If a device (a bulb in this case, if that makes any difference) is not responding to automations or voice commands (through the Alexa & Google app in HE) is it OK to just reset/re-pair it without deleting the device from the hub first? It would be nice if that meant, once it was working correctly again it wouldn't need to be re-added to the automations it was originally part of. Or, if deleted and then re-paired would it be identified as the same device and not need to be selected again?
You can reset then re-pair zigbee devices without deleting them from the hub. When you 'discover' them again the hub recognises the device as a known device and you are good to go again. All pre-existing rules that the device subscribes to will work OK.
These are Osram tunable white, although I have seen a couple of hiccups with a Zengled or two (on/off dimmable). All Zigbee.
I switched almost all bulbs (all zigbee) to the Hubitat hub in one fell swoop. I made sure to disconnect them from ST first then reset & paired them with HE. I wondered if I should have only moved a few at a time each day to let the new zigbee mesh do whatever it needed to do. This was at least 2 weeks ago. I'm not sure if the network improves, or if it initially didn't, well, mesh, correctly it would stay that way.
The OSRAM will try and repeat and they do not do a good job of it. So be forewarned that as you start to add other Zigbee devices, they may try to route through the bulbs. The OSRAM will not consistently forward the packets, resulting in the other zigbee devices dropping.
If you can separate the OSRAM bulbs to another hub or a bridge, and then link that back to the main hub you can avoid the issue. This is what a lot of us do with Hue bulbs and TRĂ…DFRI bulbs.
I recently got a screaming deal on some OSRAM product that Lowe’s Canada was clearing out, and solved the issue of conflicts by controlling them via their own bridge, then linking that back to Hubitat through Homebridge. However the Hubitat hub is back at its all time low price, so you might just want to pick up another one. That would allow you to run all your OSRAM bulbs from there and not have to worry about conflicts. Use the community app HubConnect and you’ll be able to control it as if it was on the main hub. Or you can keep them on your SmartThings hub and connect that through HubConnect.
I've heard of the (Osram) bulbs not being good repeaters. I'm not sure what that means in my case. All my bulbs are Zigbee's, 14 are Osrams & 4 are Zengleds. All other Zigbee devices are sensors so all dead end. I have 12 other devices which are WiFi outlets, that's my whole smart home setup.
I've heard the advice before about putting zigbee bulbs on another hub before but can't figure out how it would help me. All the repeaters (good or bad) are the bulbs, so would just move to the new hub. Or am I missing something?
It’s the end devices where you may see trouble. Just a forewarning that’s all. Some say it works fine, most say it doesn’t. I can’t personally speak to OSRAM as repeaters, but a lot say that they are troublesome, so I will personally not even try.
I once added a single IKEA TRĂ…DFRI bulb to my network, based on somebody writing that it worked as a good repeater. That took half of my Zigbee network down. Once I removed the bulb, everything came back.
Bulbs seem to repeat for themselves just fine. I don’t know the technical reason, but Mike Maxwell who writes all the drivers and really knows about this stuff said that, and gave the warning about the OSRAM bulbs.
OK, thanks. At this point I just will have to live with it anyway. I may in the future purchase a zigbee device that works as a repeater but isn't a bulb. In the meantime, based on my previous experience with my ST hub, if I just keep re-pairing for a while it should settle down and work OK. I'm mostly happy with the fact that I can just re-pair Zigbee without extra steps (deleting & rediscovery), this at least simplifies things.
I believe Mike has OSRAM bulbs himself on a separate hub, so he’s not anti-OSRAM or anything like that. Just a YMMV statement
The Sengled don’t repeat at all, so they won’t be a problem. If you’re having issues with them it’s more likely that you don’t have good signal and you need a repeater. Might be that you’re already experiencing an issue with the OSRAM not repeating properly.
One note for resetting bulbs: I've noticed that if any Zigbee bulbs are in the Groups and Scenes app, I have to go into each Group child app that they are in use by and click "Done" before the group will work again after re-pairing a bulb. (This is as described above without deleting the device first, something you can generally do, as stated, for Zigbee devices.) Sometimes I have to do that anyway before the group works even if it's new. I don't use Hubitat groups and scenes much, but I have seen the former issue on at least two different hubs.
So, I decide it's time to fix the problems. The first bulb is in the lamp right next to where I am sitting. I lean over and turn the knob . . . nothing. It should go on . . .. So I go check the plug. It's a weird connection, just moving it slightly in one direction will turn the light on, a tiny amount the other way and it goes off. I was just vacuuming the other day and used that outlet so I caused it myself.
Problem one fixed, on to the bedroom ceiling fixture. I try to turn that bulb on again just to make sure I have the right one and it works too. Apparently one bulb was the repeater for the other. Sheesh! :-).
Might consider changing that outlet. Arcing can be dangerous, since it causes a carbon buildup and that can result in overheating of the plug when you are using higher current drawing appliances.
Do you have another hub to connect them to? You could use another hub such as smartthings or a second hubitat hub and separate them from the rest of your network and connect the hubs using hubconnect. I'm not a hubconnect expert, but with the cost of replacing the bulbs, you could add another hub and put those pesky bulbs to work.
I don't use Hubitat groups and scenes much, but I have seen the former issue on at least two different hubs.
