KB-14 - Excluding a device from the Z-Wave network doesn't always re-set it!

Question

Excluding a device from the Z-Wave network doesn't always re-set it!

Answer

When a device is excluded from the Z-Wave network, the exclusion process is supposed to completely re-set the device, clearing it's memory of any previous configuration.

Unfortunately this doesn't always work!

We've found that some devices will retain their configuration data even though they've been excluded. This can cause issues when attempting to add the device to a different Z-Wave Controller, or when carrying out an exclude followed by an include.

For example, a Fibaro Universal Door & Window Sensor may refuse to recognise that it has had a DS18B20 temperature sensor added to it if it has previously been included in a Z-Wave network without one. This is even after it has been excluded from the Z-Wave network, which should re-set it.

Solution

We recommend that you check the manufacturers manual for the device to see if there is a way to manually re-set it and follow that procedure.

By doing so, you are ensuring that the device is completely re-set and wiped and won't retain any previous data.


For more information about including and excluding devices, please see the following application notes: