RaZberry future development

Discussions about RaZberry - Z-Wave board for Raspberry computer
lanbrown
Posts: 279
Joined: 01 Jun 2021 08:06

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by lanbrown »

I have tried three of the five that I just go today. On both of them the lights come on for under a second. On one Raspberry Pi 4B that never had a Razberry board on it, the board is not seen. On another Raspberry Pi 4B that has a Razberry board, I powered it down (it has the POE hat so after it was shutdown I removed the network cable) and put the new Razberry Pro 7 board on it and still no dice:
An unexpected error occurred while initialising the Z-Wave controller data.
Please check
1.) if the controller is plugged in correctly,
2.) that in the app 'Z-Wave Network Access' the right port is entered
(UZB: '/dev/ttyACM0', RaZberry shield: '/dev/ttyAMA0', UZB-Windows: '\\.\COM3', Z-Stick: '/dev/ttyUSB0', embedded boxes: '/dev/ttyS0' or '/dev/ttyS1')
3.) the app is aktiv. If not you could activate it under Menu > Apps > Active or add a new one under Menu > Apps > Local.
The Setting 'Expert View' needs to be active under Menu > My Settings.

Are there any settings that need to be changed in either Z-Way or Raspian (I'm running Bullseye).
lanbrown
Posts: 279
Joined: 01 Jun 2021 08:06

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by lanbrown »

I did the same procedure to put the Razberry 2 board back on the system, it came up and is works just fine with the previous generation board.

So either there are some settings that need to be changed or so far I have two DOA boards.
lanbrown
Posts: 279
Joined: 01 Jun 2021 08:06

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by lanbrown »

Well, the other three work, so it looks like the first two just don't work. Two of the Raspberry Pi's never had a board, so after I swapped a known working Razberry 7 Pro board to it, I used the former Razberry 2 board as a test. Both Pi's could see it, neither of them can see those two boards, the other two have now been installed in them. So out of five, two were DOA. I already have requested replacements from Amazon.
lanbrown
Posts: 279
Joined: 01 Jun 2021 08:06

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by lanbrown »

So I have four of the five deployed and I'm slowly migrating devices off. The Pro version is tiny though; the size of a stamp. The biggest gripe I had with the Razberry 2 boards was the antenna. The Pi itself blocked it; it didn't help that I was using an aluminum heat sink that was then attached to a DIN rail bracket that was also metal. The Pro version fixes that issue since it has an external antenna. I used a plastic DIN mount adapter to hold the antenna and works like a charm. I only had a few devices on the Razberry 2 board and used it as a testbed for trying out Z-Way. In the main Z-Wave network I used an Aeotec Gen 5 USB stick and had issues with using encryption. I never tried it on the Razberry board but so far every device that I have associated with the Pro board has been with encryption. So far no issues there but will monitor it for the next few weeks. It was a few weeks before I started to see the issue when using encryption; devices would start sending errors and the encryption seemed to have failed like the key was missing. The 700 series has a much better CPU than the 500 and lower series. So the extra processing power probably helps quite a bit.

So for those on the fence,I think the Pro version is well worth it.
z-wavettaja
Posts: 41
Joined: 02 Nov 2017 18:49

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by z-wavettaja »

lanbrown wrote:
28 Dec 2021 10:00

So for those on the fence,I think the Pro version is well worth it.
Thanks about comments you wrote! Almost only problems I have got with razberry2 board, was radio signal quality. Have been waiting sol ong time, when it would be possible to order Pro version to resolve these problems. Have extension plans to my z-way automations/integrations at home, but that have been not realiable enough yet, because of those signal problems 8-)
Raspi 4(Buster), Zwave Version 4.0.2 (7.28), Raz 7 Pro
lanbrown
Posts: 279
Joined: 01 Jun 2021 08:06

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by lanbrown »

The signal strength is a lot better with the Pro since it has an external antenna. That is why I went this route for the Pro. I didn't have many devices on the Razberry 2 boards. I used them to try out Z-Way, the Pi as a platform and the Razberry board. I had issues with the signal and my existing Z-Wave network is quite chatty and if it was near the Z-Stick, the range of the Razberry 2 was very poor. The others were further away but still had issues and the devices needed to be pretty close. The Pro is a lot better and with doing small zones (I have 5 of these; well, 4 but the fifth is on the way), I'm limiting the need for a mesh. Most devices in these small zones can talk directly to the Razberry 7 Pro directly with only a few needing to be repeated.
z-wavettaja
Posts: 41
Joined: 02 Nov 2017 18:49

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by z-wavettaja »

lanbrown wrote:
30 Dec 2021 08:02
The Pro is a lot better and with doing small zones (I have 5 of these; well, 4 but the fifth is on the way), I'm limiting the need for a mesh. Most devices in these small zones can talk directly to the Razberry 7 Pro directly with only a few needing to be repeated.
So you have then 5 physical Pro boards? Each of them are independent of others? It may still be for me, that lastly I would need more than one board, as I have 2 buildings and if mesh is not enough good to get things work. But I would not prefer 2 bords, as I would like to keep this in "one system" and maybe build integrations to my other home systems also 8-)
Raspi 4(Buster), Zwave Version 4.0.2 (7.28), Raz 7 Pro
lanbrown
Posts: 279
Joined: 01 Jun 2021 08:06

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by lanbrown »

I have five physical Pro boards. it is one system as Z-Way allows you to integrate multiple systems into one.

So my setup:
Raspberry Pi 4B with Razberry Pro board spread throughout the house and they are running Z-way. I then have a VM built that is also running Z-Way that is linked to the five boards. Look for the app called "Link other Z-Way controller". While I have a VM running Z-Way to aggregate the systems, you can use one of the systems with the Razberry board. I just decided to have the Pi's do Z-Wave and have a central Z-Way that just aggregates and is where I do the rules, apps, etc.

On the individual Pi's you see all of the devices that are part of its Z-Wave network. So if on one Pi you have 30 devices, it only knows of those 30 devices. The other Pi's are the same way, they just know of their own devices that have been included. Then the central VM I have knows of everything. Like I mentioned above, you can use a system with a Razberry board. So if you have two Pi's then one only knows of its own devices and the second knows of those of and the devices on its board as well.
vinisz
Posts: 151
Joined: 23 Nov 2019 23:23

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by vinisz »

@Poltos,

I have my new 7 pro delivered tomorrow, very happy with it.
Does this still apply as an upgrade scenario ?

Save the backup of the UZB in Expert UI
Change the port in SmartHome UI -> Apps -> Z-Wave Binding to the new boarf (ttyAMA0 like the old RaZberry)
Restore the backup in Expert UI
Enjoy
vinisz
Posts: 151
Joined: 23 Nov 2019 23:23

Re: RaZberry future development

Post by vinisz »

lanbrown wrote:
30 Dec 2021 17:47
I have five physical Pro boards. it is one system as Z-Way allows you to integrate multiple systems into one.

So my setup:
Raspberry Pi 4B with Razberry Pro board spread throughout the house and they are running Z-way. I then have a VM built that is also running Z-Way that is linked to the five boards. Look for the app called "Link other Z-Way controller". While I have a VM running Z-Way to aggregate the systems, you can use one of the systems with the Razberry board. I just decided to have the Pi's do Z-Wave and have a central Z-Way that just aggregates and is where I do the rules, apps, etc.

On the individual Pi's you see all of the devices that are part of its Z-Wave network. So if on one Pi you have 30 devices, it only knows of those 30 devices. The other Pi's are the same way, they just know of their own devices that have been included. Then the central VM I have knows of everything. Like I mentioned above, you can use a system with a Razberry board. So if you have two Pi's then one only knows of its own devices and the second knows of those of and the devices on its board as well.
@Ian, so you have sepperate Z-wave network for each Rpi/controller right ? (Not one z-wave network with multiple secondary controller)
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