The light not working could be a couple of things that I can think of:

  1. Wiring issue - power not reaching the light
  2. Defective switch
  3. Too much load - what is the rating of the GE switch compared to the lights (the GE 12722 is rated at 600 watts)

Couple of things from the ST Support site:

Range: The switch may be too far away. It may help to be close to the Hub when initially connecting a device (within 15 feet).

Air Gap Switch: The GE in-wall switch has another small switch called an “air gap switch,” which will cut power to the device if it’s pulled out. The air gap switch is located right below the main switch itself, often next to the LED. Make sure the air gap switch is completely pushed in and not pulled out when trying to connect your device.

Regards,
David

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Hey David,

A couple of thoughts. I was pretty careful identifying the load and line wires in the box before wiring and added the neutral so I THINK the wiring is correct.

Regarding the wattage, I need to check on the wattage when I get home. New home renovation and they are new LED Can Lights, so I wouldn’t think they would exceed the rating for the switch but I can’t say for sure!

A couple thoughts and questions though…

  1. I hadn’t purchased the add on switch for the circuit because I didn’t think I needed it, I’m not sure if not having the add on switch will prevent it from working but I wouldn’t think it would.
  2. Related to that statement, initially wiring the switch i wired the traveler wire into the terminal on the switch but I read that you should leave this disconnected if you don’t have the add on yet. The traveler wire has since been disconnected from the switch.

I greatly appreciate the help. I’m not getting anything back from Smartthings support… (i know they have a lot going on, frustrating none the less

I will plug the hub in closer to the switch when including too to see if that helps!

And I confirmed that the 5 can lights are 10 watts each so that shouldn’t be an issue either.

Does the light on the front of the hub blink when you’re searching for a device?

I have not verified that, but I will do so in a few hours. Appreciate the feedback! I’m anxious to resolve this and begin tinkering with my hub and devices but this is frustrating me every evening when I come home.

Did you verify that you can use the switch without the hub itself ?
I too bought my first hub (v2) two days ago and was able to connect 3 of the GE switches. Yes they do not connect on the first try (maybe 16-20 tries). My hub was about 15-20 feet away from the switches.

First make sure that the switch works without the hub. That should tell you that your wiring is correct and that the switch is working correctly.

A few other things to try also:

  1. If you can get a Z-Wave device or two to pair, try running a Z-Wave Network Repair and trying the other devices again.
  2. Is the Hub near any other wireless devices? If possible, try and give the hub some “breathing room” to eliminate the impact of radio interference. Placing your SmartThings Hub on top of your router or sandwiched between your Roku, FireTV and AppleTV is going to cause problems.
  3. Try bringing the hub closer to the device(s) to eliminate range/interference as the issue. If possible, use a long Ethernet cable and bring the hub directly to the device. If you do this, you’ll need to run a Z-Wave Network Repair after returning the hub to its original location.

I’m sure others can chime in with helpful tips too.

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All of this feedback has been very helpful and i’m very grateful. To respond:

It does not work with or without the hub. However, and I guess I could be wrong, the old switch had four wires. Two black wires, a red traveler and a ground.

Steps to wire were:

  1. Make sure the lights were turned OFF before disconnecting power at the breaker to be able to identify line and load
  2. Remove the old light switch
  3. Restore power on the circuit
  4. Using my Fluke I verified the line wire measuring 110V between line and ground
  5. Verified the load wire measuring 0V between the load wire and ground
  6. Spliced the neutral into the switch with the jumper provided
  7. Initially wired the traveler into the traveler terminal but removed when I discovered it shouldn’t be used if you don’t have the add on switch

To clarify, the switch does not work to control the lights? If that’s the case you’ll need to resolve this before you’re able to connect the device to any home automation system.

That’s correct, it will NOT control the lights after wiring it up… I have no clue what the problem would be then. I wired it using the only sound method I could think of.

  1. Make sure the lights were turned OFF before disconnecting power at the breaker to be able to identify line and load
  2. Remove the old light switch
  3. Restore power on the circuit
  4. Using my Fluke I verified the line wire measuring 110V between line and ground
  5. Verified the load wire measuring 0V between the load wire and ground
  6. Disconnected power at the breaker again
  7. Spliced the neutral into the switch with the jumper provided
  8. Initially wired the traveler into the traveler terminal but removed when I discovered it shouldn’t be used if you don’t have the add on switch
  9. Restore power

This is where my troubleshooting expertise breaks down. I’ll see if I can find anything useful for you!

Is this setup a 3-way switch that you’re just not switching the second switch for? If it’s a 3-way setup you’ll need the add-on switch so that both switches can talk to each other.

Also, if your lights aren’t turning on when you use the switch then this is not a ST issue at all. I’m using GE switches and dimmers all over my house and they work as expected before being paired with the hub. If you can’t use the switch then it is an issue with either the wiring or the switch itself.

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It is a 3-way switch, but I was of the impression that if you simply don’t connect the traveler you won’t run into any complications.

I’m going to check the wiring again tonight to make sure everything is secured

Did you remove the other side of the 3-way switch and connect the wires with a wire nut to complete the circuit?

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Is the LED on the switch lit?

put the old switch back in and measure every wire to confirm what does what.

Most 3 ways use 2 switched wires. Black comes into the switch, white goes to light from the circuit breaker. Then at the main and slave switch red and white are switched. So at the slave box if you don’t have the old switch on for them to be connected the Zwave will not work.

Check this out.

When you say “On” do you mean the switch turned on or do you mean disconnect the switch as Ben mentioned above and complete the circuit by terminating the wires? I would guess either would work but wanted to be clear.

I would guess this is the issue regarding the light not coming on when the switch is turned. I suspect the inclusion problem could be related to the hub still though.