Continue shaping setup device wizard for Z-Wave devices

[mkerstner]

Problem statement

Building upon #31 we aim to further shape and streamline the setup devices flow focusing on Z-Wave devices.

This opportunity continues to lay the foundation for

• Unify setup experience across all supported protocols #5

Community signals

• Signal 1 — Device class not set during inclusion
  Users report that Z-Wave sensors frequently arrive without a meaningful device class, requiring manual post-setup correction through developer tools. Changes also don't always persist across restarts, leaving devices misconfigured in dashboards and automations.
  Home Assistant Community Forum

• Signal 2 — Naming and area assignment split across two places
  After Z-Wave inclusion, device naming and area assignment exist separately in Z-Wave JS UI and Home Assistant, with no synchronisation between them. Users are left confused about which is authoritative, with no guided moment to set either during the setup flow.
  Home Assistant Community Forum

• Signal 3 — Raw product strings as default device names
  Z-Wave devices land in Home Assistant with manufacturer product strings or node numbers as their names.
  Home Assistant Community Forum

Scope & Boundaries

In scope

• Revisit setup of Z-Wave devices in alignment with concepts introduced in First device setup wizard focusing on Matter devices #31
• Potential device class to focus on Z-Wave fan controllers

Not in scope

• Other protocols

Foreseen solution

• wip

Risks & open questions

Open questions

• Are we able to retrieve all device information the same way

Appetite

• Medium - 3-4 weeks

Execution issues

No response

Decision log

Date	Decision	Outcome

[mkerstner]

CC: @AlCalzone discussion basis

[AlCalzone]

• Signal 2 — Covers misidentified as wrong device type
  Z-Wave roller shutters and cover modules are regularly detected as switches or the wrong cover subtype after inclusion. Users are left to investigate workarounds rather than being guided to the correct device type during setup.

This was just a bug

Naming and area assignment split across two places
After Z-Wave inclusion, device naming and area assignment exist separately in Z-Wave JS UI and Home Assistant

Good one. However this does require work on both Z-Wave JS UI and Home Assistant - not sure if Z-Wave JS UI itself is in scope for our work.

• There is no prompt during inclusion to name the device

This is no longer true since we reworked the inclusion flow for Z-Wave Long Range. Setting name and area is the last step.

[mkerstner]

Thanks @AlCalzone - updated to reflect your inputs

[mkerstner]

CC: @matthiasdebaat