Lost connections to Sengled bulbs

💡 Lighting
#1

Hi,
A couple of days ago I suffered power losses that included strobing electric power (rapid flashing of all electrical devices) during the storm. My Hubitat environment was rock solid for months before this event. Current environment is a C7 hub on release 2.3.5.152. The Sengled bulbs do not respond to apps nor to dashboard commands. They are missing from the Zigbee graphical view.

I think I know the answer to solve the problem, but thought I'd ask first.

Thanks,
Gary

#2

Not claiming to be an expert, but who knows, I may have some insights.... :slight_smile:

  • Have you tried turning off the HE hub for 20-30 minutes... Then turning it back on?
  • Without knowing much about Sengled.... Do the bulbs still operate in some fashion via the old-school light switch? Or have you tried them in other outlets, e.g. a lamp?
  • Is there a set of steps for pairing the bulbs? Have you tried this?

Does make one pause for thought about choosing bulbs over switches.... Hmmm.... (I'd still choose bulbs myself.... But still....)

#3

I would suspect that they may have been reset by the flashing…? Regardless, if I had encountered this, I would try resetting the bulb and pairing it again to the hub. It should take back its previous slot in the hub.

2 Likes
#4

I had to repair the devices by adding devices, then selecting the type of bulb, start pairing, power cycle bulbs, then they appeared: Message displayed was "Found and reconnected previously joined devices".

I expected having to discover the bulbs, bonus to find them in the correct slot. Only had to do it 13 times.

Thanks for your help.

3 Likes
#5

Sounds like something that is specific to the bulbs / the type of connectivity they use... i.e. not related to HE specifically....

1 Like
#6

There have been some of us (hand up here) who have been having issues w/Sengled bulbs since last year on the C7, and also on the C8 when it released. Some folks reported problems w/them, others not, and I never saw any clear indicators that explained why it was an inconsistent issue.

My issues w/my Sengled bulbs (which I had used for a couple years before I had problems starting last year on my C7) became significant enough that I finally removed them and replaced them w/Hue bulbs. They just kept dropping off and had to be reset regularly. Hopefull your issue was singular and related to the power outage, and not the more general issue that has affected some of us, but just wanted to note in case you see the issue returning.

2 Likes
#7

Yes, It’s really odd! I’m lucky enough not to have had issues with mine. :crossed_fingers: Hopefully, it will continue that way!

2 Likes
#8

Thanks to everyone who chimed in.
Agree that this is specific to Sengled bulbs. But they were better for me since they do not repeat Zigbee, could find color I wanted 3K Kelvin, and brighter bulbs. Network was dropping with Hue bulbs, removed and added Ikea repeaters.

I did have a problem with about half of my Sengled bulbs turning on when not scheduled. I believe that was related to Zigbee channel/ Wifi 2.4 conflict. I made some adjustments and they have been more stable.

This issue was definitely related to the power. Up to 85 electrical service interruptions since 2018.

1 Like
#9

I just added 6 Sengled bulbs into my mix and have had weird issues so far. 5 of them are in a single fixture. Oddly, I have 3 in another fixture that I've had since 2021 without the problem, now they are doing it too. The change I made is I put them in a group dimmer in my Hubitat C5. The 5 in the other fixture are in another group dimmer. My problem is with using the actual hardwired light switches. I still use my hardwired switches too. When I turn them on, after a second or two, at least one will turn off. Sometimes, they all turn off and that's when I just want to rip them out. Flipping the switch off and on again won't help, I have to go into the hub and turn them back on. There are turn-off events in the hub and I just have no idea where they are coming from. But these are set up exactly as the bulbs they replaced. If I put other branded bulbs into the group with them, those have no problems. I've tried all I can think of, so I'm about to return all six of these. If they can't handle being switched like an actual light bulb, I don't want them.

Maybe we find Sengled bulbs expect power 100% of the time? If our issues could relate

#10

ALL smart bulbs expect power 100% of the time. Remove power and there is no longer a radio. Add power and it may or may not rejoin the mesh. Regular power cycling is probably shortening the life of the radio.

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