Schlage Deadbolt Failed at: Please wait! Getting the manufacturer

[shallowearth]

You might be having two different problems (not just the Vera Firmware).  I have found my older Schlage Locks just don't work correctly if they are not talking directly to my Vera.  I don't think the older Schlage's report the need for a secure beaming route correctly, so when you did the network heal it probably added a node between your Vera and the lock making it not work right.

I would suggest manually managing the route for your Schlage locks so they talk directly to the Vera and don't travel through other nodes.  If that is not possible (lock is two far away) make sure you are only routing through nodes that support secure beaming, but for my older locks they just won't work if there is any nodes between them and the Vera. 

I don't think this is a problem unique to Vera, I had the same issue with my Alarm.com z-wave model.  If there were any nodes in route between the Lock and the Z-wave controller it would stop working or become incredibly flakey.

[GT!]

Hmmm, that's an interesting theory.  My Schlage lock is first-gen as I bought as soon as they came out and none of my other devices support secure beaming.  However, if it is to do with another node inserting itself between Vera and the lock, why does downgrading to earlier firmware solve the problem?  I wonder if it is because the older firmware is somehow making sure not to allow nodes between itself and the lock, while the newer firmware is no longer doing this.  Prior to the new firmware my lock was very reliable ... had no problems.

[shallowearth]

The Vera Firmware might also be bad,  if you can't pair the device it is not a routing problem as pairing events are never routed (that is why you have to be close to the Vera for pairing).  But if you can pair it fine but then it doesn't seem to work after that, I would check the routing table and manually manage it so the signal goes directly to and from the Vera.

I too have a bunch of Cooper Light switches that don't support secure beaming, if one of them gets in the routing table.. my lock will stop allowing me to add or edit user codes, and lock/unlock commands will usually have a huge delay if they work at all, and will report malfunctions from time to time.  Fixing the routing table seems to fix the problem.

[axan]

Did anyone ever found solution to this? I'm having the same exact issue with vera 3 latest firmware and 1st gen schlage fe599 lock. It get's stuck during configuration on "Getting manufacturer" Downgrading the firmware to 1.7.374 solves the problem.

[shallowearth]

The older Vera firmware works because you can manually control the route, I don't believe on the latest firmware you can do that (not sure).

To include on the latest firmware try putting the two devices directly next to each other.  You need to prevent any other node from being involved.

[Sig]

Bumping this topic, because I just upgraded from a Vera Lite running UI5 to a VeraPlus running UI7. 

Posted a bit more detail here...
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,37638.0.html

Am I correctly interpreting the responses here that excluding the lock, then re-including by bringing the lock next to my Vera unit, will solve the problem?  Or am I just hosed because my Schlage lock is about 7-8 years old and it has old firmware itself?

[Sig]

So I thought I would try excluding/re-including my lock, which I just did by bringing the lock inside and setting it about 6 inches away from my VeraPlus unit.  The inclusion process went fine.  However, I'm getting the same behavior...stuck at "Please Wait! Getting the Manufacturer" and communication between the lock and Vera is virtually non-existent. 

If I let it sit for a while, maybe 20/30 minutes, it seems to have exchanged some information because the lock state will eventually display correctly in the interface, and all of my PIN codes will show on the PIN code form (although I still can't figure out how to get it to show the actual PINs instead of ****).  But if I activate the lock through Vera, the response is either extremely slow, like 30-40 seconds before it locks or unlocks - or it just never responds at all.  And then it starts the polling cycle again which eventually ends up at the annoying red message about ...Getting the manufacturer.

I'm now fearing that this is indeed a problem with the age of my lock and it's own firmware.  I have logged a case with MCV, but I'm not hopeful.  If anyone has any ideas on how to resolve this, assistance would be most appreciated.

[shallowearth]

VeraPlus has known issues with battery powered devices, hopefully it will get better with net update.

[Sig]

** UPDATE **

After spending some time on the phone with MCV support attempting to exclude/reset/include my Schlage lock, it became apparent that my 7-year old lock just wasn't going to work with VeraPlus/UI7.  MCV support sort of gave up telling me it's the lock - I don't necessarily hold that against them, but they couldn't give me any reason, only suggesting that the zwave functionality in the lock had failed.  That would be a HUGE coincidence, given it worked perfectly with my VeraLite up until the point I upgraded to VeraPlus.

In any event, I bit the bullet and purchased/installed a new lock (exact same model) today, and it works perfectly.  So if anyone has an older lock and is still running VeraLite, be prepared for a possible failure if you move up to a VeraPlus.

[Zoro]

** UPDATE **

After spending some time on the phone with MCV support attempting to exclude/reset/include my Schlage lock, it became apparent that my 7-year old lock just wasn't going to work with VeraPlus/UI7.  MCV support sort of gave up telling me it's the lock - I don't necessarily hold that against them, but they couldn't give me any reason, only suggesting that the zwave functionality in the lock had failed.  That would be a HUGE coincidence, given it worked perfectly with my VeraLite up until the point I upgraded to VeraPlus.

In any event, I bit the bullet and purchased/installed a new lock (exact same model) today, and it works perfectly.  So if anyone has an older lock and is still running VeraLite, be prepared for a possible failure if you move up to a VeraPlus.

Hi Sig link

  Trying to narrow down the problem a bit.

  Did you purchase the same EXACT lock or a completely different model. Was wondering if only the Z-wave daughter board needed to be updated for Z-wave plus compatibility?

   Z

[Sig]

I purchased the exact same lock, the FE599.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was just a z-wave plus compatibility issue, but I had read somewhere else (possibly on this forum) that the zwave board in these locks was not upgradeable, so I assumed the old lock was a lost cause.

[shallowearth]

There are many version of the FE599 sold over the years.  The original Z-wave FE559s Do not work with the latest firmware and the firmware on the lock cannot be updated, mine are the v1 version and the only controllers I have found they will work with are the Concord 4 z-wave control with Alarm.com (and only will work then if there are no-neighbors talking between them, I only have my Locks and Thermostats on that z-wave mesh, all my lights are on the Vera), and Nexia Bridge (which would make sense because they were designed for the Nexia Bridge). They do work with Vera on older Vera firmware but not on the newer "self heal" version of the UI7 firmware. 

Newer version of the FE599 do have updatable firmware but they can only be updated if you have a Nexia Bridge (which requires a monthly fee, however, if you buya Nexia Bridge you get a month free and can then cancel which would allow you to update the firmware, assuming you have a newer version of the locks and not ancient ones like mine, you might be able to get your locks working if you buy a Nexia Bridge and update the lock firmware, bad news is you don't know if you have updatable firmware version of the locks until you try it!).

the FE599 is not a z-wave plus device, and firmware alone won't make it z-wave plus compatible but z-wave plus isn't required to get it work.  The latest versions of the FE599 do seem to work with the Vera Plus.  So it is really just going to depend on the age of your Z-wave locks.  If you have really old versions they are only going to work on UI5 or older version of UI7 They will not work with Vera Plus since it comes by default with the self healing firmware that doesn't work with the older locks.

[kb2068]

Hi, wondering if anyone can help me. I have brand new (about 3 months old) FE469NX lock & the new Mi Casa Verde VeraLite  controller. It worked fine for about a month but now Im having this issue too     any advice would be great

[Marc Shenker]

Hi, wondering if anyone can help me. I have brand new (about 3 months old) FE469NX lock & the new Mi Casa Verde VeraLite  controller. It worked fine for about a month but now Im having this issue too     any advice would be great

Situations like what you described often happen after something occurs to the Z-Wave transmission. Have you added any mirrors, new appliances, duct work, 900Mhz devices, electronic dog fence.... All of these can cause transmission issues. Adding additional devices that are AC/high powered like a lamp module will act as a repeater for the lock signal and should solve your issue unless there is a new 900Mhz device in your home. You could also try moving your VeraLite closer to your lock and that may do the trick as well.

[lakewoodjazz]

Hi Mark
Bought 3 Leviton Outlet Outlet modules to do exactly what you recommended.
How close to the lock? Right next to it? Same room? I want to include these in my mesh network to help improve reliability of my Schlage locks In an out building. I've watched your video and enjoyed all of them but could you explain how to exclude the Schlage lock in ui7 before I include them after installing the wall modules. I bought a hundred foot ethernet cable to bring my Vera closer to the locks at the outbuilding or I can plug Vera in closer to it and use the buttons on the Vera ui7 module. Also  I have three locks I'll be reincluding  should I start with the lock closest to my Vera  and work my way to the outbuilding? Thanks