My Device Keeps Going Offline

If your Zooz product joined the hub and has initially worked well but now shows as disconnected or offline, there may be some network issues causing this behavior. Let's try the most effective strategies to troubleshoot connectivity problems.

1. ADD A Z-WAVE SIGNAL REPEATER

If a device keeps going offline, it usually means it's on the edge of the Z-Wave network and you may need an extra boost to your mesh network. Any non-battery powered Z-Wave device acts as a signal repeater so adding a Z-Wave plug, switch, or a dedicated extender between the hub and the device, may improve your network coverage. Metal and glass block radio signal almost completely so it's important to remember that homes with a lot of metal and glass surfaces are prone to more wireless interference which will impair your device's range.

Here are the most common blind spots of any wireless network where you should definitely consider adding repeaters:

Garage or basement
Boiler room or utility room
Attic
Anywhere outside your home
Metal switch boxes

2. REPAIR Z-WAVE NETWORK

If you add a device close to your hub and then move it away from it, you may experience signal issues because the hub will still try to communicate with the device directly rather than through other nodes in the mesh network. Most Z-Wave Plus hubs will automatically run a network repair every 24 hours (including the Z-Box Hub or Ezlo hubs) so sometimes waiting a couple of days for the network to settle may solve any connectivity issues you're seeing.

Some systems also allow you to force a network repair / remapping from the interface. Here are some examples:

Home Assistant: go to Z-Wave Control Panel > Z-Wave Network Management > Heal Network
HomeSeer: Plugins > Z-Wave > Device Diagnostics > Full Optimize
Hubitat: got to Settings > Z-Wave Details > Repair Z-Wave
SmartThings: go to Devices > click on your Hub > click the 3 dots in the top right corner > Settings > Z-Wave Utilities > Network Repair

3. RECONFIGURE YOUR DEVICE

Whenever the hub loses connection with your Z-Wave device, you can prompt it to try communicating with it and configuring it again, without necessarily resetting or excluding the product. This is sometimes called an interview or re-interview of the device. Here is how to do it on the most popular Z-Wave hubs out there:

Z-Box Hub: Settings > Devices > arrow icon next to the device showing offline > Device Configuration tab > RECONFIGURE DEVICE button
Home Assistant: open the device > under the Device info card click the 3 dots next to Configure > Re-interview
HomeSeer: Plugins > Z-Wave > Device Diagnostics > Rescan
Hubitat: got to Settings > Z-Wave Details > find the device you need to reconfigure > click the Refresh button in the Status column

4. CHECK POWER AND HARDWARE

If a device goes offline and stays that way, we recommend checking if it's still powered up. If it's a battery powered device, try fresh batteries, you would be surprised how often this solves connectivity or reporting issues!

If the device is plugged in or powered by 120 V directly, try a different location to make sure it's powered. If you can control it manually from a button or from the switch paddles, check if the device is still controlling the connected device electrically to make sure it's not a hardware failure. If it still works well manually, proceed to step 5 in this guide. If it failed, please start a warranty claim here.

5. EXCLUDE AND RE-INCLUDE THE DEVICE

It's always best to add devices to your hub from the final location rather than close to the controller so that the best route is established right away and the hub is aware of any other nodes in the network it can use to communicate with the end device.

If your device is consistently offline, try excluding it first. If the hub confirms successful exclusion, it means that the device is within the network's coverage and it can still communicate with the hub. Try re-including it to your system again, preferably after at least 5 minutes so the network can settle. If the device cannot be excluded but is powered and functions manually, it means that it's out of range and we would recommend bringing it closer to the hub. You may need to add a signal extender to reach the device at this point.

6. CHOOSE THE LATEST GENERATION Z-WAVE DEVICES

With every new chip generation, the one thing that improves substantially over the previous Z-Wave series is wireless range. By optimizing the technology in the protocol, Z-Wave devices are able to communicate with one another at greater distances with better speed and fewer interruptions. This means a more reliable network that requires less troubleshooting and maintenance. That's why we recommend choosing devices that are equipped with the 700 series or 800 series chip for best results.

We hope that helped you troubleshoot your product but if you still need assistance, don't hesitate to get in touch with our support team!