Lightify lights dropping out of Google App

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1

I have only Lightify (OSRAM, tunable white and color) lights and outlets - about 25.

A few weeks ago, one of the A19 (color) stopped being controllable via voice / Google Home OR Hubitat. It was about a year old. Had to take it out. 3 other Lightify color lights are working just fine.

Then, a tunable white light in the hall stopped responding - it was maybe a week old. The other lights in the hall (same age) are working fine. Then a light in the bedroom stopped responding. It's a couple years old. All of these lights had been added to the Google Home Integration App, and to Google Home, and had been working with Google Home the whole time. Now, they appear in Hubitat, but not in the Google Home Integration App and won't stay added to it.

At this rate, it may take a year, but eventually none of my lights will work. I even broke down and replaced one of them with a new bulb, but Hubitat recognizes it... and it won't add to the Google Home Integration app.

I know the official story from Hubitat is that if the bulb won't add to the Google Home Integration App, then it isn't compatible with Google Home. But these bulbs all were added to the Integration App and worked with Google Home previously, so that clearly isn't the case here. (Plus, if these bulbs suddenly aren't compatible, say, due to a change on the Google Home end, none of my other bulbs would be compatible anymore, either.)

So, the ONLY way to control these bulbs, once this happens, is to physically turn them off, physically turn them on again, and only THEN I can control them through the Hubitat app. Re-pairing makes no difference. Re-naming makes no difference. And there is NO way to get them back in the Google Home App in Hubitat.

Hubitat's reply is "We'll look into it. Don't call us, we'll call you. But we have a great user community." So... Does anybody know a fix?

2

I do not have any Lightify bulbs, so I cannot help you resolve your issue. However, I saw a web site that stated that the Lightify cloud servers will be shut down as of August 31, 2021. That is less than 2 months away. Thus, any connections that use the servers will no longer function.

https://www.osram.com/cb/lightify/index.jsp

You might be able to continue to use the bulbs by connecting them directly to a compatible Zigbee hub. Some Amazon Echo devices contain a Zigbee hub, but Google Assistant devices do not. I believe some Osram bulbs can be connected to Hubitat using generic Zigbee drivers for bulbs.

Osram considers the technology used in the Lightify bulbs to be obsolete. Thus, it might be time to start replacing the bulbs with another solution.

3

Are these bulbs paired directly to Hubitat (as regular Zigbee devices)? If so, what does the rest of your Zigbee network look like? It sounds like there could be a couple unrelated things happening, and this might give some clues for at least one of those parts.

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4

Yes, this is exactly why I now have a Hubitat hub. It not only connects OSRAM Lightify zigbee devices, it has the correct drivers, and supposedly the ability to update the firmware. (Although I don't see any evidence - say, in the logs - that any updates actually are triggered.)

5

Could you please be a little more specific what you're looking for, when you say, "What does the rest of the zigbee network look like"? I'm afraid I'm essentially a newbie. I just have what I detailed in the original post. A lot of Lightify bulbs, mostly white, some color, and some Lightify plugs.

6

I seem to have stumbled onto the solution. When I moved, I did not plug in several of the Lightify plugs that I used to use. They are repeaters. I seem to have run into the limit of 32 directly connected devices... but not in a technical way. When I removed from my Hubitat setup several devices that actually aren't in use - so they are not on the network, and thus cannot be using any connections - I was then able to re-add the devices that had been dropped from the Google Home Integration App.

Also, Lightify bulbs ARE repeaters, so having the outlets shouldn't make any difference.

It seems that either Hubitat in general or the Google Home Integration App specifically, is stripping devices down to the 32 device limit, even though this limit is not being imposed by the Zigbee standard, since we aren't talking about actual connections.

I believe it is being imposed by Hubitat in general, since once this happens, I have to go through resetting to get even Hubitat to communicate with the "lost" device.

7

Bulbs that operate on the Zigbee lighting protocol do function as repeaters for other ZL devices. However, when connected to Hubitat, the bulbs are connected using the Zigbee HA protocol. Most Zigbee bulbs are not great repeaters for ZHA signals. That is why most people recommend that Phillips Hue bulbs be connected through the Hue Hub rather than directly to Hubitat. I have not used the Lightify bulbs, but since they are based on ZL protocol similar to Hue bulbs, I presume they would respond in a similar manner when connected to Hubitat.

Zigbee plugs make far better repeaters than Zigbee bulbs so be sure to use any you already have and add even more if your mesh is the least bit unstable.

I recently purchased several eWeLink Zigbee 3.0 plugs that seem to be working great with my mesh, even with a couple of Aqara devices that would not work with other plugs/repeaters. They are sold under a variety of brands, but they are all based on the EWeLink technology. They are around $8 each, so they are a real bargain.

8

Thanks! That sounds really helpful. I'll put my plugs back in, and maybe grab a few of those eWeLink ones, too.