wdhille Posted March 17, 2018 Posted March 17, 2018 So my Insteon devices are all rock solid and quite happy all the time. (at least since December 2017 when I started installing them) Some of you may recall from my previous posts my frustration with the lack of reliability with my four Schlage Z-Wave connect locks. Thanks to Inovelli repeaters my BE469 Schlage Connect locks work most of the time, but not 100%. So last weekend I bought an old light up "Gulf" sign and an old clock I wanted to turn it on and off with my home automation. I ordered some UDI switches, but just for the heck of it decided to try one of the Jasco 4101 Z-Wave repeaters that did not work with my Schlage locks. As an AC switch, the Jasco/GE 4101 seems to work well and be reliable. So much so that I put the three I had hanging around into service. And, they all work with no issues. So... maybe I need to look into updating my Schlage Connect BE469 Firmware? The locks only have Z-Wave I think, and if I understand it correctly I need a "Nexia" Z-Wave hub to check and update the firmware? Has anyone upgraded the BE469 firmware? Thanks in advance. Wayne
io_guy Posted March 17, 2018 Posted March 17, 2018 Never tried it. My originals has 5.6 firmware which I returned. If the firmware is < 5.8 you'll have issues.
cyberk Posted March 18, 2018 Posted March 18, 2018 I don’t think you can update the firmware on these locks, not unless you hack together a jtag and get the firmware file from schlage. Only zwave+ devices support OTA firmware update, and most of those devices don’t get the functionality enabled by the manufacturer. Enabling is really just the manufacturer providing upgrade files and in some cases, an upgrade app, but more often than not, you won’t be able to update it. If you find a way to update the 469, please let me know. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
wdhille Posted March 18, 2018 Author Posted March 18, 2018 Yea, you all might be right in that I can't upgrade the firmware. It looks like their "sense" locks that use Bluetooth can be upgraded over the air. I'll call them tomorrow and ask what the hey. Frankly, the lack of reliability on these locks is sending a message that I'm totally technically incompetent, or the Schlage Z-Wave locks may not be quite ready for prime time. A non technical homeowner would never put up with the unreliability and errors that constantly pop up. I never see that with any of the UDI devices. (maybe because they mask them!) Wayne
io_guy Posted March 18, 2018 Posted March 18, 2018 I've been using 2 BE469s for 5 years, zero issues. As long as they have firmware 5.8 you should be good.
dbuss Posted March 18, 2018 Posted March 18, 2018 21 hours ago, wdhille said: So my Insteon devices are all rock solid and quite happy all the time. (at least since December 2017 when I started installing them) Some of you may recall from my previous posts my frustration with the lack of reliability with my four Schlage Z-Wave connect locks. Thanks to Inovelli repeaters my BE469 Schlage Connect locks work most of the time, but not 100%. So last weekend I bought an old light up "Gulf" sign and an old clock I wanted to turn it on and off with my home automation. I ordered some UDI switches, but just for the heck of it decided to try one of the Jasco 4101 Z-Wave repeaters that did not work with my Schlage locks. As an AC switch, the Jasco/GE 4101 seems to work well and be reliable. So much so that I put the three I had hanging around into service. And, they all work with no issues. So... maybe I need to look into updating my Schlage Connect BE469 Firmware? The locks only have Z-Wave I think, and if I understand it correctly I need a "Nexia" Z-Wave hub to check and update the firmware? Has anyone upgraded the BE469 firmware? Thanks in advance. Wayne Hi Wayne, The frustration you are experiencing with your Schlage locks is certainly understandable. Many on this forum, including myself, use Schlage locks and have found them to be very reliable. I have seven of them. Although possible, it seems highly unlikely that you would have four defective locks. IMHO, I think you still have a communications issue. Keep in mind, that although there are some generalities with RF, it's not an exact science without using high quality test equipment to measure the RF signal levels. If it were me, I would relocate the Inovelli repeaters to try and get the RF signals you need to the locks. I would work with one lock until it was working reliably. This may also include using more than one repeater for that lock. When relocating the repeaters you do need to perform a network heal each time.
wdhille Posted March 20, 2018 Author Posted March 20, 2018 Dbuss: Thanks for the advice. In my previous life I spent time as an RF engineer, so I'm pretty familiar with many of the nuances associated with low power RF... And who knows what multi-path issues impact the links. I am puzzled that my Inovelli repeaters never seem to have issues.... it's always the Schlage devices. Back to my original post.... too bad UDI doesn't team with a real lock company and incorporate their technology into a deadbolt! I understand the power line transmissions might be a challenge with a battery operated lock....
lilyoyo1 Posted March 20, 2018 Posted March 20, 2018 4 hours ago, wdhille said: Dbuss: Thanks for the advice. In my previous life I spent time as an RF engineer, so I'm pretty familiar with many of the nuances associated with low power RF... And who knows what multi-path issues impact the links. I am puzzled that my Inovelli repeaters never seem to have issues.... it's always the Schlage devices. Back to my original post.... too bad UDI doesn't team with a real lock company and incorporate their technology into a deadbolt! I understand the power line transmissions might be a challenge with a battery operated lock.... UDI doesn't have any technology to integrate which is why they don't incorporate with other lock manufacturers. UDI is a controller for Insteon, zwave, and other 3rd party network capable devices. What technology of theirs are you referring to that should be incorporated?
junkycosmos Posted May 3, 2018 Posted May 3, 2018 what is the best / easiest way to tell firmware versions of be469 ?
Guest Joe Posted May 14, 2018 Posted May 14, 2018 On 5/2/2018 at 10:51 PM, junkycosmos said: what is the best / easiest way to tell firmware versions of be469 ? Pull the lock off the door and look at the sticker. It will have the firmware version as well as the admin code.
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