What moves
The yellow command frame follows the exact route list. The moving object is not doing path finding at every hop.
Z-Wave Source Routing Animation
See how a Z-Wave controller writes a complete route into a command frame
animation
z-wave
routing
source-routing
explorer-frames
mesh
networking
intermediate
A guided Z-Wave source-routing workbench for tracing route cache lookup, explorer-frame repair, route-list forwarding, ACK failure, and sleeping endpoint limits.
Animation
Z-Wave
Source routing
Explorer frames
Watch the route list travel inside a Z-Wave command frame
The controller does the route decision up front. A repeater does not search for the next hop; it reads the next node in the frame, forwards, waits for an ACK, and the controller repairs the cached route if the path breaks.
1 -> 8 -> 30 -> 48 -> 62
Route list in the frame
Cached route
How the path was chosen
ACK pending
Reliability evidence
Repeaters only
Intermediate-node rule
Who decides
The controller owns the route cache and writes the selected path before the command is sent.
What repeaters do
Mains-powered routing nodes forward to the next listed node and confirm each hop with link-layer ACKs.
What breaks
Stale routes, failed repeaters, and missing mains-powered backbone nodes cause retries or explorer-frame repair.
Network Map
Cached route ready. Step through the route list to see each repeater use the next-hop entry.
Cache lookup
Controller
Mains repeater
Battery endpoint
Command frame
Explorer discovery
Cache lookup
Controller checks whether it already has a route to the destination.Discover or repair
Explorer frames search for a path if the route is missing or broken.Write route list
The command frame carries destination plus ordered repeater list.Forward by list
Each repeater forwards to the next listed node and waits for ACK.ACK and cache
Success confirms the route. Failure marks stale evidence for repair.Packet Header View
The same ordered route is shown as pills so you can inspect the current forwarder.
Reading: Node 1 has a cached route to Node 62. It will send the command to Node 8 first.
Controller Route Cache
The controller cache is the teaching object here: hit, miss, stale, then updated.
| Destination | Route | State |
|---|
Source Routing Quick Reference
Packet Evidence
- Home ID keeps neighboring Z-Wave networks separate.
- Node ID identifies each device in the local network.
- Route list gives the ordered forwarding path.
- ACKs prove whether each hop received the frame.
Device Roles
- Controller manages inclusion and route knowledge.
- Mains-powered routing slaves can relay for others.
- Battery endpoints conserve power and do not relay traffic here.
- Moving a repeater can make cached paths stale.
Repair Signals
- Cache miss starts route discovery before normal delivery.
- No ACK marks a cached path as suspect or stale.
- Explorer frames search for alternate paths through repeaters.
- The controller updates the route after a working path is found.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Confusing mesh with flooding
Normal command delivery is not every device rebroadcasting. The route list narrows forwarding to selected hops.
Relying on sleepy endpoints
A door sensor or motion sensor is usually a poor intermediate node because its radio sleeps to save battery.
Ignoring stale routes
If a smart plug is moved, the controller may still try the old physical path until discovery or network healing updates it.
Practice Prompts
Trace A Command
Use the cached lock command and step through. Which node reads the next-hop value after #8 receives the frame?
Find The Bad Assumption
Run the battery trap. Why is the route invalid even though the sleeping endpoint is physically between two devices?
Repair A Route
Run failed repeater repair. What evidence tells the controller to stop trusting the stale route through #30?
Teaching model boundary: This page focuses on the source-routing idea: a controller-managed route cache, a route list carried in the command frame, ACK-based failure evidence, and explorer-frame repair. Exact frame encoding and generation-specific limits vary across Z-Wave versions, so the route bytes here are simplified for learning.