Jump to content

Welcome to Smart Home Forum by FIBARO

Dear Guest,

 

as you can notice parts of Smart Home Forum by FIBARO is not available for you. You have to register in order to view all content and post in our community. Don't worry! Registration is a simple free process that requires minimal information for you to sign up. Become a part of of Smart Home Forum by FIBARO by creating an account.

 

As a member you can:

  •     Start new topics and reply to others
  •     Follow topics and users to get email updates
  •     Get your own profile page and make new friends
  •     Send personal messages
  •     ... and learn a lot about our system!

 

Regards,

Smart Home Forum by FIBARO Team


  • 0

Gateway Connections, what can it do?


twannieguitar

Question

Hi

 

I have 2 HC2's, 1 running.

Now can I setup the second one as Gaeway Connection but I do not know what is possible in that case... surely the second one act as repeater but what are the other advantages and possibilities?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

@twannieguitar the second one will not act as a repeater.

You can create a second zwave network on the slave (because you have a big house or a garage or what so ever) you can add the slave to the master hc2 and you will see the slave devices on youre master hc2 (with a yellow line, or another color) you can control that device on the master hc2 and you can use it in scenes etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

@twannieguitar

i can not advise that, best is to do all  the scenes on the master, not only you never have to look where the scene is but also you can control at the master the slave devices. but the slave can not control the devices on the master.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
  • Inquirer
  • so the only advantage of 2 HC2's is the amount of modules. Does someone know what the maximum physical amount of modules is?

    Or is the a max of modules in the system ("soft" modules)?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 0
    11 hours ago, twannieguitar said:

    Does someone know what the maximum physical amount of modules is?

    Yes, 231 modules + your controller = 232 nodes in total, this is the (theoretical) maximum. But you'll get into trouble long before that if you don't follow my "rules of thumb"

     

    My Z-Wave rules of thumb: less than 5 modules, sometimes issues because not enough devices to cover all areas. Between 5 and 20...almost never issues. Between 20  and  50... sometimes trouble. Between 50 and 100 devices real "weirdness" starts and communication gets "fragile". Above 100 make sure you have the tools to diagnose network issues (ie Zniffer, you can make one yourself) or get in touch with a good certified installer to support you (I am and end user, not an installer). Know about CPU and memory usage, know how to limit devioe reporting and sending too much data. Follow this forum.

    Edited by petergebruers
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 0
  • Inquirer
  • Thanks @petergebruers

    So, When I have 100 modules it is better to split up on 2 HC2's... with gateway connection and i still can run all the scenes on the master? Or does this not help?

    What forum should I especially follow for the limit of the HC2?

    Edited by twannieguitar
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 0
    7 minutes ago, twannieguitar said:

    So, When I have 100 modules it is better to split up on 2 HC2's...

    I would not jump to conclusions... the advice to split Z-Wave networks is not part of my "Z-Wave Rules Of Thumb ©️"  ? - I know several users  with 100 - 150 nodes on a single controller (not necessarily a HC2 though). It depends on many factors.

     

    I sometimes feel old (born in 1967 so...) but I think this is wise advice: never, ever simply "guess" a solution to a complex issue. Firstly diagnose the problem, secondly discuss the options, then decide and diagnose again. So don't go about this like "I have performance issue, let's split my 100 node HC2 into 2 X 50 and HC2 and I will be fine"...

     

    Anecdote.... Someone asked me about his (Oracle) database performance issues... I told him I was not an expert (very true!), but that I could a basic analysis of his problem. He told me: nah, the company you work for charges too much money. If you spend 2 hours analyzing that, I can buy 128 MB (yes megabyte, it was a long time ago) for my server and double its capacity, people tell me that "memory is the problem". I said... Okay, but... So twee weeks later he asked me if I could do that analysis, because the extra memory "did not work". After spending 15 minutes I said "try again". Guess what, the speedup was amazing! So what happened? The config file had a line that limited the buffer cache of the Oracle server to 16 MB, I simply increased that and restarted. He remained a loyal customer for many years. :D

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 0
  • Inquirer
  • Thanks again @petergebruers

     

    I am from '65 so what does that tell about me? ?

    I am using tools like zwave monitor and CPU & Load to monitor my system... I never used sniffers of software like that (not enough knowledge)

    My system is reasonable stable... waiting for a different, reliable brand to make an excellent Z-Wave controller (Not so enthousiatic about the HC3 and the different supported protocols which are not working when put on the market). Also I think the support of the other-brand-devices could be much better at Fibaro

     

     

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 0
    1 hour ago, twannieguitar said:

    I am from '65 so what does that tell about me? ?

    That you are very ................. wise

    I wish you keep enjoying "HA" for many years to come.

     

    1 hour ago, twannieguitar said:

    I never used sniffers of software like that (not enough knowledge)

    I totally understand, between you and me (LOL) I always tell people they have to be "desperate" enough to invest time in that (though Zniffer is probably less scary than you think), so good news if you are not desperate!

     

    1 hour ago, twannieguitar said:

    I am using tools like zwave monitor and CPU & Load to monitor my system...

    That's excellent but maybe this analogy helps to explain "scripts versus Zniffer". You can buy a multimeter to diagnose many electrical issues. But sometimes you need an oscilloscope or a logic probe... The scope can make things visible that have no effect on a multimeter's reading.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 0
    On 2/17/2020 at 2:56 AM, twannieguitar said:

    do you have an example of sniffer doftware and what hardware do I need?

     

    You'll find an example in this post (see "12. Understanding Zniffer a little better")

     

     

    Most people buy the Silabs UZB3, see this post + the ones after that for some recommendations:

     

     

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 0
    33 minutes ago, twannieguitar said:

    May I ask where you bought tge Silabs UZB3 in the Netherlands?

    I don''t own a UZB3 but users tell me they bought theirs on "mouser" or "digikey". As long as you get the exact product ID (see posts) it shouldn't matter, you could even try Amazon or ebay. There was some discussion, you pay quite a bit of shipping fee if you only buy one, ... so some suggest buying two, one as Zniffer and the other either as a tool to manipulate device settings or use it as a 2nd controller to try out Open Source (alternative) gateways.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    • 0

    I'd definitely buy 2x. Just in case you fry the first one. 

     

    That said, I've flashed 3x now with no problems, but I'd hate to make a mistake and then not have a backup. 

     

    If you need any help flashing drop me a PM. I'll share my personal email which I check more often. 

     

    It took me 1.5 hours the first time I did it until I was sniffing... I was very cautious. It should take about 20 mins. 

     

    PS I also have no interest in the HC3. Until it is debugged and proven (by users) to be stable I don't have the time let alone energy to migrate. 

     

    I'd really prefer Fibaro fix the bugs I've reported first

     

    That said, I'm not denying that maybe the redesign of the HC3 is genius... Time will tell. 

     

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Answer this question...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×
    ×
    • Create New...