As long as your switch works fine manually, the Unavailable error usually indicates a range or connectivity issue. Let's try to figure this out:
You will need to perform a network repair to refresh your mesh network's connections:
- 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 switch, wait until you see the "Z-Wave Network Repair finished" message - this can take up to 15 minutes. Once repair is completed, try including the switch back into your network.
If you've given Network Repair a try and found it didn't help, try just excluding and re-including the switch to the network. It's possible that the communication route between SmartThings and the switch didn't configure correctly the first time. Exclusion might help the hub find the best route to the device.
If possible, try installing the switch closer to your hub or bringing the hub closer to the switch. This can be annoying to do, but it's a good way to see if the issue really is range. Once you've moved either the switch or your SmartThings hub, remember to exclude and re-include the switch to refresh the connection.
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. Metal is 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. If possible, try installing a Z-Wave repeater between the switch and the hub. Any non-battery powered Z-Wave device (like a Z-Wave plug) will extend the signal for you but Z-Wave Plus devices 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.
