Can't get Z-Wave to work on new Mac Mini

Posted on
Thu Apr 13, 2017 6:52 pm
wikner offline
Posts: 181
Joined: Nov 02, 2003

Can't get Z-Wave to work on new Mac Mini

For several years, now, I have successfully run Z-Wave devices using Indigo 6.x. However my old Mac Mini won't run an OS that Indigo 7.x will run on, so I was forced to upgrade. Now I have a "new" Mac Mini (Late 2014). I ported everything over from the old Mini using setup assistant and a clone of the old startup disk. After further configuration Indigo 6 came up running. Connection to the Insteon controller worked fine, but there were multiple errors trying to connect to the Z-stick. I have a Z-Stick S2, Model DSA002203-ZWUS. I installed the Driver, Silicon Labs VCP Driver Installer.mpkg dated Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 3:35 PM and restarted. No luck. The log filled with stuff like this:
Code: Select all
 Z-Wave Debug                    stopped zwave packet parser thread
  Z-Wave Debug                    serial port communication error: device reports readiness to read but returned no data (device disconnected)
  Z-Wave Debug                    Z-Wave might be disconnected
  Z-Wave Debug                    silently retrying serial connection every 5.0 seconds
  Z-Wave Debug                    starting serial connection loop
  Z-Wave Debug                    starting zwave packet parser thread
  Z-Wave Debug                    SENT getVersion: 01 03 00 15 E9
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Z-Wave Error                    rcvd unexpected bytes (sent ACK): E0
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Z-Wave Error                    rcvd unexpected bytes (sent ACK): E0
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Z-Wave Error                    rcvd unexpected bytes (sent ACK): E0
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Z-Wave Error                    rcvd unexpected bytes (sent ACK): E0
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Z-Wave Error                    rcvd unexpected bytes (sent ACK): E0
  Z-Wave Debug                    SENT getVersion: 01 03 00 15 E9 (re-sent because no response)
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Z-Wave Error                    rcvd unexpected bytes (sent ACK): E0
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
The release notes for this driver say
Code: Select all
P210x Macintosh OSX VCP Driver v4 Release Notes
Copyright (C) 2015 Silicon Laboratories, Inc.

This release contains the following components:

* SiLabsUSBDriverDisk.dmg - Image containing the VCP Driver Installer
* ReleaseNotes.txt (this file)


Known Issues and Limitations
----------------------------

   This release includes the Macintosh OSX driver for the Intel and
   PowerPC Platforms versions 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, and 10.10.
I have the same model Mac Mini running Indigo 7.x at my parent's house using the more modern Z-Stick (6.x ran fine too). When I look at the Z-Wave configuration for that installation, I see that it is set to Connecton Type: Local (physical), Serial Port: usbmodem1461. No such serial port is present on my home system. There the listed serial ports are as shown in the attachment.

I seem to recall having the same trouble the last time I tried to migrate to a new Mini a couple of years ago. Any suggestions about how to debug this? I mean besides https://xkcd.com/1822/ :)
Attachments
Screenshot 2017-04-13 17.44.57.png
Screenshot 2017-04-13 17.44.57.png (50.59 KiB) Viewed 1577 times

Posted on
Fri Apr 14, 2017 8:51 am
jay (support) offline
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User avatar
Posts: 18200
Joined: Mar 19, 2008
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Can't get Z-Wave to work on new Mac Mini

There's your problem - the Z-Stick 2 will show up as SLAB_USBtoUART in the serial port popup, if the Mac sees it.

I think you have an old driver install. Looking at the release notes on the Silicon Labs download page for the driver, I see:

CP210x Macintosh OSX VCP Driver 4.x.17 - March 23, 2017

in the Release Dates section. Yours has a 2015 copyright notice, but the one on the website is:

Code: Select all
CP210x Macintosh OS X VCP Driver v4 Release Notes
Copyright (C) 2017 Silicon Laboratories Inc.


So I'd download the latest driver from their downloads page and run that installer. Wouldn't hurt to reboot as well if the installer doesn't force a reboot.

Jay (Indigo Support)
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Posted on
Fri Apr 14, 2017 1:25 pm
wikner offline
Posts: 181
Joined: Nov 02, 2003

Re: Can't get Z-Wave to work on new Mac Mini

Thanks for your very prompt reply. I did download the newest driver (March 2017). In my old configuration my Z-Stick was connected to the old Mac Mini by a USB extension cable. Here are some steps I took. After each step I did
Code: Select all
ls -l  /dev/{tty,cu}.*
to test for the presence of the serial port. In all tests the Z-Stick blue light was on during the test.
1) Uninstalling the Keyspan driver, reinstalling the SiLabs 4.x.17 driver and restarting --> port not present
2) Shutting down, disconnecting the Z-Stick, powering back up, reinstalling the 4..17 driver, and plugging in the Z-stick (via cable) to USB Port 3. --> port not present
3) Plugging the Z-Stick directly into USB Port 4 on the new mini. --> Port PRESENT! (yay! my first success).
4) Plugging the Z-Stick via cable into USB Port 4 --> port not present
5) Plugging the Z-Stick directly into Port 4 on the mini. --> port not present
6) Plugging the Z-Stick directly into USB Port 3 (after the count of 10 from unplugging from Port 4) --> Port PRESENT!

After step 6 I fired up Indigo. I had to first enable the Z-wave interface. This resulted in all kinds of trouble as it tried to connect to the same serial port as the PowerLink. This resulted in pages of Z-Wave and Insteon error messages. It was hard to get The Z-Wave interface pointed to the right port. While Indigo was generating all these error messages in the log, it was largely unresponsive to the menu command, Interfaces/Z-Wave/Configure. Only after multiple tries was I able to get the dialog for selecting the port up so that I could change it. After I was finally able to change it, the error messages largely stopped. In the following example Indigo has connected with the Z-Stick and is polling all the nodes (node 011, is a faulty device that I was able to connect to once, but never again; pairing failed, but left an entry in the Z-Stick database which I have no way of removing). Then some residual PowerLinc badness occurs and is corrected. About this time I turned off Z-Wave debug messages.
Code: Select all
 Z-Wave Debug                    overriding node 008 type from zwOnOffSensorType to zwValueSensorType
  Z-Wave Debug                    SENT getNodeProtocolInfo: 01 04 00 41 0A B0
  Z-Wave Debug                    RCVD getNodeProtocolInfo: 01 09 01 41 52 9C 00 04 20 01 5D
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:       node 010, class name: Binary Sensor (routing)
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:            class hierarchy: Routing Slave : Binary Sensor : Binary Sensor (routing) (04 : 20 : 01)
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:         base class command: 30
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:   supported class commands: 20 30
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:                   features: routing, beaming
  Z-Wave Debug                    overriding node 010 type from zwOnOffSensorType to zwValueSensorType
  Z-Wave Debug                    SENT getNodeProtocolInfo: 01 04 00 41 0B B1
  Z-Wave Debug                    RCVD getNodeProtocolInfo: 01 09 01 41 52 9C 00 04 20 01 5D
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:       node 011, class name: Binary Sensor (routing)
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:            class hierarchy: Routing Slave : Binary Sensor : Binary Sensor (routing) (04 : 20 : 01)
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:         base class command: 30
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:   supported class commands: 20 30
  Z-Wave Debug                    . .  getNodeProtocolInfo:                   features: routing, beaming
  Z-Wave                          found module included in controller with no matching device (missing or disabled): 011 - Binary Sensor (routing)
  Z-Wave Debug                    starting node healing thread
  Z-Wave Debug                    starting node status polling thread
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Error                           resending previous command (busy or unexpected command)
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Error                           resending previous command (busy or unexpected command)
  Error                           unknown command bytes received E0 E0 (ignoring)
  Error                           resending previous command (busy or unexpected command)
  Error                           PowerLinc not responding -- attempting reset
  Power Failure                   possible power failure
  Connected to PowerLinc 2413U interface on port usbserial-A6008aaV
  PowerLinc address 14.84.E8, firmware version 9.2
  Interface Failure               lost connection with interface
  Z-Wave                          connection reset requested
  Z-Wave                          connected to Z-Stick S2 interface on /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART (firmware 3.07)
  Z-Wave                          found module included in controller with no matching device (missing or disabled): 011 - Binary Sensor (routing)
I was then able to communicate with and control my Z-Wave devices.

I interpret these results as meaning that I have a faulty USB connector on my Z-Stick. So I would like to get a new one. I'd like to talk more about the process of replacing it in a new thread.

Finally I would like to request that it be made possible to select the serial port for the Z-Wave controller BEFORE enabling the Z-Wave interface.

Now I'm going to try re-installing the Keyspan driver so that I can once again talk to my alarm system.

Thanks for all your help.

Posted on
Fri Apr 14, 2017 2:35 pm
jay (support) offline
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Posts: 18200
Joined: Mar 19, 2008
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Can't get Z-Wave to work on new Mac Mini

wikner wrote:
Thanks for your very prompt reply. I did download the newest driver (March 2017). In my old configuration my Z-Stick was connected to the old Mac Mini by a USB extension cable.


Those cables have always been known to cause problems. Sometimes they work but often times they don't. There was a ton of discussion about that when we released Indigo 6.

wikner wrote:
I interpret these results as meaning that I have a faulty USB connector on my Z-Stick. So I would like to get a new one. I'd like to talk more about the process of replacing it in a new thread.


I don't agree. Seems like the real problem was the USB extension cable. The periodic failures that you saw in your 6 item list at the top might just have been because the SILabs driver was confused by all the plugging/unplugging. If anything, it reinforces the somewhat fragile nature of the USB subsystem in macOS and/or the SILabs driver.

wikner wrote:
Finally I would like to request that it be made possible to select the serial port for the Z-Wave controller BEFORE enabling the Z-Wave interface.


That's not likely to happen given the interface architecture. The problem you had was because you had selected the PowerLinc's serial port for your Z-Wave interface. My guess is that if you had just unplugged the PowerLinc it would have stopped. I have confirmed that we have a todo item to make sure that you can't select a port in the Z-Wave interface that's being used by the PowerLinc which would have stopped this from happening.

Jay (Indigo Support)
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