I am trying to add a jasco outdoor smart switch and even 3 feet away from the controller cannot recognize that the device is there for adding. any known issues with these devices? It just has an on/off/learn button and a blue LED. I plug it in, put the Qolsys in include / learn mode, press the button on the device and nothing happens, wait 30 seconds, try again. Any other tricks? I have other jasco wall switches and ADC thermostats in the system already working fine for over 2 years.
Z-wave devices can only be linked to one parent network at a time. It’s recommended to run a Remove (Clear) Device function first, which will clear the parent network link in the device. You can do this with the Qolsys panel, the device does not need to be currently connected to it.
Okay, I had done that as well before posting, but the panel times out on the clear as well (with device 3’ from controller). I am wondering if I got a dud device. is there any other way to test the device?
The process I followed to ensure things were in correct order just to be sure.
1.) plug in device with the button held for 3 second until light flashes to ensure the device has been factory reset. This worked as expected on the plug device.
2.) use the process as documented in the note you connected. the clear function on the panel eventually timeout with a message that it never saw the device.
3.) I tried just doing an add again with the include button on the zwave add device screen. same timeout.
If you have reset that device and tried removal and the device is not found by the IQ Panel it is very likely the device is not communicating properly.
I would first try a reboot of the Qolsys panel, then try remove again.
Just to be sure what is the exact model number on the switch?
Will try a reboot. the device number 14298-5.
no love on the reboot and retry, clear and add both fail to see the device. I assume the device is bad. BTW, this is branded as GE Enbrighten, don’t know why I called it a Jasco (I think they make them right?)
BTW, amazon had a different brand device: Minoston Z-Wave Plus Smart Plug, Outdoor On/Off Outlet Switch, ZWave Hub Required, Weather-Resistant, Built-in Repeater, Work with SmartThings, Wink, Alexa, Black(MP22Z)
Is that any better/worse?
Most light switches, if just a single on/off device, should work.
A binary switch Z-wave device is simple and there is little difference between them, but in some cases you might see incompatibilities, especially if they are multifunction devices.
Officially supported devices in Alarm.com are listed here. Generally I recommend sticking to the list where possible.
Turns out the latest Jasco/GE outdoor switch (#14298) is fully S2 / Smartset integrated. My panel was not upgraded to Z-wave firmware 6.8.1 yet and the device was not recognized. I upgraded the panel to the latest firmware and then it connected no problem.
My IQ Panel 2 was purchased in early 2020 and I guess it was before the upgrade to that firmware. It was upgraded to software 2.5.2, but the z-wave was not updated.
I found a video on another DIY site with info on the firmware upgrade 