USB port used by Z-Stick no longer remembered on restart

Sometime in the past few months, my Indigo server lost the ability to remember the correct port setting for z-wave. This problem may have arisen when I upgraded from old z-stick 2 (?) to the new z-stick gen5. However, I'm not sure this was related (I don't restart my server very often).

The main symptom is that after restart, Indigo starts, but Z-wave interface is not connected (shows up in red at the bottom of Indigo main window). If I simply select Interfaces>Z-Wave>Configure... and then pick the correct port (usbmodem131) from the drop-down menu, things go back to normal. Naturally, I would prefer it if my system could be safely restarted without requiring manual intervention.

I noticed that the corresponding configuration dialog for Insteon shows only one choice of serial port (usbserial-AL02YECY), while the Z-wave configuration dialog has that one plus usbmodem131 as options - I'm not sure why or if that relates to why Insteon seems to configure itself on each restart, but Z-wave does not.

Any tips?

[matt (support)]

Is the actual serial port name changing between restarts?

If not, then after selecting the correct serial port and restarting what specifically is selected in the serial port popup UI? Also check the Event Log window – I believe it shows what serial port it is trying to connect to.

I am having the same problem. unplugging the gen-5 aeotec stick and putting it back the configuration is missing.

[jay (support)]

I am having the same problem. unplugging the gen-5 aeotec stick and putting it back the configuration is missing.

This happens if you don't plug it back into exactly the same USB port that it was in before. The macOS modem driver (which is used by the gen5 stick) names the serial ports based on the USB port identifier, so if you move it to a different USB port it'll have a different name and you'll need to switch it in the Z-Wave config settings.

[delay in followup, mainly due to me not restarting my server very often]

Some additional data:
I'm running Sierra 10.12.6.

The USB ports that show up on Interfaces>Manage Interfaces>Z-Wave>Configure... are "usbmodem31" (used by z-stick) and "usbserial-AL02YECY" (used by Insteon).
I currently have a z-stick gen5. Previously had z-stick series 2.
As far as I know (I will double-check on next restart), the names of the ports available on the menu in Indigo do not change across restarts.
When I restart my machine, Indigo starts, but the Z-wave interface does not work. It is easily fixed manually by re-selecting "usbmodem31" port and things seem to snap back to normal.

This is an iMac computer with a connected OWC Thunderbolt dock, so may have a more complex port configuration than is typical, and it could be that there are extensions associated with the dock that cause the set of ports to change during boot. I observed that both my Insteon 2413U and Z-Stick were plugged into USB ports on the OWC Dock. Somehow only the Z-stick fails to survive restart in this configuration.

I've switched both 2413U and Z-stick so they are now connected directly to USB ports on the iMac - I'll see if that improves things and will report back with findings (can't restart my server at this moment to test, so it may be a few more days).

[matt (support)]

Yeah, check the Event Log after a restart. If it fails to connect, then unplug the Z-Stick for a few seconds then plug it back in (same USB port) to see if Indigo can then detect it. If not, then check which item is selected in the Serial Port menu.

Lots of time has past, and I'm coming back to revisit an old thread.

My Mac had been working and rebooting smoothly for a while, with Indigo working and fine through mac restarts. Yesterday, I installed a minor MacOS upgrade to my server to 10.13.6. Afterward, when restarting, I noticed that Indigo came up and was not able to connect to the Insteon interface (2413U) properly - interface status at the bottom of the main Indigo window was red.

So this is the same problem reported previously, but reversed - Z-wave interface working fine, Insteon not working until I unplug and plug it back in again. The port names seem unchanged since my previous report.

Everything resumes working ok after unplugging however it is an issue for me knowing that if my machine ever restarts when I'm traveling, I won't be able to bring Indigo back to working order without laying hands on it.

Is there any known cause or pattern as to what sometimes requires unplugging before things will work? I'm having trouble seeing one but my datapoints are sparse and spread out widely in time.

Anyone know of a command I can issue that will reset the USB port in a way similar to what is accomplished by unplugging and replugging the device?

You could have Indigo use a z-wave plug to cycle the Insteon off and on. I know. Not the answer you are looking for. I am being somewhat tongue in cheek.


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