If your ZEN74 Toggle Dimmer works manually but disconnects from the hub, it may be a connectivity issue.
On your SmartThings app, you'll find a cool feature called Repair Z-Wave Network. This process helps refresh your mesh network's connections and help the hub find the most efficient communication route to the device. Remember, it's the hub that creates the route to each device, and not the other way around.
You can follow these steps to refresh your SmartThings mesh network:
- Open your SmartThings app and locate your SmartThings hub under Devices. Tap the hub to see the device details.
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Tap the three dots in the upper right hand corner and tap Settings
- Tap Z-Wave Utilities
- Tap Repair Z-Wave Network
- Tap Start Repair
Before sending any commands to your ZEN74 dimmer, wait until you see the "Z-Wave Network Repair finished" message - this can take up to 15 minutes. Once repair is completed, see if your Toggle Dimmer will respond to Z-Wave commands.
If you're still not able to control the ZEN74 in SmartThings, try excluding and re-pairing the dimmer to the network. It's possible that the communication route between SmartThings and the device didn't configure correctly the first time. Exclusion might help the hub find the best route to the dimmer.
If you can, try installing a Z-Wave signal repeater somewhere between the dimmer and hub. Any non-battery powered Z-Wave device will repeat signals - other in-wall switches, relays, smart plugs, or dedicated range extenders. If the repeater helps, the issue may have been caused by range or other network interferences. Once you've placed the repeater, remember to exclude and re-add the switch to refresh the connections.
Another thing to look out for is the material of your switch box. Metal switch boxes, rather than plastic, can shorten range and make connectivity unreliable. Even if the ZEN74 is using a 700 series Z-Wave chip, metal can be pretty effective at disrupting Z-Wave signals, so if your device is inside a metal box this may be why it shows Unavailable or keeps going offline. Again, it may help to install a Z-Wave repeater between the dimmer and the hub. Z-Wave Plus signal repeaters will be almost twice as effective as the older generation products.
If none of the above helps the issue, let us know! We're always happy to help.
