Aeotec Z-Stick 7

I have wanted to start moving towards Z-Wave for some time, but not with the older Z-Stick (Gen 5).

What is the official word on the Aeotec Z-Stick 7?

Is it available?
It it endorsed for use with Indigo?
Driver issues?
Are there Mac OS requirements? (currently on Mojave, 2012 Mini)
Are any of you using it?

I have the stick in the subject and even if it is not officially supported by Indigo I do not have problem at all.
The community is much more reliable and faster than the older S2 stick

Note that I do not have Serie 7 device

[matt (support)]

It it endorsed for use with Indigo?

We've QA'd it and it is supported. It is faster than the Gen5 in some circumstances, but realistically the speed difference may not be noticed.

Driver issues?

The one downside to it IMO is that it requires an external driver (from SI Labs). The Gen5 uses the built-in MacOS driver which is well tested and maintained.

Are there Mac OS requirements? (currently on Mojave, 2012 Mini)

I believe they have versions that will work on all Indigo supported macOS versions, but you might want to double check with SI Labs before purchasing.

My understanding is that the 700 series firmware was having some issues with respect to loads of Z-wave traffic (IIRC, this was with SiLabs code, so not exclusive to any one controller). Last I heard, SiLabs acknowledged the bug and firmware updates were rolling out, but it's been a while since I read anything about it.

Z-wave newbie here looking to start the shift from Insteon - @matt the main interfaces page indicates that no driver is needed - https://www.indigodomo.com/devices/interfaces . Can you confirm ?

[matt (support)]

Sorry, I believe that Web page was incorrect (I've corrected it). The Z-Stick 7 I have (which I got quite a while back, so there is a small possibility things have changed) required I install the SI Labs VCP driver.

I really need some more help/advice from anyone who knows or is using Series 700. I was expecting to jump right into ZWAVE, but just the opposite has happened and I am stalled. The following is a conversation I had with AEOTEC which has only made me more confused.

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Q: Are these issues with the FW located on the Z-Stick 7 or with the SiLab USB driver on the computer?
A:. These issues are located on the FW of the Z-Stick 7 which is the standard Firmware provided by Silicon Labs, at this time there is no opportunity for customized FW.

Since this issue will effect every Series 700 device type, I'm still not clear, is this an issue with ALL Series 700 devices FW, or the USB MAC driver we would need to install or BOTH?

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Q: How do you update the Z-Stick 7 FW using a MAC?
A: You can update utilizing the RPi4 or a Linux OS, or if you understand how Minicom is utilized: Update Z-Stick 7 with Raspian OS / RPi V7.17.2

Since we have no idea what FW will come on a product we purchase, they really expect us to buy another piece of hardware just to update their FW issue?

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Q: Why would you put out a product with issues that we are expected to troubleshoot and fix?
A: This issue was not detected until late last year, while we do not have control over the internal firmware of the Z-Stick 7, the hardware is solid and optimized for the Z-Wave Frequencies that they are designed for.

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Q: I have owned other controllers and HA devices and never have I needed to update FW. What I was sold just worked.
A: Unfortunately this is the case for the Z-Stick 7 since the issue wasn't found until it was in use (over Zooz Series 700 + other series 700 controllers).


Coming from Insteon, you purchased a device, it came with FW XXX and it worked. When it finally died, you purchased another and it worked.

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Q: Most tech people can’t wait to get their hands on new devices, so if Z-Stick 7 is so good why are they advising me to be cautious?
A: This is due to the issue with series 700 firmware stack, the network did not properly route and mesh causing network lockups, this has been resolved, but still pending time to tell at this time. But it was confirmed by SiLabs (Silicon Labs) that the issue has been resolved in the latest Z-Wave firmware push for series 700.

"FW Push"? Once again this is unclear. If the issue is in the 700 FW, doesn't every device have 700 FW on it and would need to be updated? How do you update Sensors, Switches, etc. If it's a USB driver issue, that's an easy reinstall on the MAC

I don’t understand why you’re confused.

They’ve clearly stated that the issue is with the firmware on the Zstick and it was only discovered last year.

The hardware is fine, the Zstick firmware is not.

Until new firmware is available, you cannot rely on the Zstick working.

You either wait for new firmware to come out then either update the stick you have (?), update the stick you buy from stocks, or wait until current stock has been exhausted and new stock with new firmware is available.

If I were you, I’d go for a Zstick 5 like most folk on this forum.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

My s2 stick was dying, I chose the 7 version and to be honest I do not have any problem, working fine, reliable, fast.
Much much better then the S2

My understanding is that the problem with the 7's firmware occurs when there is a lot of traffic on the network. I'd imagine that a modest-sized network might not even run into the problem.

If it were me, I'd go with the 5 over a 7 that has the problematic firmware. I'd go with a 7 if it has the updated firmware.

[jay (support)]

If it were me, I'd go with the 5 over a 7 that has the problematic firmware. I'd go with a 7 if it has the updated firmware.

+1. If you already have the Z-Stick 7, I'd imagine if you asked nicely Aeotec would probably flash any updated/fixed firmware for you (or send you another one with the fixed firmware in exchange for the one you have).

You never actually say if you are having issues - as others have pointed out, we definitely have users using the Z-Stick 7 without issue. What are the issues you are seeing so we can help determine if they are related to the firmware issue or not.

Most of us are using 500 series interfaces, and those are rock solid. 700 series devices are backwards compatible, so there's not an issue there. If it were me, and I already had a series 500 interface, I'd just stay with it until there is a compelling need to upgrade.

Is the Z-Stick Gen5+ Z-Wave Plus™?

What I really like about the 5 is the button on the z-stick that allowed me to take it to where my remotes devices are and add those devices there vs. having to run to opposite ends of my house to start inclusion on the controller and then run to the other end to have the device join the network. Once I had all the new devices added I could then optimize the z-wave network.

For that reason (no button) I’m avoiding the z-stick 7.

However I have some door/window & leak sensors that are Z-Wave Plus that I can’t get to add using my existing aeon Z-Wave Z-Stick Gen5 (NOT Plus).
Will the Gen5+ do Z-Wave Plus and work with those Z-Wave Plus sensors?