I broke my zwave js

I should probably post on HA but I figured I try here first. I have hassio installed on my Ubuntu server. Everything was working fine with the new ZWave JS until I borrowed the USB stick to update some devices. I shutdown the server and removed the zwave USB stick and put it in my windows laptop to run the PC Controller software and updated a bunc of devices. Ever since then the range on the USB stick seems to have dropped to almost zero. It cannot talk to anything unless they’re right next to the server. I have a bulb in the same utility closet that occasionally will talk but most of the time it times out. I’ve tried completely removing hassio and all the docker containers and starting from scratch. What else can I try? I’ve wasted so many hours trying to get it working again. I also tried putting it back in the windows laptop and running on reset on the USB stick. HELP!

Does the range work when the usb is plugged into the laptop?

@kreene1987 I have a zwave.me stick. I put my laptop on top of my server in the basement with the save stick. It successfully paired with my switch on the first floor. Also paired to bulb in basement without any issue.

This is my attempt to include the same switch with zwavejs2mqtt

2021-04-10 13:42:44.043 INFO APP: GET /api/auth-enabled 304 2.344 ms - -
2021-04-10 13:43:08.072 INFO ZWAVE: Calling api startInclusion with args: [ false, [length]: 1 ]
2021-04-10 13:43:08.191 INFO ZWAVE: Controller status: Non-secure inclusion started
2021-04-10 13:43:08.192 INFO ZWAVE: Success zwave api call startInclusion { success: true, message: ‘Success zwave api call’, result: true }
2021-04-10 13:43:38.160 INFO ZWAVE: Controller status: Inclusion stopped

Edit: I just realized the first time i tried zwavejs (not mqtt) the controller was previously setup as a secondary controller for ST. It worked great like that. I wonder if HA didn’t like the controller for some reason. It’s a zwave.me

Now I’m seeing this error on the zwave js control panel

Driver: Failed to initialize the driver: Timeout while waiting for an ACK from the controller

ZwavejsMQTT is a docker container so you’re likely broken the pass through of the USB stick to the container.

It’s also worth noting that zwavejs is fully capable of updating Inovelli devices without resorting to the PC software.

I wonder if there is an incompatibility with the UBZ1 stick. If I restart the ZwavejsMQTT container sometimes it will find the controller and other times it won’t. Even after it’s up for a period the driver will error out. I thinking about picking up the new zooz 700 series controller. Have you heard of anyone trying that one?

Originally I was using the ZWave JS which does not support upgrading. In my testing I tried out ZwavejsMQTT

It looks like the range on the stick is much lower than with the ST hub I started with originally. I finally got several devices to pair. I’m going to order a new 700 series stick and usb extension cable to run from the floor to the ceiling joist.

I should also note the interview process takes much longer than I expected. Sometimes over a minute for a single node.