In this guide we’ll go through the initial steps to get you started using a Fibaro Home Center controller running v4 firmware.
Vesternet Z-Wave Starter Kit
Our Starter Kit are perfect to get started using Home Automation.
The starter kit includes various devices depending on the configuration that you have chosen: 
- Fibari Home Center Lite
- Fibaro Motion Sensor GEN5
- Fibaro Smoke Sensor Plus
- Fibaro Flood Sensor GEN5
- Fibaro Door & Window Sensor GEN5
- Fibaro Smart Wall Plug
- TKB On/Off Wall Plug GEN5
Getting Started
The first step to get your system up and running is to power On your Fibaro Home Center Controller:
- Connect your Home Center to your router using an Ethernet cable
- Connect the Home Center antenna
- Connect the Power Supply
- Wait a few minutes until the Power, Internet and Network lights are solid blue (the first boot can take up to 15 minutes)
- Your Home Center is now ready for you to use
Note: Inside the Home Center 2 case there's a small USB Stick plugged in. This is used to store backups and shouldn't be removed. Booting the Home Center 2 without it may cause a system failure.
- You can access your Home Center using a web browser such as chrome, Safari or Firefox by going to home.fibaro.com
- The default Login information is:
- Username: admin
- Password: admin
Note: more information is available in the Home Center Lite and Home Center 2 Manual.
Diagnostics
If for some reason you are unable to access your Home Center via home.fibaro.com you can use the Fibaro Finder application.
- Launch the Fibaro Finder Application and press the “Refresh” button to search for any available controllers on your network.
- Select the unit you wish to connect to and click “Connect”.
- A new tab will opened on your default Web Browser with the Login Screen
What's what
The Fibaro Dashboard is a web-based interface that provides the control center for things you want to control and monitor with your Fibaro Home Center controller. It can be accessed locally or via the Internet from any web browser or Internet-enabled phone.
Once logged in this is what the Fibaro Dashboard will look like:
- Z-Wave Log – shows the most recent messages and status information
- Home Center Firmware version
- Current Weather, Date and Time – these will be retrieved automatically based on your location
- Popup Menu – fixed position menus that gives quick access to the most common actions wherever you are
- Main Menu – provides access to all available functions
- Page Menu – will change function depending on the page you are on
- Page Content – each page content will be displayed here including devices, scenes, settings etc
Network Settings
Fibaro Home Center default Network settings can be changed at “Configuration – LAN Settings”.
By default the Fibaro Home Center expects a DHCP Server to assign it an IP Address, in most cases this should be left as the preferred option.
If you require your Home Center to have a specific IP Address or you don’t have a DHCP Server on your network you’ll need to change the Connection Type to Static IP.
In this mode you have total control of the Home Center network settings. Make sure that the address that you use is unique and is not being used by another device on your network.
You can also disable Remote access to restrict control over your devices only via the local network.
Location and Unit Settings
It’s important that you set the correct location because Fibaro Home Center will use it in a day to day basis to:
- Automatically adjust the date and time
- Retrieve Sunrise and Sunset time for each day
- Look up the local weather and display it on the Dashboard
To set the Location, Date / Time Format and locale settings used by Fibaro Home Center controller go to “Configuration – Location”
Adding devices to Fibaro Home Center
If you're new to Z-Wave and Home Automation we suggest reading our Technology Guides.
Get yourself familiar with Z-Wave, how it works and what’s needed for a stable Z-Wave network - planning is key to a stable Z-Wave Network.
It's important to Include a Z-Wave device in its final resting position because during the Inclusion process your Fibaro Home Center will scan the surrounding area to understand where each device is in relation to other devices and create what is known as a “routing table”.
This is needed so that it can correctly route signals through its neighbours. If you move a device after inclusion this “routing path” will then be incorrect and your Fibaro Home Center won’t know how to reach the devices leading to all sorts of misbehaviour.
Some devices support NWI (Network Wide Inclusion) which means the Fibaro Home Center will be able to Include them even if they aren't in direct range. If you experience issues during Inclusion, the device may not support NWI and may be out of range of your Fibaro Home Center so we advise to temporarily move it closer to the device.
For your first Inclusion we suggest adding a simple device such as the TKB Wall Plug but you can of course add any device you wish.
- Follow the instructions in APNT-50 - Adding Devices in Fibaro Home Center
- To add the TKB Wall Plug press its On/Off button once while the Home Center is in “Learning” mode
- You will now have the TKB Wall Plug displayed in the Home Centers' "Devices" tab
Device Parameters
Z-Wave devices often have a number of configuration parameters that control various functions of the device. These include, switch type (momentary/toggle), dim rate, device associations, sensor reporting, wake-up periods, and the list goes on...
Full information about these parameters can be found in the user manual for the device or in the Pepper1 Z-Wave Library.
It’s important to note that a Parameter only needs to be set if you want to change its default value.
To set Device Parameters:
- Carefully read your devices’ manual to get yourself familiar with the available Parameters
- Learn about different Parameters Data Size - Z-Wave Device Parameters - hex, dec, binary, bits, bytes ..... what?!?!
- Follow the instructions in APNT-123 – Adding Device Parameters in Fibaro V4
For example, by default the TKB plug is set to "Night-Light" mode - this means that the LED is On when the plug is Off.
You can easily revese this:
- Change the TKB's Configuration Parameter 1 (1 byte DEC) to 1
Fibaro Home Center may have a template available for some of your devices which makes this process even easier:
- A full list of all the devices’s Parameters will be displayed followed by an explanation of what each one does
- Do the necessary changes and click "Save" on the right bar
Create Scenes
A Scene enables you to control various devices in your home automation network with one single command.
You define what will happen when a specific Trigger event occurs. The trigger condition can be another Device event or a simple Schedule.
It’s good to start with a simple scene to get yourself familiar with the process.
Lets say we want to control the TKB Wall Plug at particular times of the day - such as Sunset and Sunrise (Dusk/Dawn).
- Create your Scene and Schedules by following instructions in APNT-28 - Using Home Center as a Sunset - Sunrise Controller
- You can configure the scene to activate the TKB Wall Plug at particular times of the day or sunset/sunrise
- Further information on creating scenes in Fibaro is available in these guides:
Event Triggered Scenes are incredibly powerful and will go a long way to making your house a Smart Home. But they can be complicated so we would recommend starting with a simple "Motion Activated Lighting" Scene by following our guide at APNT-26 - Motion Activated Light using Fibaro Home Center.
Wirings
Before going any further it’s important to understand that installing a module usually involves working with 240V mains wiring - if you are not comfortable doing this you should consult a qualified electrician.
How each module is installed depends on which one you have and how you plan to use it.
Each device manual usually includes some wiring diagrams showing how they should be wired. We also do our best to keep our Application Notes Library up to date with multiple wiring diagrams for different scenarios.
One of the most common reason we’ve seen for a damaged module is due to Incorrect Wiring / Poor Installation. For that reason take your time to read through all the instructions and identify all existing wiring – don’t rush the installation until you are completely certain you’ve understand the diagrams!
When in doubt contact us or call an electrician!
It’s important that the device is installed into an appropriately deep wall box (pattress), making sure there’s room for the device to dissipate heat and the existing cables not to be squashed or strained.
If needed replace the existing pattress by following instructions in APNT-127 - Physically installing a module .
When the module is correctly installed you can add it to your Fibaro network:
- Follow the instructions in APNT-50 - Adding Devices to Fibaro Home Center
- To add the Fibaro Module press its B-button 3 times within 1.5 seconds
- Note: If you have a Toggle Switch connected make sure the contacts are opened (Off position) during the Inclusion process
- You will now have the Fibaro Dimmer 2 displayed in Fibaros' "Devices" tab
Related Information
We strongly advise to read through all our Fibaro Help Guides, Tutorials and Tips & Tricks and Fibaro Advanced Users Guide.
The following should also be of help:
