I don’t know exactly how other smart home systems handle this when an existing device gets a new product ID as described in my example above, but in this case it’s primarily a Homey issue and not a Leviton issue. Athom, the manufacturer of the Homeys, could add more basic device drivers. In this case, not all functions of a device may be supported, but at least the main functions.
The more user-friendly option would of course be if the needed app would be updated after the release of new or modified devices. The problem with this, however, is that about 80% of all Homey apps are programmed and maintained by Homey users and not by the device manufacturers. And the whole thing is done on a voluntary basis and free of charge.
And because the voluntary app developers are not officially informed when new or modified devices are released and of course not everyone can buy them, the app developers are dependent on receiving such information from the users. In your specific case, you could have informed the app developer of the Leviton app - the Leviton app is not programmed by the manufacturer! - of the new product ID and he might have adapted the app accordingly at short notice.
An as “Official” labeled app doesn’t mean that the device manufacturer develops and maintains this app! The Leviton and Zooz apps for example are developed and maintained by Dutch freelance software developer Leendert de Kok under the company name koktail → Leendert de Kok · Koktail · Freelance software developer
I agree with you that it is sometimes difficult to add a device to Homey, especially with Z-Wave and Zigbee devices. Although the Homey Pro (early 2023) supports Network Wide Inclusion (NWI) with Z-Wave devices, imho it’s still recommended to include the Z-Wave device in close proximity to the Homey. 20 feet can be too much in poor conditions. My recommendation is a maximum of 5 feet. You can make an extra cable for it, or walk around the house with the Homey and a long extension cable. I use the first option myself.
For Zigbee devices, my recommendation is to add them at the installation location.
If problems still occur, it sometimes helps to restart the Homey via the app or even perform a PTP.
