How to Perform an OTA Firmware Update on Zooz Devices

You can keep most of our products up to date by using the OTA (over-the-air) method. Many Z-Wave hubs don't support this type of upgrades yet so we created custom instructions using free third party software to update your devices.

This article covers OTA updates for end devices only, if you have a Zooz Z-Wave stick, please select your product below for dedicated instructions:

How to update your Zooz ZST10 700 Z-Wave Stick
How to update your Zooz ZST39 800 Long Range Z-Wave Stick
There are currently no updates available for the discontinued Zooz ZST10 (500 Series) Z-Wave Stick

Where do I get the firmware files?

Zooz OTA Firmware Files

SKIP to FIRMWARE UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL OTHER Z-WAVE HUBS if you are not a user of Hubitat, HomeSeer, or Home Assistant.

HUBITAT

If you're a Hubitat user and have tried the below options but are unable to perform the update of your devices, please skip to "FIRMWARE UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL OTHER Z-WAVE HUBS" to perform the update using the below PC Controller tool on the Simplicity Studio software.

If you're on Hubitat, the community developer Bryan Copeland created a tool to update Z-Wave devices over the air straight from the hub. Click here to learn more and remember to say thanks to Bryan in the forum thread if you end up using his Firmware Updater.
If the above linked instructions are not working, or you are using an Hubitat C5 and updating a 700 series or greater Z-Wave device, please use these steps instead provided to us by another Hubitat user:
- HE C5 has a File Manager capability within the Hubitat Settings which is very easy to use to upload device firmware update files.
  - Download the firmware update .zip file from the Zooz update URL and extract the .gbl file and then save it locally on your PC.
  - For files uploaded into File Manager, this is the format one would use in the Z-wave Firmware Updater (the 2^nd “binary” version provided by Bryan Copeland; https://github.com/djdizzyd/hubitat/blob/master/Drivers/Z-Wave-Firmware-Updater/zwaveBinaryUpdater.groovy):
    - http://YourHubIP:8080/local/FileNameThatYouUploadedIntoFileManager.
    - In addition to "8080", "local" is key here. Also, firmwareTarget field is "0". For example: http://192.168.1.7:8080/local/zen17-ver-1.20.gbl
    - Select “Update Firmware” to initiate the update. The update process now begins as evidenced by the firmwareUploadPercent progress counter increasing %.
If you're on Hubitat C7, click here to learn more about their built-in OTA Update SmartApp to upgrade your devices straight from the hub.
- You may need to exclude and re-include your devices without security in order to help the firmware update go through. We recommend bringing the hub as close as possible too.

HOMESEER

If you have HomeSeer as your platform, follow the steps below:

Make sure you've already downloaded the correct firmware for the device you're updating, have extracted it from the .zip file, and know where it's located on your computer
From the HomeSeer main menu, click on Plug-Ins
Click on Z-Wave
Click Update Firmware
You'll see the Update Z-Wave Device Firmware wizard page on the screen
Follow the wizard's instructions. When asked to supply the firmware file name, browse to the file location you stored the firmware to before beginning the firmware update. It may take more than a few minutes for the firmware to upload so please be patient.

If you're using the Z-Flash tool from HomeSeer, click here for instructions. If updating a 700 series device, you'll need to use HomeSeer4 as .gbl files are the only supported files for 700 series Z-Wave devices and are supported on HS4.

You may need to exclude and re-include your devices without security in order to help the firmware update go through. We recommend bringing the hub as close as possible too.
Always reprogram the device after an update. In some cases you may need to exclude, factory reset, and re-include the device to your hub for full functionality.

HOME ASSISTANT

If you use Home Assistant Z-WaveJS as your platform, click here for OTA firmware update instructions. You may need to exclude and re-include your devices without security in order to help the firmware update go through. We recommend bringing the hub as close as possible too.

FIRMWARE UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL OTHER Z-WAVE HUBS (Including SmartThings)

Please read ALL of the below instructions and disclaimers very carefully before flashing your device with new firmware. All updates are at your own risk. Products bricked during an update are not eligible for warranty service, replacement, or return.

Before you proceed, please read this!

Remember to unzip the file after download before using it to update your device. 500 series device files will use the .otz or .hex format while 700 series device files will use the .gbl format.
Always double check that you're applying the correct firmware file to the right model and version of your Zooz device. Loading the wrong version to your device may deem it unusable.
You may need to exclude and re-include the device after the update is complete for best performance. Please consider you may need to then rebuild all of your automations and settings for the device.

Troubleshooting Steps

If you notice an error about the wrong fragment size, please change the fragment size to 20 before attempting the update again.
If your device doesn't function correctly after the update is complete, please exclude it from your hub, factory reset the device, and then re-include it.
Firmware updates should usually take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes depending on connection quality and how much information needs to actually be updated on a given device.
- If it is taking longer than that, please try to bring the hub / controller closer to the device that is being updated.

IMPORTANT: To use the firmware update method described below, you will need:

Z-Wave USB stick / dongle from any manufacturer
- Click here to get the S2 Zooz Z-Wave Plus Stick
- If you're using one with an open source set-up like OpenHAB you can use the same Z-Wave stick
Laptop or PC with at least 1 available USB port using Windows OS to run the necessary software
- Simplicity Studio offers Linux / Mac version installers but we're unable to verify these will work for firmware updates
Device Specific OTA Firmware File
- 500 series devices will use a file format with an .otz or .hex extension
- 700 series devices will use a file format with a .gbl file extension.
- Please register your devices on our Product Registration Portal, which gives direct access to firmware files.
- If you do not see newer firmware available or do not see any firmware updates at all, it means there haven't been any updates and your device is on the latest available firmware for your device version.

PART ONE - INSTALL SIMPLICITY STUDIO SOFTWARE & PC CONTROLLER TOOL (Skip if you've installed previously)

Please note you'll need a Windows OS to run the Simplicity Studio software or another OTA Z-Wave firmware tool (like the Z-Flash from HomeSeer).

Go to: www.silabs.com/developers/simplicity-studio
Scroll down and click the Windows Installer button
Create an account with Silicon Labs.
- You may need to re-navigate to www.silabs.com/developers/simplicity-studio after creating an account and logging in.
Once logged in, the file should begin downloading when you click on the Windows Installer button again.
Follow the instructions here to finalize installing Simplicity Studio and getting the PC Controller Tool: community.silabs.com/s/article/How-to-get-Z-Wave-PC-Controller-and-Zniffer-tools?language=en_US
- Make sure you are logged in to Simplicity Studio in order to install the PC Controller tool

PART TWO - HOW TO UPDATE FIRMWARE USING PC CONTROLLER TOOL

Please make sure you've installed the Simplicity Studio software above and have the PC Controller tool installed and ready for the update.
Launch the Simplicity Studio software and LOG IN.
Exclude or remove the device you'd like to update from the Z-Wave hub it is currently paired to.
Insert the Z-Wave USB stick to a USB port on your computer.
Click the "Tools" button on the top to open the Tools Dialog.
Select Z-Wave PC Controller.
Click on Settings (the gear icon in the top right corner)
Check the recognized USB controller on the list in the dialog window. If there's nothing there, click DETECT and then REFRESH. If the USB stick still doesn't show up, you may need to install special drivers so please contact the manufacturer of the device for instructions.
Click on Network Management
Click on ADD to enroll the controller in inclusion mode, then activate your Z-Wave device the same way you did when adding it to your hub (see device manual or online instructions for device specific pairing / inclusion steps)
Once the device is successfully included, please select and check it in the dialog window on the left. Then click on the OTA firmware icon (arrow pointing up) in the side menu:
Wake the Zooz device up if it's battery-powered (see device manual for wake-up instructions) then select and check it in the new dialog window. You need to be able to see the current firmware version displayed in the upper part of the dialog window. The click on GET.
The folder icon will become active - click on it and locate the OTA firmware file, select, and open it.
Once the name of the file name appears next to the folder icon, click on UPDATE and wait for the process to be completed. Progress bar will display on the bottom of the screen, followed by a "Success" or "Completed" message. If you notice an error about the wrong fragment size, please change the fragment size to 20 before attempting the update again.
Go back to main menu and click on Network Management again.
Click on REMOVE to exclude your Z-Wave devices the same way you did when removing it from your hub (see device manual or online instructions for device specific exclusion / removal steps)
Add the Zooz device back to your hub.

As usual, if you come across any issues during the process, feel free to reach out to our team, we're here to help!