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700 series Controller Firmware Updates (Linux)

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kpine edited this page Oct 25, 2024 · 102 revisions

Overview

This guide describes where to download Over-The-Wire (OTW) firmware upgrade files for Z-Wave 700 and 800-series controllers, and how to flash the controllers using freely available tools.

If using unofficial tools does not appeal to you, stop now and follow your vendor's official instructions, or contact them directly for support. See Disclaimer.

Table of Contents

Disclaimer

⚠️ While much effort has been made to provide accurate and up-to-date information and instructions, the information here may become out-of-date or contain mistakes. We provide this information on an "as-is" basis and make no warranty regarding any information provided on or through it, and disclaim liability for damages resulting from using it. See License for details.

SDK and Firmware Downloads

There are multiple certified releases being maintained at this time. The latest of these are:

📝 As of v7.22.0, the Gecko SDK has been replaced by the Simplicity SDK and support for 700-series controllers has been dropped, with 7.21.x being the last release.

🚨 Z-Wave JS has reported an issue to Silicon Labs for a controller firmware bug. It is recommended to stay on v7.18 or earlier, or upgrade to 7.22.1 or later for 800-series, and 7.21.5 or later for 700-series. See:

⚠️ Downgrading versions is usually not possible as it is blocked by the Gecko bootloader. For example, if you update to a 7.20 version you cannot later downgrade to 7.19 or 7.18, etc. Error 0x18 is usually an indicator of this. In some cases the bootloader may be unlocked and allow the downgrade.

⚠️ Not all vendors support the latest versions. Some vendors use the same firmware files included with the Simplicity / Gecko SDK, but this is not guaranteed. Do not assume that you can install a Simplicity / Gecko SDK firmware on your device. Contact your vendor's support before installing an unsupported version from a newer SDK, as there may be reasons why they haven't updated to the latest or they may be using their own custom firmware.

We recommend always using the vendor provided files and versions to reduce the risk of bricking your controller. Use other versions and files at your own risk. All downloads linked here go directly to their respective vendor websites.

Choose your device

For alternative download options, see other downloads.

Missing a product? Let us know by submitting an issue.

Aeotec Z-Stick 7 / Z-Pi 7

The Z-Stick 7 and Z-Pi 7 are 700-series controllers based on the EFR32ZG14 chipset.

Refer to official Aeotec update instructions:

Everspring SA370

The SA370 is a 700-series controller based on the ZGM130S module. There are currently no official update instructions or downloads available.

Known working versions:

HomeSeer SmartStick

  • SmartStick G8 is an 800-series controller
  • SmartStick+ G3 is a 700-series controller based on the ZGM130S module

Refer to the official HomeSeer update instructions:

HomeSeer Z-Net

The Z-NET G3 is a 700-series controller.

Refer to the official HomeSeer update instructions:

Silicon Labs UZB-7 (SLUSB001A)

The UZB-7 controller is based on the EFR32ZG14 chipset.

As this is a developer reference board with no official support, the latest GA versions of firmware are listed. New versions may introduce new bugs, so take care if you are using this in a production system. Consider waiting until the firmware is vetted by others.

The firmware file to install depends on your requirements:

  • BRD4201A: +14dBm, with SAW filters
  • BRD4206A: +14dBm, Z-Wave Long Range (US only)

🚨 Some users have reported problems with versions 7.19, 7.20 and 7.21 for the the BRD4206A variant. These versions can result in severely reduced RF range. The BRD4201A variant works OK, however you lose Long Range capabilities. The 7.21 BRD4201A variant does not work. See 1, 2 and 3 for details.

Latest and stable releases:

  • BRD4201A
  • BRD4206A

Here are some shell commands (Linux, etc.) to download and extract the files from the demo-applications.zip file:

# Download 7.21.5 package
wget https://github.com/SiliconLabs/gecko_sdk/releases/download/v4.4.5/demo-applications.zip

# BRD4201A
unzip -o -j demo-applications.zip protocol/z-wave/Apps/bin/gbl/zwave_ncp_serial_api_controller_BRD4201A.gbl
7z -y e demo-applications.zip protocol/z-wave/Apps/bin/gbl/zwave_ncp_serial_api_controller_BRD4201A.gbl

# BRD4206A
unzip -o -j demo-applications.zip protocol/z-wave/Apps/bin/gbl/zwave_ncp_serial_api_controller_BRD4206A.gbl
7z -y e demo-applications.zip protocol/z-wave/Apps/bin/gbl/zwave_ncp_serial_api_controller_BRD4206A.gbl

Official Silicon Labs update instructions:

Silicon Labs Z-Wave 800 Series Kits

  • 800 Series Dev Kit (ZGM230-DK2603A) is based on the ZGM230S SiP module and utilizes the BRD2603A radio board. It is a multifunction device that can be used as either a controller are an end device depending on how it's programmed.
  • EFR32xG29 Explorer Kit (xG28-EK2705A) is based on the EFR32ZG28B312F1024IM48 SOC and utilizes the BRD2705A radio board. It is a multifunction device that can be used as either a controller are an end device depending on how it's programmed.

The preferred way to update the firmware on either of the above devices is with Simplicity Studio.

Z-Wave.Me

⚠️ The Z-Wave.ME controllers use custom firmware, so you should not use any of the generic Silicon Labs firmware. Use only Z-Wave.Me firmware. The Z-Way software is the easiest and safest way to update.

Refer to the official Z-Wave.Me update instructions and downloads:

Zooz Z-Wave Stick / GPIO Modules

  • ZAC93 800 Long Range GPIO module is an 800-series controller based on the EFR32ZG23A chipset
  • ZST39 800 Long Range Z-Wave Stick is an 800-series controller based on the EFR32ZG23A chipset
  • ZST10 700 Z-Wave Stick is a 700-series controller based on the ZGM130S module

⚠️ Zooz devices uses custom firmware, so you should not use any of the generic Silicon Labs firmware. Use only Zooz firmware.

Refer to the official Zooz update instructions and downloads:

Other Downloads

Firmware Update Instructions

There are several ways to update the controller firmware. Choose the most convenient method or, when in doubt, the one recommended by your manufacturer.

Z-Wave JS UI Update

You can use the controller OTW functionality of Z-Wave JS UI (version 8.8.2 or later).

  1. Navigate to the ZUI Control Panel page
  2. Select the blue FAB (floating action button), which is a floating round plus sign at the bottom of the screen
  3. Select the "Advanced actions" button, which looks like a magic wand
  4. Select "Update" under "Firmware update OTW"
  5. Read the warning message
  6. Select "File" to open the file selector, and choose the firmware file you downloaded from a source above
  7. Select "UPDATE" to start the OTW update, and progress will be displayed in the message box on the top right of the UI

If the update fails, it is often recoverable. The controller will reboot into the bootloader menu and Z-Wave JS will fail to start. To recover you must re-configure Z-Wave JS UI to enter bootloader mode and try the update again. To do this:

  1. Navigate to the ZUI Settings page
  2. Go to the Z-Wave settings panel
  3. Enable the "Bootloader only" option
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the settings page and select "SAVE"
  5. ZUI will reboot, if the controller is in a failed state the driver will pause on startup and allow interaction with the controller
  6. Repeat the update settings above, and hope it works!
  7. You can disable "Bootloader only" afterwards, although it has no effect when the controller is in a working state

Home Assistant Z-Wave Integration Update

You can use the device update functionality provided by the Z-Wave integration in Home Assistant (version 2023.3 or later).

  1. Navigate to Settings -> Devices & Services -> Devices
  2. Select your Z-Wave controller Device
  3. Select "UPDATE" in the Device info panel
  4. Read the warning message and select "YES" if you are sure
  5. Select the "Upload Firmware" field to open the file selector, and choose the firmware file you downloaded from a source above, or drag and drop a file into the dialog box
  6. Select "BEGIN FIRMWARE UPDATE" to start the OTW update, and progress will be displayed in the dialog

If the update fails, it is often recoverable. The controller will reboot into the bootloader menu and Z-Wave JS will fail to start. HA does not support recovery. You will need to switch to Z-Wave JS and use its update recovery method (describe above), or use the flash utility method (described below).

Z-Wave JS Flash Utility Update

Z-Wave JS provides a flash command line utility, @zwave-js/flash. It requires Node.js and npm:

npx -y @zwave-js/flash /dev/ttyUSB0 /path/to/fw/fw.gbl

Use the --verbose command line option to see detailed logging.

The flash utility can also recover the controller if it is stuck in the bootloader menu from a previous update failure.

⚠️ Be sure to stop any other Z-Wave JS applications prior to running the above. Otherwise, the update can fail and the controller will be hung at the bootloader.

If you are using HAOS, you can run this utility within either of the Terminal/SSH add-ons. You will need to install the Node Package Manager (NPM) first:

apk add npm

Container Flash Update

The kpine/zwave-js-server container image includes the above Z-Wave JS flash utility:

docker run --rm -it \
  --device /dev/ttyUSB0:/dev/zwave \
  --volume /path/to/fw:/fw \
  ghcr.io/kpine/zwave-js-server:latest \
  flash /fw/fw.gbl

Use the --verbose command line option to see detailed logging.

⚠️ Be sure to stop any other Z-Wave JS applications prior to running the above. Otherwise, the update can fail and the controller will be hung at the bootloader.

Minicom and Z-Modem

Before Z-Wave JS supported OTW updates, the update procedure could be performed using the Minicom terminal emulator. If for some reason you cannot use Z-Wave JS or other software, refer to the archived instructions to update manually with Minicom.

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