DISCLAIMER: You may notice there are a lot of over-used keywords or phrases as well as English that seems a little off. This is because these articles are used to feed our AI Robot (Ira) and she needs the data to be structured in a certain way.
IMPORTANT: You will need to purchase a Z-Wave stick and have access to Windows as SmartThings does not have a native way to update Z-Wave on their platform. However, Over-the-Air (OTA) can be achieved by using a Z-Stick & PC Controller by using the Z-Stick as a secondary controller on your SmartThings hub.
Below we will show you how to update your Inovelli Red Series (Z-Wave) devices that are connected to SmartThings without removing them from your current network. We will be using a combination of a Z-Wave stick and Silicon Labs PC Controller.
As mentioned in the disclaimer, SmartThings does not have a built in way of updating your Z-Wave firmware, so we have to use a workaround. However, by following the instructions below, you can update your Inovelli Z-Wave devices in no time.
Prerequisites
There are a few prerequisites to updating your Red Series firmware on SmartThings:
Installation of Silicon Labs PC Controller (requires Windows)
Compatible Z-Wave USB Stick
Inovelli Firmware File
Installation of PC Controller
Using Windows, download and install PC Controller v5.39
Compatible Z-Wave USB Stick
While you can technically use a hub such as Hubitat, we have only tried this method using a Z-Wave USB stick. Our recommendation is the Atrim 800 Series Z-Stick one as that's what we'll be using below, but any stick should work.
Here's a link to all compatible Z-Wave Sticks: Compatible Z-Wave Sticks (article is for Home Assistant, but applies for SmartThings)
Inovelli Firmware File
Please visit the Inovelli Device Firmware File & Target Table to find your device and be taken to the applicable firmware file location.
Limitations
There are some limitations (more like annoyances) with using this method and they are as follows:
Whenever you add a new device to your SmartThings network, you will have to remove the Z-Stick and repair it to SmartThings in order for the new device to show up
You will have to do a bit of sleuthing to figure out which device is which in PC Controller as the names of your devices will not match
However, we see these limitations/tradeoffs as a win compared to having to remove your Red Series devices from SmartThings, update them via PC Controller, then pair them back to SmartThings and setting up all your automations again.
Firmware Update Instructions
Please follow the instructions below to update your Red Series (Z-Wave) firmware via SmartThings. We will break this down into two sections: Including your Z-Stick as a Secondary Controller and Updating your Firmware.
Including Your Z-Stick as a Secondary Controller
Prepare your Z-Wave Stick by plugging it in to a USB port
Open up PC Controller and click on the settings icon
Make sure your Z-Stick shows up under the, "Serial Port Data Sources" section - click on it and then select, "OK" (if it's not showing up, click on, "Detect" - if you still run into issues, make sure Windows is able to detect your Z-Stick)
Go to the Home Screen of PC Controller and click on, "Network Management"
Open up your SmartThings app and click on the devices tab at the bottom
Locate your hub and click on it
Click on the three dots at the top right and select, "Settings"
Click on, "Z-Wave Utilities"
Click on, "Z-Wave Exclusion"
In PC Controller, click on, "Classic Learn Mode"
While PC Controller starts the, "Classic Learn Mode", you should see a notification in your SmartThings app that says, "1 device has been deleted" - click, "Done" and go back to the, "Devices" screen
Click on the, "+" at the top right of the screen and select, "Add device"
Click on, "Scan Nearby"
In PC Controller, click on, "Classic Learn Mode" again
SmartThings will find a device (for some reason it shows up as, "Dimmer Switch") and there will be pop-up that says, "Some security features not supported" - click, "OK"
Feel free to rename the device to something more appropriate by clicking, "Edit" and once completed, click, "Done"
In PC Controller, you should see a list of devices pop up - these are the devices that are currently included (paired) to your SmartThings hub
If all your devices show up properly in PC Controller, you can go ahead with the process of updating your firmware.
Updating Your Firmware
In PC Controller, click on the, "OTA Update" icon on the left side of the screen
Locate the device you'd like to update and select it (there's not an easy way to find your device, so we've created some tips to at least cut down on the time it takes - please see: Tips for Figuring Out Your Device in PC Controller)
Click on, "Get" and check the current firmware version to make sure it's eligible for an upgrade (in this case, we can see the firmware version for the bulb is 2.28 and the latest firmware is 2.31, so we know we can upgrade)
If eligible, click on the folder icon and locate the proper firmware file - for help with this, please see the Inovelli Device Firmware File & Target Table
Ensure the proper target is selected (again see the Inovelli Device Firmware File & Target Table) and then click, "Update"
PC Controller should start to update your Red Series Z-Wave device
Wait for it to complete and check the status to make sure it finished successfully
Once completed, feel free to check to make sure it updated by clicking, "Get" again (you'll notice in this example, that the firmware successfully updated from 2.28 to 2.31)
That's it! Enjoy your newly updated Inovelli Red Series firmware!