Adding secondary controller to Vera

I'm trying to add a Leviton VRC0P-1LW as a secondary controller to the Vera to use with the HAI OmniPro. The Vera keeps adding it as a scene controller and displays the error message "Failed at: Setting special association...". I've tried excluding and reincluding, which results in the same error. Is there a trick to adding this? 

Last week tried this with Vera and the Leviton primary controller, Homeseer Z-Troller and Leviton primary controller, Homeseer Z-Wave Plus Zee-2 and an Aeon Z-Wave stick and the Leviton primary controller. 
 
I saw the chatting start then I would see an error in communications and a message telling me to start all over again. 
 
Gave up.  Is there another way to do this?

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Out of all the automation technologies Zwave is my least favorite. Not to mention the range is horrible. I only did it for the Schlage locks.
 
So how do I get Zwave working with the HAI OmniPro? I want the VRC0P-1LW as a secondary controller to either the Vera,  HomeSeer, or some controller that can edit the lock PIN codes.

So how do I get Zwave working with the HAI OmniPro?
 
I want the VRC0P-1LW as a secondary controller to either the Vera,  HomeSeer,
 
Yes; here tried making it a secondary initially to the Vera then to the Zee-2 GPIO ZWavePlus card.
 
I was going to try making the primary Leviton RF Z-Wave controller a secondary to the Homeseer Z-Wave plus controller then making the Leviton serial controller another secondary from the Leviton RF Z-wave controller.  I am guessing reading this stuff that you have have multiple secondary controllers.  Right now I haven't really touched the Homeseer Z-Wave plus controller cuz its in the attic via a POE connection at this time.
 
Homeseer is currently connected to an HAI UPB PIM and an X10 PIM (so I guess they are secondary controllers right now).
 
I am doing Zigbee here too and have paired up devices but am not aware right now if I can make one Zigbee controller the secondary to the primary.  I see no options to do that.

rsw686 said:

Out of all the automation technologies Zwave is my least favorite.

Click to expand...

 
Very true.
 
I am slowly migrating my lighting to RadioRa2, but it's not a panacea either: e.g. they do not have any lock support, no controllable receptacles, pretty unfriendly conditions in general for a DIY person, etc.  However, the big plus is as they say "it just works" using just point to point connectivity rather than the purportedly more advanced "mesh" technology. I have not experienced a single case where a command would be lost which happens rather frequently at least once a month with zwave devices.  It's beyond my comprehension how an unreliable piece of technology like that can be UL certified according to the latest news.
 
Speaking of zigbee, I am not convinced it's any better than zwave, technologically, since their underlying design assumptions/implementation are pretty close.

What was your 'Leviton Primary Controller' Pete?
 
Generally the serial VRCOP is a secondary controller (I'm not sure it can be a primary, normally it would be the secondary with the Leviton USB stick being the primary for configuration.)
 
If you have another type of controller for the primary (there can be only 1 per Z-Wave network), it should be fine as long as it can send configuration to a secondary like the VRCOP.
 
You can have multiple secondary controllers as well.

pete_c said:

  I am guessing reading this stuff that you have have multiple secondary controllers. 

Click to expand...

 
I only own a Vera currently. I bought it since it didn't need to be connected to the cloud, was $100, and could add/remove PIN codes from my 5 Schlage locks. I want to add the VRCOP as a secondary so I can use Haiku / Space with the OmniPro to lock / unlock the doors. This should have been simple, but I've wasted way too much time trying to pair the VRCOP to the Vera.

What was your 'Leviton Primary Controller' Pete?
 
Generally the serial VRCOP is a secondary controller (I'm not sure it can be a primary, normally it would be the secondary with the Leviton USB stick being the primary for configuration.)
 
Yes it is the serial Leviton Z-Wave PIM connected to the OmniPro 2 that is a secondary to the primary RF Z-Wave remote
 
and yes you can only have one primary and multiple secondary controllers.
 
For play here have a Vera, RPi2 (Homeseer Z-Wave plus GPIO), Homeseer Z-Troller, Aeon Z-Wave stick, Almond +(X2), and Leviton stuff.
 
Playing with Z-Wave devices here but not really using them for automation (well a few).
 
On a bit of tangent here and not related to the Vera or Leviton Z-Wave.....
 
Also playing with Zigbee and Zigbee devices right now. 
 
Just noticed (thinking its been around a while?).  Leviton's new Lumina Zigbee stuff for commercial use.
 

Did a quickie test here this morning.
 
My Homeseer 3 RPi2 with Z-Wave + GPIO is currently a test primary contoller.
 
I told it to send the Z-Wave stuff to the Leviton RF+ Z-Wave Primary controller holding the controller next to the RPi2.
 
I had tried this before only from the second floor which was too far away.
 
The Leviton RF is now a secondary controller.  Now will update the Z-Wave serial PIM with the Leviton RF secondary controller.
 
This will allow me to control the same Z-Wave test network that I have configured on the Homeseer Zee-2.
 
I am trying to do a copy and paste here but cannot right now so will do a screen grab instead.
 
I do see now in the Homeseer 3 Z-Wave variable list a Leviton Generic Controller variable.
 
I was able to validate the connection.
 
I was unable to send the info to the Leviton serial PIM.  IE: secondary to secondary.
 
Reread the manual for the serial PIM programming.
 
Brought the PIM to the attic and reset it and put it in programming mode.
 
Worked.  The PITA part is having to go to the attic.
 
Next using PCA will program node numbers.
 
This works for me as I can now control the Z-Wave test network from the primary Homeseer 3 Z-Wave controller and the Leviton Serial Z-Wave PIM (and OmniPro 2).
 
Looking at the logs getting two messages.  I can optimize the Leviton Z-Wave PIM from Homeseer right now but I am getting a warning.  That said will test out the OPII stuff next.
 
I see the same information relating to the now secondary Leviton RF Z-Wave controller.
 
I've never connected an RS-232 9 pin cable to the serial PIM but guessing that you would see the network on it.
 
Feb-22 11:32:37 AM           Z-Wave     ZWaveMe: Controller Manufacturer: Telsey, ID=0x1, Type=0x4
Feb-22 11:32:37 AM           Z-Wave     Done. Node 33 Added.
Feb-22 11:32:37 AM           Z-Wave     ZWaveMe: Controller Manufacturer: Telsey, ID=0x1, Type=0x4
Feb-22 11:32:37 AM           Z-Wave     ZWaveMe: Controller firmware version: 5.0
Feb-22 11:32:38 AM           Z-Wave     Synchronize nodes finished. Number of device nodes to be created/added = 1
Feb-22 11:32:38 AM           Z-Wave     Z-Wave manufacturer information for node 33, ID: 29=1DH (Leviton), Type: 2817=B01H, ID: 521=209H
Feb-22 11:32:38 AM           Z-Wave     Node: 33 Supports Class(es): HAIL, MANUFACTURER_SPECIFIC, MANUFACTURER_PROPRIETARY, NODE_NAMING
Feb-22 11:32:38 AM           Z-Wave     Node: 33 Controls Class(es): SWITCH_MULTILEVEL, SWITCH_BINARY, SCENE_ACTIVATION, NODE_NAMING
Feb-22 11:32:39 AM           Z-Wave Warning     Node 33 Z-Wave Leviton Static Controller Node 33 does not appear to be associated with the interface ZWaveMe.
Feb-22 11:41:43 AM           Z-Wave     ZWaveMe: Device Node 33 Z-Wave Leviton Static Controller Node 33 Optimization succeeded, Add Return Route was not done.

Pete this is good news! Thanks for doing all this testing. To confirmi s the HomeTroller Zee S2 the right item to purchase? For now I just want it to control my Z-wave locks. Long term I could see myself adding the OmniPro and RadioRA 2 plugins. Do you know if this model is sufficient to run these plugins?

Personally here updated the original Homeseer 3 Zee license to a Homeseer 3 Zee-2 license.  I DIY'd my Zee-2 box with an RPi2, RTC PiFace Clock and Z-Wave Me + GPIO card. 
 
I recently also added 1-wire temperature / humidity sensors to the RPi2.  I am also running UPB and X10 via remote connections from another RPi2 (Cumulus).
 
It was easy to do.
 
The Homeseer Zee-2 software lets you run up to 5 plugins.  I also have Homeseer 3 Pro here which includes some stuff and there is no cap on the number of plugins.
 
Just tested with one Z-Wave light module.  I can turn it on/off via the OPII but cannot see the status change on the same device in Homeseer 3.  I can turn it on or off with Homeseer 3 and can read the status just fine with the OPII PCA program.
 
Thinking that this is old Z-Wave and Z-Wave plus differences?  None of the test Z-Wave modules I am using are Z-Wave Plus.
 
Note that I do not have any wireless Z-Wave trinkets here.  I do have Zigbee wired and wireless trinkets only.

pete_c said:

Just tested with one Z-Wave light module.  I can turn it on/off via the OPII but cannot see the status change on the same device in Homeseer 3.  I can turn it on or off with Homeseer 3 and can read the status just fine with the OPII PCA program.
 
Thinking that this is old Z-Wave and Z-Wave plus differences?  None of the test Z-Wave modules I am using are Z-Wave Plus.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure plus is required.  But often setting up reverse associations is.  At least here for getting Omni/Lumina to see the state changes.

Personally here it is nice to be able to utilize the Homeseer software with the hardware-firmware of the Leviton OmniPro 2. 
 
I am already doing similar here with the X10 and UPB stuff.  Adding Z-Wave is icing on the cake. (well and Zigbee too).
 
The Omni Pro panel takes care of the automation heartbeat of the home; stuff that I do not pay attention to these days. 
 
The software (Homeseer) with some 16 plus hardware connections takes the automation stuff to the next level. 
 
Homeseer is not utilized as a lighting scheduler or timer.  It was though used for this in the late 1990's.
 
IE: downloading weather maps from NOAA satellites, weather station, sensors, et al more than automation is high on my list. 
 
Thing is I still cannot automate the weather.

Pete,
 
   I have migrated my z-wave network from the RPi (running just the Z-Way home automation interface) to a VeraPlus one device at a time. I would love to be able to add my RPi to the new network and use a few of the modules available there. I don't know if it's possible either way. Any ideas???

Has anyone tried this new Vera plugin that supposedly integrates Vera with Omni? Does it allow direct connection of Vera to omni without a VRC0P? I have not seen any reviews or discussion of how well it works.

https://apps.mios.com/plugin.php?id=7406

http://www.license.automationdistributors.com.au/omni-zwave-license-for-vera

http://z-wavealliance.org/leviton-announces-av-integration-modules-with-z-wave/