SmartSense Multi Sensor V4

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1

Hi,

I have Samsung's SmartSense Multi Sensor V4 (use it to report open/close door) and it keeps disconnecting every couple of days. Remove, re-pair, works and then disconnects again.

Any known workaround for this issue?

Thanks.

2

A couple quick tips.

When you have a Zigbee device drop off, you shouldn't have to remove it and pair it again. It will almost always join again without removal. You just include it again.

If devices are dropping off, that is usually an indication of weak mesh, in other words you need line-powered devices for repeaters. One place to look at Zigbee signal strength is in the Settings menu, Zigbee settings. There is a Zigbee logging function there. Your devices should be in the mid-50s to probably mid-70s (RSSI). Much above that, you will probably have issues.

Another cause could be interference, you can check what channel the Zigbee is on by going to the Settings tab, and looking in the Zigbee section. Usually 15 and 20 are better than other channels regarding interference from 2.4Ghz wifi.

Here are a some helpful items when dealing with and designing a Zigbee mesh.

https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=How_to_Build_a_Solid_Zigbee_Mesh

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3

How do I do this? I cannot find anything about inclusion under Zigbee... Do I need to run through discovery without removing the device first?

4

Yes.

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5

I have one of these on my front door and have never experienced a problem with it. There is likely something in the mesh causing problems.

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6

Yeah, it sounds like it. I switched channel from 20 to 15 and it improved the RSSI levels to mid-70s, but still some are bit higher than that.

Will add couple more Samsung outlets throughout the home. Or which device would you recommend as a repeater?

Thanks.

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7

These are very good and repeat for somewhere around 10 devices each. I have a 2 story with my hub in the center of the house and 2 of these within 20 feet of the hub, and two more upstairs with one almost directly above the hub.
I’ve also had very good luck with channel 25. I have 2 HE hubs, a SmartThings hub, and Hue bridge. Using channels 15, 19, 20, and 25.

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8

Wow, went to search for these samsung outlets and they seems to be more expensive than I remember buying them for.

Any other good repeaters you can suggest, which are... more affordable and still good enough?

Thanks!

9

True that they aren’t cheap, but for me, the 4 I have do the majority of the repeating for 66 end devices, so they were worth it. Other outlets are cheaper, but you will probably need more of them to do the job of these. If you are replacing in-wall dimmers, GE has new zigbee 3.0 dimmers, switches, and outlets. I don’t have any experience with them, but have had good luck with their previous generation of these.

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Another thing to keep in mind is if you have zigbee bulbs that act as repeaters. Cree bulbs and GE Link bulbs and possibly Sylvania can cause a lot of problems with devices dropping off. For many years when I was on SmartThings I blamed their system for having constant devices dropping off and then when I move to Hubitat the same thing was happening. People suggested I dump those bulbs and go with Sengled bulbs because they don't repeat. Doing this solved all the drop offs.

11

I had that same experience with SmartThings and then Hubitat. I kept adding more Peanut plugs on SmartThings and the problem only got worse. On Hubitat it also caused Zigbee and hub slowdowns. I started adding Samsung plugs and the problems started to become less frequent, but finally resolved after I removed all of the Peanuts. I do have a few Sylvania plugs and GE switches and dimmers, but have noticed that the Samsungs seem to repeat for three times as many devices as they do. That’s why I recommend them. If you break it down to how many devices they repeat for they’re half the price of the Sylvanias.

12

Thanks for the info. Looks like I have bunch of interference because I have three different zigbee hubs in my home, all doing... something.

  • Aqara hub for aqara sensor and bringing them into HomeKit.
  • Hue bridge with one bulb and one motion sensor for.. HomeKit, which can be removed and replaced with the Aqara sensor
  • Hubitat Zigbee and Zwave networks.

All of them are in the basement, and most of my sensors are within 20-30 feet from the hub. With two Samsung outlets, I though I covered most of the issues, but... will try ordering few more, hopefully on sale soon-ish.

Thanks guys! I learned a lot in last couple of days about zigbee -- it's not "it just works" thing :frowning:

13

:rofl: I wish it was. If you have more than one zigbee network on the same channel, there will be bad things happening.

14

Anyone have the user manual for the v4? Or more specifically, anyone know how to factory reset one of these?

15

Video here

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