There has been some confusion with regards to how to remove Z-Wave sensors from the Almond+ and as such we thought we’d put together a little guide that explains both how Z-Wave works when it comes to adding/removing sensors and how it’s done correctly on the Almond+. This can also be applied to ZigBee devices, but it’s not needed and we’ll also explain why here.
When using the LCD UI on the Almond+ to do anything sensor related, you either use the Add Sensor app or the Connected Home app. The Add Sensor app has three options for ZigBee and Z-Wave sensors, Add, Remove and Remove all Sensors, as in the below screenshot. Add allows you to add a ZigBee or Z-Wave sensor/device to the Almond+ and Remove does the opposite, it allows you to remove a sensor or device, although in addition to this, it also resets Z-Wave sensors. Remove all Sensors on the other hand doesn’t reset the sensors at all, in fact, it simply purges the sensor data stored on the Almond+ so you can start over from scratch if something goes wrong and a such should generally not be used.
What has happened is that many of you have removed Z-Wave devices using the Remove option found by tapping on the Edit button of a specific sensor/device in the Connected Sensors app, as per the below screenshot. This simply deletes the sensor/device data from the Almond+, unless it’s a mains powered ZigBee device. In this instance we can do a forced reset, as we can send a reset signal to the device that will reset it back to the factory default settings so it’s ready to be paired again. This doesn’t work with battery powered ZigBee devices though, as they have to be manually reset as per the manufacturers instructions. In the case of Z-Wave devices, even if they’re mains powered, we can do it this way due to how Z-Wave works and as such the remove option under Add Sensor has to be used instead.
By following the steps below, you’ll be able to correctly remove a Z-Wave sensor or device. Note that you can do this with some ZigBee devices as well, but in general, you don’t have to follow these steps, as you can reset a ZigBee device by using the reset procedure provided by the manufacturer.
Start by tapping on Remove in the Add Sensor app.
You should see the following screen which explains that you should do something with the sensor/device for it to be removed from the Almond+. By removing a Z-Wave sensor, it’s also reset back to the factory default settings as far as the Z-Wave part of the device is concerned. If you have something like a thermostat, it won’t reset the thermostat settings etc. Please refer to the manual that came with the sensors/device on how to put it into “exclusion/remove/leave” mode.
Next you should see something similar to the screenshot below which confirms that the sensor has been removed.
You can now pair the sensor again.
So what if you have a sensor that was previously paired with another Z-Wave controller, but wasn’t removed from it, how can you add that to your Almond+ you ask?
Well, if you follow the same steps as above, it’ll work regardless if the sensor/device was paired to the Almond+ or not, the only difference is that you’ll see the following message instead of specific sensor/device information.
You can reset a Z-Wave sensor indefinitely like this, as it will always be removed/reset by following the steps above.
ZigBee sensors on the other hand have to be reset manually by pressing a button, flicking a switch in a certain way or by going through some menu option on the device and until that is done, they can’t be paired again.
Hopefully this helps clear some of the confusion as to how to remove and reset Z-Wave sensors on the Almond+.
Good information. This can be confusing even for experienced people.