Frequently Asked Questions About the ZST39 Long Range USB Stick
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Please note: this device is for expert users only and comes with basic hardware support only. It does not include any tech support for the home automation software or host hardware you decide to pair it with.
INSTALLATION QUESTIONS
How many Z-Wave sticks should I buy? I have a very large home.
- You should only need to buy one, unless you intend to split control for devices by floor / level.
- The range will depend on the specific structure of your home, as well as how many signal repeating (non-battery powered) devices you have and how the Z-Wave mesh is structured. With the 800 series chip, you'll have more signal coverage and improved performance even without the Long-Range capability.
- With long range compatible devices, you could have a range of up to 1-mile.
How do I install the ZST39 USB Stick?
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Connect the 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range Stick to a USB port on your PC, laptop, or Raspberry Pi.
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Use it with your choice of home automation software, including Home Assistant with JS Z-Wave integration, Indigo, and HomeSeer.
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Follow the instructions for your software provider as the set-up may be different depending on the interface and operating system.
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Note: this product is designed for expert users only and requires at least basic knowledge of programming.
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Home automation software is required to control and configure your Z-Wave network.
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Z-Wave product compatibility will depend on the software you choose so we recommend installing an open and proven smart home system with your 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range Stick for best results.
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We recommend using the device on a USB extension, as per Home Assistant recommendations.
What is the operating temperature of the ZST39?
- 14-104° F
What are the dimensions of the ZST39? How big is the device?
- 2" x 0.8" x 0.3"
Can the ZST39 be installed outdoors?
- NO.
What is the wireless range of the stick?
- Up to 1 mile in open space with Long Range enabled.
- Environments with a lot of glass or metal elements, large furniture, and thick walls can also be very disruptive to Z-Wave signals.
What is the USB version and speed?
The USB Version of the ZST39 is V1.1 the full speed is 12Mbps.
What is the warranty coverage for my ZST39 Stick?
- Zooz 500 series devices are covered by a 12 month warranty. Zooz 700 and 800 series devices are covered by a standard 1-year warranty and by an extended 5-year warranty if registered within 30 days of purchase. Please register your device here and review the full warranty policy here.
Where can I find the ZST39 device manual?
PRODUCT FUNCTIONALITY QUESTIONS
NOTE: Do NOT perform NVM backup from 500 series or 700 series Z-Wave sticks for this device, this feature is currently not supported and will brick the product
Can I back up my 500 or 700 series network and import it on to the ZST39?
- To our best knowledge, moving from one series Z-Wave controller to another typically requires the exclusion of all devices, and re-inclusion of all devices on the new controller. If moving from 700 to 700 for example, PC Controller Tool's built in back up method works, but 700 to 800 won't work to the best of our knowledge.
Is there some way to force modules to remove neighbor nodes, specifically after excluding a node and some keep the old node as a neighbor, even after doing a neighbor update?
- The ZST39 is simply a stick with a Z-Wave chip in it; routing and compatibility are dependent on the smart home software used in conjunction with the stick. If the devices are retaining neighbor nodes, you may need to factory reset them before including.
Z-WAVE QUESTIONS
Do I need a Z-Wave hub to buy this device?
- The ZST39 USB Stick will act as the hub hardware for your smart home network, however it is just a piece of hardware with a Z-Wave chip in it. It needs to be used in conjunction with an open-source software, such as Home Assistant with JS Z-Wave integration, Indigo, or HomeSeer.
What home automation software is compatible with the ZST39?
- Z-Wave product compatibility will depend on the software you choose so we recommend installing an open and proven smart home system with your 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range Stick for best results.
How does Z-Wave Long Range work compared to a regular Z-Wave network?
How do I update the firmware of my ZST39 Stick?
- Only update the firmware when absolutely necessary. We recommend using the PC Controller tool on the Simplicity Studio Software as described here. You will need to register your device in order to have access to Zooz firmware files.
- The firmware updates for our Z-Wave sticks are developed and provided by Silicon Labs, so any functionality regarding network backups would need to be addressed on their end. Once new firmware is available, we'll receive a file specific for our hardware and have it available with all of our other firmware.
- The only firmware supported on the stick is the file we release directly. It is specific to the Zooz stick, and the application of unsupported firmware would void the warranty for the device.
How long does the update take? How do I know when it's finished?
- Firmware updates should usually take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes depending on connection quality and how much information needs to actually be updated on a given device.
- If it is taking longer than that, please try to bring the hub / controller closer to the device that is being updated.
My Z-Wave stick bricked during a firmware update, why?
- The most common reasons for bricking a Z-Wave stick during a firmware update are applying the wrong file to it, using unauthorized software, or interrupting power to it during the update. Learn more about the possible causes of this issue here.
Where can I find the history of changes and firmware updates for the ZST39?
What series Z-Wave chip does the ZST39 Stick use?
- The ZST39 uses an 800 series Z-Wave chip.
Is the ZST39 Stick available in other Z-Wave frequencies?
- The ZST39 is currently available in 908.42 MHz (US, CA, MX) and 868.42 MHz (EU, no Z-Wave Long Range) frequencies.
Can I change the stick frequency? (Accidentally bought a US stick for use in the EU, need an AU controller, etc.)
- We have confirmed that since SDK 7.17, the region for the stick is always set by the controller software and not "baked into" the firmware anymore. This means you can use the software to set the frequency. Our technicians have confirmed this on Home Assistant running Z-Wave JS UI, as well as HomeSeer running the Z-Wave JS Front-end. We've included a screenshot from the Z-Wave JS UI below:
How many Z-Wave devices can I connect to a single Z-Wave stick?
- A traditional Z-Wave mesh network can handle up to 232 nodes, including the controller so you can technically include up to 231 devices into your mesh network. The performance of your system will heavily depend on the hardware and its compute power as well so you may need a more powerful machine to handle larger networks. If you go through all 232 node numbers in device ID assignments, the stick will automatically wrap assignments back to any available node numbers once you hit 232.
- When using Z-Wave Long Range, you can connect up to 4000 nodes, with device ID's starting at 250. All of the same ID number assignment and hardware rules apply for ZWLR though in general, ZWLR devices require less power and your network will be a little "lighter" with all ZWLR devices requiring less compute power with a greater amount of nodes than the traditional mesh.
Check out the Zooz Knowledge Base for free support articles about the ZST39 USB Stick (and all of our devices)! If you can't find your answer there, reach out to us!
