Hue Motion Sensors Dropping since last update

Hi,

I have a 100% smarthome with a mix of technology. After the last update, every single Hue motion sensor (That is directly paired with my Hubitat hub) is dropping and not reconnecting with the hub.

My bedroom motion & mode lighting app setting is failing to fire. I've recreated it several times and even rejoined the hue motion sensors (There are 4) multiple times. Frequently, I see the Hue Motion Sensor firing but the logic I've set for the room doesn't trigger.

I've had this configured for months and changed nothing in the house. I believe this is a bug of some kind impacting the Hue Motion sensors.

Can I provide any information that could lead to a fix?

Thanks in advance,

Try this, replace IP with hub IP and report back. On my C7 I've had rules fail to fire also, but usually deleting & recreating works, but not if you don't see active/inactive in the events tab for the sensor.

http://192.168.0.92/hub/zigbee/getChildAndRouteInfo

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What exactly to you mean by that? Are you seeing a red light flash on the Hue?

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My setup hasn't changed in months. I have a mixture of Samsung motion detectors (Older and newest Gen), and Hue motion detectors that are connected directly to Hubitat.

All rooms are firing properly except for the bedroom. The Hue motion detectors are either dropping, or firing and not triggering the bedroom lighting scene. Other motion detectors and other rooms are working normally.

My fix has been to completely remove the bedroom from Motion lighting and reconfigure it using exactly the same settings.

Do you have any Zigbee mains-powered devices that are acting as Zigbee repeaters?

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Not sure what this should include, but I have far more motion sensors than that. At minimum it should show 2 in the kitchen, 2 in the hallway, 2 in the livingroom, 2 in the main bathroom, 1 in the bedroom bathroom, 2 in the main bedroom, 1 in the spare bedroom, and one on the balcony.

Yes, two Samsung smart plugs that act as Zigbee repeaters.

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I see the motion active / inactive event in Hubitat but the scene doesn't fire.

Weird - they don’t show up in your routing table, unless they’re called “Bedroom Fan” and “Spare Bedroom Fan“.

In any event, you need many more repeaters for a strong and stable zigbee mesh.

They are called "Bedroom Fan" and "Spare Bedroom Fan". They're smart plugs with fans on them.

The 1 repeater is within arms length of the Hue Motion detector. I've done some wireless design/deployment for large business for a few years so my home system is robust.

Edit: Keep in mind this has been stable and issue free for the better part of a year. the only thing that's changed is regular updates on the Hubitat hub.

I don't mind swapping a motion detector that's possibly bad. The part I'm concerned about is seeing the motion active / inactive without Hubitat turning the lights on or off.

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OK, so if the motion detectors are properly reporting their status (active vs inactive) to the Hubitat hub, then the motion sensors and Zigbee mesh sound like they are alright.

But, that's not what you reported in your original post...

Please help to better define the issue so we can help guide in the troubleshooting.

What type of lights are you controlling via the Motion and Mode Lighting apps?

I would break the problem into its three main components:

  1. Inputs - the motion sensors, are they reporting their status updates reliably? Do they have fresh batteries in them?
  2. Outputs - Can you manually control these lights via their Device Details page on the Hubitat hub?
  3. Automations - the app(s) that tie the inputs to the outputs. How are these configured exactly?

Even though nothing has been changed by you, it is still possible that your home WiFi Router may have decided to change WiFi 2.4GHz channels and is now conflicting with your Zigbee channel. Or, a neighbor has a new, super strong WiFi network that is conflicting with your Zigbee network. Or, a new baby monitor was recently added nearby and is conflicting. Etc... You get the idea - what external factors might have changed?

If you truly believe it is an issue with the latest platform update, you can always revert to a previous firmware on the hub using the Diagnostics Tool. Just be sure to capture a backup to your home computer before starting any such troubleshooting.

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Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Answers:

Type of Lights: Hue paired to a hue hub (v2) integrated with Hubitat.

Inputs: The Hue motion detectors all reported full batteries and I replaced them anyway to be sure. When they are connected they're reporting status updates reliably. If they drop, they aren't reporting anything until I rejoin them through manual reconnect.

Outputs: All lights can be manually controlled via the device details page on the Hubitat hub.

Automation:

Home network: My wireless channels do not change, I have them statically assigned. I do this because I do live in a building with high wireless interference. My network is the super strong wireless network that's impacting the neighbors wireless. I do this due to the high signal interference. The other Zigbee devices in the same side of the house are not experiencing issues, only the Hue Sensors. You are entirely correct with your logic though, but this is why it's confusing to me.

I may try the diagnostic tool route, I wasn't aware I could roll back. Thanks for the suggestion :slight_smile:

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Three related questions:

  1. What WiFi channel(s) is/are used on your WiFi router?
  2. What zigbee channel is being used on your Hue bridge?
  3. What zigbee channel is being used on your Hubitat hub?

Here's the reason why:

https://www.metageek.com/training/resources/zigbee-wifi-coexistence.html

The article linked above is why zigbee channels 15, 20, and 25 are frequently recommended because they are least likely to be interfered with by 2.4 GHz WiFi channels that are 20 MHz wide.

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It sounds like you’re operating in a fairly congested 2.4GHz RF spectrum. I am of the opinion that just 2 Zigbee repeaters may not be adequate to sustain a reliable, robust Zigbee mesh network. I have about 8 Iris 3210-L outlets spread throughout my house to keep my Zigbee mesh happy. This provides multiple repeater options for my Zigbee end devices to choose from, in the event that any one 3210-L outlet develops a problem, or gets unplugged for some reason.

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@bdcg77 - this is an excellent point. I live in a townhouse complex, and it seems like everyone has either powerful WiFi routers or mesh systems that use mutiple channels. I have two zigbee networks with about ~15-20 repeating devices on each. That might seem like a lot, but my automation experience has been seamless.

There are inexpensive repeaters available that work well with Hubitat, including dedicated USB repeaters from Tradfri and Tuya (about $12 each), and zigbee 3.0 outlets from eWeLink that are sold under a variety of brand-names on Amazon - these sell as pair of outlets for $15-17. They accept resistive loads of up to 10A.

I understand the concern. Although I have 2, this is actually in an apartment. One is within arms reach of the primary sensor I'm having the most issues with. Another is on the other side of my closet / around 3-4 feet away.

If I add another in this case, it would be on top of the one that's already installed.

Edit: 850 Square foot Apartment. Hue hub is centralized. I'm not dealing with much space here.

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  1. 2.4Ghz - Channel 1 on the primary AP and Channel 11 on the second AP. All gear is managed Ubiquity with a controller however channels are static.
  2. Hue Zigbee - Channel 25
  3. Hubitat Hub - Channel 20

Totally agree with your comments. I spent quite a few years designing / deploying wired and wireless networks for large congested hotel / conference centers and you're bang on with best practices.

I can usually tell if wireless interference is happening because all the Zigbee devices in that section of the house will behave somewhat the same. It'll manifest in lights from time to time as well. This seems to be something different because my bedroom motion configuration is ignored until I remove it / replace it.

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Metal studs in the walls?

If you're using 40 MHz wide channels, consider using 20 MHz wide channels.

Just another thought…. :thinking: Are your Hue motion sensors running the latest firmware available for them?

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