I bought a second kwikset 914 for my back door. I can lean the lock in successfully, but it won’t work when installed.
I read support discussions about the difficulty securely pairing these devices to the iq4 panel, but I’ve decided this is not the problem, because it’s works fine when near the panel, and stops when in location (about 30ft away and down one floor).
The z-wave network map shows it has too weak a signal, and no hops.
How far should it be able to reach?
What z-wave device(s) can I add to my system to be able to monitor this door? How about a smart outlet? If yes, can any z-wave smart outlet be used successfully as a repeater?
That sounds like a repeater issue but to confirm, Locks should be within 6 feet of the panel during the pairing process and left there for about 5 minutes after pairing to complete secure enrollment.
30 feet from the panel to the lock with no other repeating nodes is likely too far. Placing a repeater in between should help. There isnt a hard and fast rule on distance between nodes but 20 to 25 feet should be ok. Local testing is always recommended.
While there are specific Z-Wave devices that are only repeaters, basically any Z-Wave device that plug s into the wall (not a battery powered device) will act as a repeater.
Qolsys has a list of devices that have been tested compatible with the IQP4. This is a good place to start when looking for devices.
More information on setting up a Z-Wave network, including pairing steps and best practices can be found in the below guides:
Ok great thanks I like the sound of a bulb or an outlet, I’ll try that before I try a repeater, I think.
Though from the links you shared, a repeater has an added advantage that normal devices don’t: doubling the number of hops/network scope, so might be a good investment anyway.
Also I think I’m using terms wrong here. I’m trying to think about the point in the support article you linked to, which explains that a z-wave device extends the initial networks range, while consuming one of the max four hops for that network. While a range extender would create a new net with it’s own set of four hops max. Do I have this right?
he universal range extender you sell doesn’t seem to be for z-wave.
This isnt for Z-Wave its for RF sensors.
Any Z-Wave device that plug into an outlet will repeat the signal, this will be a node that a command can jump from. The Smart Switch 6 does this, the bulb will do this, any z-wave devices that isnt battery powered.
And the aotec smart switch 6 which your shop says doubles as a range extender, is apparently obsolete.
This device still works. They just are harder to get as they were replaced with the 7s
And the new smart switch 7, on the aotec site, no longer identifies itself as a range extender.
Havent seen the 7s work correctly on the IQ Panel 4. They should in theory but weve seen reports that they dont work as they should.
While a range extender would create a new net with it’s own set of four hops max. Do I have this right?
The extender (like the Aeotec Range Extender 6) repeats the signal just like other powered Z-Wave devices but it also boosts the signal it receives but does not create a new network
Ok I see, so the range extender is just a z-wave device without any other function, and it doesn’t extend the number of hops.
So there is no way ever for any z-wave network to travel more than four hops? So the max range for any z-wave network, ever, is something like 15x4=60ft inside a house full of walls, appliances, metal, radiating devices, etc ?
Or maybe the range extender has a stronger receiver and transmitter, and so can increase that a little bit. But still, if a zw net is always limited to four hops max, them even throwing lots of range extenders around the house can’t fix the problem for weak devices.
I wonder how such a limited technology ever got a foothold.
Z-wave locks have the worst effective range. In general, battery operated Z-wave devices need help more than others. That’s a big reason that panels don’t support Z-wave security sensors.
AC powered Z-wave devices, which comprise the vast majority of Z-wave options, act as repeaters for the network. These can be light switches, dimmers, AC powered thermostats, etc., or a dedicated plug-in Z-wave repeater with no other functions.
Any AC powered repeating Z-wave device will have a better effective range than a lock.
Ultimate range will be affected by your home construction and your panel placement, but 4 hops should be more than enough for home use, unless we are talking massive sprawling homes or outbuildings.
I was struggling with this because I tried the suggestion “use any line voltage z-wave device as a signal booster/repeater” and it didn’t work.
I am slowly converting an existing ADT system to Surety/ADC, and I had a z-wave smart chime in the system. So I added that in, even though the panel did not recognize it, as an “other device”. And then plugged it in near the lock, and then ran network rediscovery.
But, when I look at the z-wave network map on the panel, the chime is not being used to hop to the lock. Do you know why?
Here is a pic of the chime I added in. It did not seem to be supported by IQ4, so I added it as your “other” just to see if it could be used as a repeater.
I grabbed one of the aeotec 7 range extenders and was able to successfully enroll it, and it immediately recognized it as a repeater as well as supporting both s0/s2 (though smart start would NOT work, I haven’t been able to get it to scan a qr code successfully yet).
The panel isn’t super smart about routing as I have it plugged 10 feet away in line of sight to my back door and the lock frequently still tries to connect directly to my main panel at -90+db instead of the repeater at -70db. I used it as an excuse to upgrade my 10 year old original z-wave locks to the new 700 series locks as the one I put on my crawlspace door works way better now.
I noticed the same thing! The panel seems really dumb about routing. Or is it z-wave itself that is dumb?
I got the aotec smart switch seven working, and their range extender, but could not follow the advice about simply dividing distances up.
In order to force the range extender to be used, I had to move it nearly all the way to the smart lock, else the system would try and reach the smart lock without using any of the closer devices.
I noticed the same thing! The panel seems really dumb about routing. Or is it z-wave itself that is dumb?
I have seen a couple other users report similar issues when trying to get a desired route to be used. It does seem to be Z-wave version related as I do not recall this kind of report on older IQ Panel 2/2+ before the new radio version.
I’ll add your panel info to the existing Qolsys ticket report.
