Enrolling Zigbee locks without HAI PCAccess

[john999]

I am in need of some help. I have an OmniProII F/W 3.10A. I recently purchased a ZIM and a couple of kwikset zigbee locks. I was able to enroll the locks into the ZIM, but changing their status on the ZIM doesnt do anything. The ZIM shows their signal strength as 66%. Thats problem #1.

Second, I do not have PCAccess. I have a fairly simple setup, so I did not want to invest in the software. Surely there must be a way to add these devices to my controller through the console. I've read it is possible, but cannot figure it out. So how can I add the locks to the controller without PCAccess?

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

[arakasi55]

The two methods of enrolling the lock are the two you've already mentioned - PC Access and via the ZIM. I can confirm that enrolling via the ZIM works fine.

There is another thread on the forum here regarding the weak signal between the ZIM and the locks though, and this may be your issue.
How far is your lock from the ZIM? Are you able, for testing purposes, to have the two side by side and try changing the state via the ZIM after enrolment?

I had a similar issue where the signal strength showed as quite high, but I got no response from the lock. The only time it would respond was if it was within 3 feet or so.

 

[john999]

When I originally enrolled the locks with the ZIM I was able to operate the lock once. It hasn't worked since, even with the ZIM 1 foot from the door. When I did the enrolling I did unhook it from the OPII and brought it right to the door, so I suppose the distance could be a problem. The ZIM however is in a bedroom directly above the front door, 20 feet at the most. The back door could be 50-75 feet away.

Aside from that issue, I have the ZIM configured as Zigbee on the serial port, but how do I add the locks to the system without using PCAccess? Mainly so that I can control them with the Haiku app.

Thanks!

 

[arakasi55]

Do you have any other Zigbee devices?
To give you some history, I had my Kwikset lock in standalone mode for some time, until I got around to buying the ZIM.
My panel is around 30 feet away - well under the expectations set by the Zigbee protocol. In practice though, I had zero communication.
I moved the ZIM to beside the door via a longer RS485 cable. This meant that I could at least get communication.
With this configuration, I could reliably get communication from around 5-6 feet. So I thought I would try putting the ZIM in the roof space directly above the door (separated by 1/2" plaster sheet and about 4 feet). This didn't work either.
In the end, i simply mounted my ZIM directly beside the lock. It isn't ideal, but it works.

Like I suggested, there was another thread covering all of this, but I think your issue is the short range issues of the battery operated lock. You may want to try some of the steps above, or perhaps try investing in some other Zigbee units which are powered as that has improved things for others.

As to adding the locks, like I said, the only two methods are either PC Access or via the ZIM. I can't say for sure as I added my lock via PC Access, but i'd have thought it would still show up in Haiku even if added directly to the ZIM as there is two way communication. Personally, I think you're going to want/need to purchase at least the User edition of PC Access as you'll be wanting to update firmware etc anyway.

 

[john999]

What about using a centralite zig bee dimmer at the lightswitch next to my door? Do you know if these will play nicely with the ZIM? And also act as a repeater?