First Alert ZCombo will connect connect, help?

I have purchased 3 First Alert smoke and CO detectors to go in my home. I follow the exact instructions in the Ring app as well as the instructions that came with the detectors.

I have followed the instructions to the “T” and all I see in the Ring app is “Adding device…” “Listening for Device”. It goes no where and eventually times out.

I have reset everything and repeated the process. I cannot find any troubleshooting anywhere?

Thanks ahead for your help!

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Hey @phildogbph. How far are the devices from the Base Station? For the first initial setup, I recommend having the devices close to the Base Station to ensure it is not a distance concern, and then once set up, you can move them to the proper location. If bringing them closer doesn’t help, please give our support team a call at one of the numbers available here. We’re taking additional steps to protect our team and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This has resulted in longer than normal wait times. If you are outside of the US, please read our response to COVID-19 here to see how to contact support.

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I have exactly the same problem. I contacted the help desk but they could not resolve the problem. I tried the app on android and apple devices.

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Exact same issue.

I have three alarms. Two are unable to connect. One connected immediately without issue.

Tried calling in to support, they were unable to help after many attempts to trouble shoot. Tried to pair and unpair with the battery compartment open then closing it while holding the button until releasing after the first short beep. Then tried the same but with a 10 second hold to reset the unit. Even tried the z-wave device reset under the base station settings.

Ring should just make their own detector not just the listening device. First Alert is terrible, the product feels like it’s from the 60s

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Anyone find a solution??

I have the same problem. Will not connect.

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Hi there, neighbors! The most important factors in this setup are power and connection. Please attempt this setup nearby your Alarm Base Station, and ensure the battery is securely in the compartment throughout the setup process. If you are setting up multiple devices at once, it may take time between each addition for the pairing and proper configuration of the device. If your First Alert Smoke and CO still will not setup, please give our support team a call at one of the numbers available here. We’re taking additional steps to protect our team and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This has resulted in longer than normal wait times. If you are outside of the US, please read our response to COVID-19 here to see how to contact support.

I am having the same issue. I am less than 2 feet from the RIng Base Station. Still the alarm does not pair with ring. I have retried it multiple times. Pressed the Test button and retried, started from scratch multiple times. No success.

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In my case I figured it out why it doesn’t work. Apparently z-wave works on different frequencies in the US and Europe (and some other countries). Since I live in Europe my base station works on another frequency as the first alert smoke detectors.
So bottom line: The smoke detectors will not connect in Europe.
FYI: using an American base station in Europe is not legal as the US frequency interferes with certain cell phone signals.

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I have the same issue with all 3 of mine. They’re not brand-new (2 years old), but have fresh batteries and definitely work. I’m right by the base station but get the same result each time. I may be calling them for assistance.

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I also had problems pairing my First Alert ZCombo (gen 2) Smoke/CO2 detector to my Ring base station. Here is what I did to remove and re-add my device (within a few feet of the Ring base station).

  1. In the Ring app, tap the menu button in the upper left and tap Devices
  2. Select Alarm Base Station
  3. If you see any of your problematic First Alert smoke/CO alarms, tap each one, hit the settings button in the upper right, and remove it
  4. Go back to the Devices area and tap Base Station
  5. Tap the settings button in the upper right, and tap Advanced Options
  6. Tap Z-Wave, and tap Remove Z-Wave Device
  7. Open the battery tray on the smoke detector
  8. Hold the Test button while re-inserting the battery tray
  9. When the device beeps, release the button. The Ring app should indicate the device has been removed.
  10. In the Ring app, hit the menu icon in the upper right, and select Set Up a Device
  11. Tap Security, Alarms, and tap the Smoke/CO alarm that you have (1st gen or 2nd gen)
  12. Follow the prompts to add/pair the device. Note, you might have to pull out the battery tray, remove the batteries, re-insert the batteries, and slide the tray in again. You should see the device being added in the Ring app.

Hope this helps! Also, open to feedback in case I didn’t capture these steps perfectly.

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I was not able to get the First Alert Zcombo (2nd Gen) alarm configured when I selected it from the device list under “Alarms.”. However, I was able to configure it when I selected “Works with Ring”. Only difference in the procedure was manually entering the device PIN instead of scanning the QR code.

Would also like to note that the instructions in the Ring app fail to mention holding the Test button while you close the battery compartment on the First Alert. Had to find that crucial piece of information in the paper instructions that came with the First Alert.

Thank you!! I did not realize I had to remove both the device AND the Zwave device. Your post is the only place I saw that step.

Thank you!

The steps you provided help clear the First Alarm failure and then was able to reset it back up.

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Perfect step by step instructions. Fixed my issue.

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Like a dream! Thanks for this step by step, I was driving myself nuts. The z-wave step was the key.

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Thank you very much - this worked perfectly!

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Thank you, this fixed my issues! After a very long frustrating day of trying to get it to work.

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Thanks for your help. I also found the z-wave step the key.

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Also finally got the ZWave combo detector to work using a variation of the above, after two phone calls, an Amazon return and re-order, and additional frustration after that.

Perhaps the app interface has been revised since the above, but I could not locate the ‘ZWave device’ portion referenced above. After considering the missing step was a possibility, my Ring app immediately picked up what was being added after inserting the batteries and waiting a bit.

What did it for me, was the steps above. Open battery door, inserting batteries, pushing and holding test button, close battery door, counting to 3, releasing test button, detector beeps once, waits approx 15 seconds and beeps again, then Ring app was able to communicate with the detector.

It’s amazing what happens when the set up instructions are properly provided (by First Alert and Ring). I believe Ring phone support was trying to walk through these steps, but not quite there.

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