Z-Seer+ FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Z-Seer+.
Why are some of my 100K devices communicating at 40K or 9.6K speeds?
Route speed is determined by proprietary algorithms in the Z-Wave protocol and is maximized for best performance and range. Optimizing nodes can sometimes improve route speed but this is not guaranteed.
Some nodes don't display routes when double-clicked. Why?
Z-Seer+ uses the "last working route" command for creating routes. In some cases, this command does not update after a transmission. When this happens the "Hops" icon on the node block does not display and Z-Seer+ will not be able to display route information. You can usually restore the last working route by running a packet test on the affected node.
The network map has a lot of gaps between node blocks. Why?
Z-Seer+ uses the "last working route" command for creating routes. In some cases, this command does not update after a transmission. When this happens the "Hops" icon on the node block does not display
Why do some routes seem to pass through devices that are not near each other?
Route assignment is handled by the Z-Wave protocol in the controller and is based on a proprietary algorithm. The algorithm is not influenced by HomeSeer location assignment. For this reason, you may see some very odd routes displayed in Z-Seer+. If you feel the route could be improved, try optimizing each node in the route, starting with the end node. Then scan the network again with Z-Seer+ and check your results.
I manually set a route in HS3 (from the Z-Wave node info page) but that route changed after running a Z-Seer+ packet test and/or optimizing an unrelated node. Why?
The Z-Wave protocol constantly makes route "adjustments" designed to optimize network performance. In some cases, that will change manually set routes. The protocol does provide a command to "LOCK" the routes in a network. However, that command locks ALL routes in a network and would prevent the protocol from adjusting routes when devices are added or removed to the network.
The 'Relative Neighbors' bar on some of my node blocks is empty. Why?
Neighbors are assigned to nodes whenever devices are (a) included into your network or (b) when devices are optimized. However, neighbor information can only be updated when devices are "awake". Since battery operated devices are usually asleep, their neighbor list is usually not updated. For this reason, empty Relative Neighbors bars are most common on battery operated (non-listening) devices. If these devices are communicating properly with your controller, you can ignore this situation. However, if you're experiencing communication problems with these devices, wake them up and optimize them.
When I click "Test All" to run a network-wide packet test, some of my node blocks don't display any results. Why?
There are 2 possible reasons for this: (1) Battery operated devices are usually asleep and cannot response to packet tests. For this reason, they are automatically excluded from network-wide packet testing. (2) If the device in question is not battery operated, it may have been manually excluded from network-wide testing. Right-click on the affected node block make sure that "Exclude from Test All and Full Optimize All" is unchecked.
I've optimized problem nodes and the entire network but still have devices that don't respond to commands and/or don't respond properly when polled. Why?
Z-Wave communication is affected by distance, obstacles and network density. In cases like this, Z-Seer+ cannot fix these problems alone. The most effective solution would be to improve network density by adding more Z-Wave devices to your home.