I’m having issues with an Cooper Aspire RF dimmer switch reporting its On/Off/Dim status to Vera. In researching these forums, I’ve learned that Lutron has created the problem with a patent and that Leviton is affected as well. I see that micasaverde may be able to eventually rectify this issue on Vera’s side, but unfortunately, that probably won’t happen any time soon. From what I see, this has been an issue for at least three years.
Considering that this device can communicate its status with other devices that are associated, there is obviously a signal going out. I presume that the status is sent by RF signal and that only z-wave is affected by the patent. Is there a way for Vera to intercept that RF command (possibly using a SmartLabs 2413U) and apply it as a devices state in Vera? Can the compatible controllers relay the information over to Vera?
Does Lutron even have a device that can communicate with Vera? It seems that they’ve taken out this patent and ruined the game for everyone else. I’m just really frustrated with how difficult it’s been to get one simple device to work. I can’t believe that a basic z-wave switch can’t work correctly right out of the box. If Z-Wave is restricted on such basic operations, can it really become a mainstream solution in the future? (Btw, we really need a frustrated emoticon for stuff like this).
Leviton devices support a “[tt]HAIL[/tt]” command which is used to provide instant updates within Z-Wave systems. My house is outfitted with Leviton devices and, if I activate them manually, Vera is updated very quickly (within seconds)
You can do a forum search on Leviton and HAIL and you’ll see the prior discussions on this topic.
That said, I don’t “mix-n-match” stuff around my house. Everything mains-powered is Leviton, so any Z-Wave hops are always through Leviton devices (if that makes a difference, but I don’t think it does in this case)
What’s confusing here is that I thought Cooper had the same support, it’s just the low-end stuff that doesn’t.
I looked in to the HAIL command and it looks like Cooper used to support it but eventually paid Lutron and then got rid of support. While that would imply that Cooper devices now report everything, I can push up and down on this dimmer and never see a status change in Vera’s log.
I’ve assigned the device to Group ID 1, but I don’t have another device that I want associated. This doesn’t seem to affect anything.
Coincidentally, I can get the on/off status to update if I use the D_BinaryLight1.xml device file. Does this mean that the switch sends everything out correctly but Vera just can’t interpret the data correctly?
Interesting…until I saw this posting, I didn’t really pay attention to whether or not my devices were accurately reporting status in the interface, but they are not. I have Cooper Aspire dimmers and switches throughout my home. As Habano states, everything works perfectly when controlled through Vera, but if I change a dimmer or switch, Vera doesn’t know about it. I just tried turning on a dimmer from within Vera, and then changing the dimmer level at the switch itself. No response in the interface. Kind of a bummer, although realistically, I’m not sure this is hugely detrimental. I don’t really expect to sit in front of the Vera interface and watch what my switches are doing. But it’s still unfortunate that they don’t operate the same as Leviton’s do.
Hmm, interesting. I don’t own any Cooper dimmers/switches, but I was also under the impression that the Cooper’s support instant status. The table on the HomeSeer site suggest they in fact do (RF9534, RF9536, RF9537).
If the status never updates in Vera, then Vera may have skipped polling because she too believes the device supports instant status (see also the [tt]Poll this node at most[/tt] setting).
Has anyone found a solution to this? Does it fail to report dimming status only or on/off status too? I’m looking to buy my first Z-wave dimmers & like the coopers, but would like functional instant status for scene control. I’m hoping Leviton isn’t the only way. :-\
I haven’t found a solution, but rather inconsistent behavior. More recently, my Vera Dashboard has been reflecting the status of my Cooper Aspire dimmers. If I set a dimmer, and then startup CP.MIOS.COM, the dimmer level is reflected on my dashboard. However, if I go over to the dimmer switch and manually change the level, Vera doesn’t seem to respond. I thought it might be related to the polling time, which is set at 60 seconds, but I waited several minutes, and the dashboard did not update with the new dimmer level. I then opened the device, clicked the “Poll Now” button, and the dimmer level updated immediately on the dashboard.
So then I tried this whole test over with another dimmer switch and, strangely, its status was reporting instantly in the Vera dashboard without my having to force the polling. In fact, this dimmer switch is next to me at my computer, so I was watching the dashboard and it was updating nearly real-time as I was changing the dimming level.
I don’t understand these inconsistencies. But perhaps this additional information might be a clue to someone?
That’s odd behavior… I just took the dive and installed a few of the Leviton switches & dimmers… All worked quite well and Vera was reporting status instantly… Then something odd happened. One of my 3-way Leviton switches came on in the middle of the night & I can’t turn it off locally. If I hit the switch it clicks off & immediately back on. I can control it just fine from the computer, but not locally… Now I’m a bit confused, has anyone ever seen this odd behavior? I tried searching but came up with nothing. This may require its own thread…
For the devices that support the HAIL command, if an association is made in group 255, then a HAIL command is sent out to the associated node, usually a controller. The HAIL command, when received by the associated node, can be acted upon and result in any action desired by the associated node software.
I wonder if it's possible to set a group 255 association.
Yes, another thread would be better. I also experienced a similar problem with a Leviton that is in a poor coverage area. Problems arise when Vera configures the switch and the poor coverage causes the configuration process to not complete or be corrupted. This can happen unexpectedly at night when the automatic network heal occurs. The problem is resolved when you configure the switch again and get a successful configuration. Improve the coverage in the area of the switch.
Yes, another thread would be better. I also experienced a similar problem with a Leviton that is in a poor coverage area. Problems arise when Vera configures the switch and the poor coverage causes the configuration process to not complete or be corrupted. This can happen unexpectedly at night when the automatic network heal occurs. The problem is resolved when you configure the switch again and get a successful configuration. Improve the coverage in the area of the switch.[/quote]
You won’t believe this… I’m a dummy… :-[ When I pushed it all back in that tiny box - the ground touched the traveler screw on the switch… must have relaxed and touched down in the middle of the night. It’s all better now. I have only been using Vera/Z-wave/home automation for a month now & I think I’m addicted… My Z-wave network will be tripling very soon… Thanks for the troubleshooting suggestion!
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I have only been using Vera/Z-wave/home automation for a month now & I think I’m addicted… My Z-wave network will be tripling very soon… Thanks for the troubleshooting suggestion!