Linear WD500z and ADC

Hi - I recently installed the Linear WD500z. The physical dimmer is able to dim successfully. The 2gig panel is able to recognize the switch and control it with no delay.

ADC recognizes the switch, but is unable to control it consistently. Maybe 1 command out of 50 is processed, sometimes with a 30 second or more delay. Any thoughts on how to fix this?

It looks like a dimmer was added yesterday and reported malfunction for a very long period of time, much of the time since it was added.

To rule out issues:

  1. Bring the panel to the dimmer and remove the zwave device from the network.
  2. Re-add the dimmer within a few feet of the panel.
  3. Take your panel back to its permanent location and power it via AC.
  4. Run a Network Rediscovery on your panel.
  5. Wait 3-5 minutes.
  6. Test signaling.

The dimmer is in an area that’s being remodeled, so the power was cut to it overnight.

For some reason I am unable to reassociate the switch with the panel. It associated quickly yesterday. I also tried the reset controller option in the z wave advanced toolbox, but no luck. Any thoughts on other things to try?

You will have to perform the remove device function before adding again. To remove, you’ll select the Remove Device on the panel and typically follow the same procedure on the Zwave device you would to add.

Both the panel and the Zwave device store network info. The remove function clears both. Resetting the controller only clears the controller.

Ok - I was able to remove the device from the panel.

I followed the steps above and got a device failed error after performing the network check. The switch is on the first floor and the panel is on the second. Check network completes successfully when the panel is moved to the first floor. Now maybe 25% of commands succeed from the iPhone app. Any other thoughts on how to make the behavior more consistent?

This is most likely a signal distance/interruption issue then. How many AC powered Zwave devices do you have? A Zwave network gets stronger the bigger it gets (aside from battery operated devices) because AC powered devices repeat signals to farther nodes.

For Zwave installation tips, see this page.

What is the distance between the panel and the switch?

Just 1 AC-powered z wave device currently. The panel is about 10 ft away. To confirm, controlling the dimmer from the panel was quick despite the ADC issues.

ADC communication seems to be working reasonably well now after removing the device and following the steps above.

BTW - any thoughts on connecting the aluminum pigtails to copper wires? The instructions don’t address this, but some sites recommend using a special wire nut for this.

If you are referring to the AC voltage line, load connections, neutral, etc. Yes, you will always want to use a connector of some kind rated for high voltage. Wire nuts are common. These will be widely available in local hardware stores.