Zen device parameters / firmware oddities added but forgotten

Product Support
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Zooz “maintains” a github account with parameter files for more than a dozen devices. These are for devices there the number of parameters has increased since their release, though not all of the devices including some that added parameters.

Supposedly with the newer devices (primarily newer versions of the zwave sdk). the parameters and their descriptions should be coded into the firmware making these json files no longer needed. And given that the 7.24.1 sdk requires significantly less code / space this should be easily possible. Though, I have only seen very recently (this month) some of the older hardware versions getting updated firmware (for the most part until now older hardware seems to primarily be forgotten about in the firmware realm after its been replaced so this is a pleasant surprise. Tthough only noticed this on the Zen76/77 devices, expecting the 71/72 to follow suit I hope soon, though lower expectations on devices like the Zen37, which never even got the battery parameters HW2 got.

My headache is when parameters are added in firmware and they don’t exist anywhere. No real documentation for exactly how they are implemented so you are only guessing if you try to update the parameters json.

Devices like the Zen76/77 did get the new DSK version, and updating and reconfiguring on a zbox hub only resets the parameter list to that of before the updates json I already imported, not the end of the world as I can import it again, though stupid that I even have to. Why aren’t these in the firmware? The default has 18 and 32 each. The downloadable json files have 20 and 37. All of parameters added a year or more ago. (Then again, I was hoping this new firmware would fix the dimming issues causing flickering near full brightness on my Zen77, has happened on multiple brand bulbs and my only option is to lower max brightness to 90% in the parameters).

Then we come to their counter parts the Zen71/72, these haven’t gotten the updated SDK firmware. They also gained parameters more than a year ago (both got their last in June 2025) and even received an additional firmware after for “optimized z-wave reporting behavior”, of course nothing since the next gen hardware came out (again hopeful for the updated SDK update). The problem is these new parameters aren’t built into device for the hub to pull, and they also haven’t been added to the json files on github. The Zen71 has 21 parameters available as of June 2026, but as of today github offers only 19, granted this is more than the default in the zbox hub. The Zen72 has 37, but only 34 are in the github file.

The Zen30 Double Switch also received 5 more parameters a year ago bringing the total to 42. and its JSON file is still missing all 5 of those additions, offering only 37. This is of course better than the default of 23 when adding or reconfiguring the device in the z-box hub. It received a new firmware this month too, but not an SDK upgrade, though it was already upgraded to 7.23.1 in April 2025. Though 7.24.1 is a bigger upgrade than it appears number wise. It adds enhanced security diagnostics and stability improvements along with improved versions of the protocols. Maybe it is coming later who knows.

I could genuinely go on, but I think I made my point.

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You can create your own JSON files? I uploaded one with the new parameters for the ZEN04 in that firmware thread for example to help others.

I’m under the impression that Zooz is a smaller team which means limited resources. I’m still pretty impressed by the updates, before I switched to Zooz, my previous systems / devices got no firmware updates.

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Any certified Z-Wave device needs to expose all included settings and parameters in the firmware. This is true for all of our existing models so you should always be able to pull the settings from the device firmware itself.

SDK updates happened for most of our switches earlier this year and they’re listed in the change logs on our support page.

All of our advanced settings are documented in the support portal as well and they’re typically updated as soon as a new firmware file is published.

But maybe I’m not reading your comment correctly and the issue is that the documentation should rather all live on github or more of it should be on github vs in our support portal? :thinking:

As far as I know we use github primarily for integration purposes with our platform partners vs as a publishing and support tool for our end customers so maybe this is where the disconnect is.

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What is the point of providing the parameters json file if you won’t update it? Why do I need to modify it myself? It sounds like you haven’t explored the support provided Device Parameters project in the zooz-git github account. GitHub - zooz-git/device-parameters: Advance Parameters for ZOOZ devices. · GitHub

I have been directly instructed by support to download them from there. Seems like the various support teams need to get on the same page. Lost track of how many conflicting support responses I have received.

Then again, I received shipping labels that didn’t work a few times too for defective products.

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The double edged sword of the ZBox. I did a review of the ZBox on another forum, and sort of alluded to the issue with this. The ZBox is very powerful, as you can program it to do exactly what you want, as it doesn’t do much automatically out automatically for you. For example, want to know what sensor triggered your alarm, you’re going to have to program something for that. I believe this is more designed for enthusiasts or power users. People who could edit a JSON file if needed.

It’s honestly one of the reasons I use SmartThings for my mom’s house. She needs something that is easy to figure out and just works.

Those JSON files are pretty straightforward to modify and add the parameters too. You can use the existing ones as a template.

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Between this and your other post feels like a lot of complaining. Maybe HA isn’t for you.

I find the Zooz products excellent. Sure parameters change as they add in new capabilities and modify existing ones. Zooz routinely updates firmware to improve the offering. As such device drivers can get out of sync since the authors are many. In the end all hubs support a generic inclusion mode and tool to manipulate parameters. Perhaps not as convenient as a custom tailored driver to link lock step with the firmware but at least it gives you a way to move forward while the drivers catch up.

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Same here. Not to mention compared to the other devices I’ve tried their updates and support are night and day better.

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