I’m happy to elaborate, but first, I’ll provide some context on how the system manages these devices. The Alarm Engine manages “Automation” devices, such as lights, locks, garage doors, thermostats, and outputs, independently of the technology they utilize. This design supports the potential use of additional protocols in the future, such as Lutron, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, Matter, etc.
When viewing the Z-Wave tools, note that these apply specifically to the Z-Wave modules. Below is an overview of the available tools and their functions:
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Include a Device – Puts the Z-Wave controller into Inclusion Mode.
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Exclude a Device – Puts the Z-Wave controller into Exclusion Mode.
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Rebuild Network – Rescans the Z-Wave network to optimize mesh communication.
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Default Z-Wave Controller – Removes all Z-Wave devices from the controller.
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View Devices – Opens the Z-Wave Devices page in the app.
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Test a Device – Displays the last known status update from the device.
Note: “Test a Device” will be reworked in a future release to actively poll the device for a response. This updated version of the test will also be made available to the end user.
To answer your question: Yes, using the “Default Z-Wave Controller” command removes all Z-Wave devices from the controller. All devices would then need to be excluded and re-included. This function is typically used only when removing Z-Wave from a system entirely.