Zigbee device not working on new C8

randi · March 16, 2023, 12:29am

OK so I am probably not going to expalin this right but here we go:

got a new C8.
did not attempt to migrate, have 2 C7 & a C5, but reset device and paired to new C8
Some of the device paired great then promptly stopped responding.
4)Some initially "paired s DEVICE, and I had to change device driver to get them. THen they stopped responding.
I have tried Reboot Zigbee radio; Rebuild network; reset zigbee radio, retarted C8 nothing seams to help.
When I go to Zigbee Loggin on the Zigbee Details there are no entries.
My zigbee device are Sengled E11-G13 bulbs; Sengled E1E-G7F button controller. These all worked on C5 & C7.
when I setup the C8 I did setup 4 ThirdReality Plugs as Zigbee repeaters to blanket this big old house I have.

I really want this to work as I have really liked the local control Hubitat offers and was hoping with the improved radios/Antennas I would be able to do it with just the one C8.

danabw · March 16, 2023, 12:33am

What's your current FW version? Have you updated the firmware on your C-8 since you received it? Settings>check for update?

Kappen · March 16, 2023, 12:58am

there are a few people with zigbee issues when they moved to the C8 hub. I have some myself interestingly enough also with Sengled Bulbs. Make sure you upgrade your firmware. they did some things in the last two firmware versions that is suppose to make it better.

randi · March 16, 2023, 2:02am

2.3.5.110

danabw · March 16, 2023, 2:13am

So you have the C5, and two C7s, and the C8 all running at once? If so you could be stomping all over Zigbee channels across hubs when you added the C8.

Check what Zigbee channel each hub is on (all four) and let us know. You need them to be on different Zigbee channels.

Also, as you use more Zigbee channels you are more likely to run into intereference between Zigbee and 2.4ghz networks...per below:

You need to find a combination of Wi-Fi channels and Zigbee channels that don't interfere, as best you can. You're going to have a crowded neighborhood.

randi · March 16, 2023, 2:20am

Yes aware of that so have channels spread out best I can

danabw · March 16, 2023, 2:26am

Hmmm...you've done all the normal stuff. I think the next thing I'd try if I was having these issues is shutting down all the other hubs and see if that makes any difference adding devices to the C8. Same w/2.4ghz Wi-Fi - disable and see if that makes any difference adding devices to the C8.

Also one of the Zigbee channels is lower power in the US (can't remember the one, but the link I posted includes that info) you might want to check that.

bkgrimshaw · March 16, 2023, 2:48am

I am also having trouble with all of my 5 Sengled bulbs - none of the recent updates have helped. I'm hoping there's an update soon to solve the problem.

aaiyar · March 16, 2023, 2:50am

Which zigbee channel and WiFi channel are you using?

randi · March 16, 2023, 5:33am

Ok so I moved Sengled Light back to the C7 works great.

As for Channels
WiFi 8
C5 20
C7 11
C7 12
C8 20 but I changed to 13 with power of 12 see what happens in AM.

Kappen · March 16, 2023, 4:14pm

I'm having the same issue and as an additional test I turned my zigbee radio down to 8 and am currently rebuilding the network. I have plenty of repeaters so there is no need to have a really strong signal. my thought is perhaps to many things are trying to connect directly to the hub instead of use a repeater. At this point I am just grasping at straws.

shawnx1 · March 16, 2023, 4:58pm

From what I've seen with my own hubs At least is the C8 has terrible Zigbee signal compared to the C5 & C7. If you have a C7 or C5 you can easily test the Zigbee performance between them and the C8. I Hooked one repeating device to the C5 so no other repeaters. I can control that device from pretty much anywhere in the house at least on the first floor for sure. I try to do that on the C8 it won't even make it 2 rooms. You can watch the signal degrade on the C8 if you just take the device out of the room that the c8 is in. or you can drive yourself silly and try changing everything that's been working for years because you got a new hub.

Eric.C.Miller · March 16, 2023, 5:14pm

Have you tried different Zigbee signal strengths on the C-8? It would be interesting to see . . .

Kappen · March 16, 2023, 5:17pm

I just turned mine down to 8 I think by default it comes set at 16. I think there is more of an issue than just the radios though. I think the hub is getting hammered but since we can't see the CPU usage its just a guess. I just know that last night I couldn't get HSM to arm for anything. I finally just gave up and went to bed, when I woke up it was armed.

shawnx1 · March 16, 2023, 5:37pm

I've tried everything, it's a signal thing. I'm sure of it. The signal shouldn't be degrading this much from a devices that's one room away. It's not channels or mesh or power level lol. It's a zigbee radio thing with mine at least.
The only fix that I can come up with is to only use Xbee's with antennas as repeaters that can actually go for miles or you can set repeaters up only really close to the hub with no other repeaters around your house. Or just put your old hub back into service Will your zigbee work with such crappy signals sure but then some people start to have devices falling off like light bulbs and outdoor sensors. All I can say is the C8 zigbee is not performing as good as the older hubs.

Devices with good signals are going through Xbee's All the terrible signals go through repeaters that can literally be the next room over.
oops wrong screenshot

Today I'll be switching my Zwave back to one of my old hubs. I'll post the Xbee data to show how terrible the C8's radio is.

Kappen · March 16, 2023, 5:49pm

I'm working on the premises that perhaps the hub is either handling to much traffic or the radios are being over driven. I am with you however if I can't get this fixed by Friday its going back in its box and headed back to amazon. As a side note its still to early to tell but so far everything has been a lot more responsive and actually working since I turned the signal down. usually by now I start to see issues popping up.

shawnx1 · March 16, 2023, 5:55pm

turning the Signal down does help some. Take a look in your zigbee logs. I bet your signals are terrible. So your hub has no way to tell which repeaters to use because the signals are so bad on all of them or maybe good on the repeaters that are in the same room as your hub, Just check the signal on a close by repeater

Kappen · March 16, 2023, 6:16pm

that family room lamp switch is the closest thing currently acting as a repeater.

what do you consider a good number there? I was always told anything below -80 was good for home automation.

shawnx1 · March 16, 2023, 6:31pm

Now I made a post about my terrible signals and I started getting replies that the C8 has a more accurate log or something like that. So I had to do my own testing with my Xbee's what I found is the C8 Zigbee sucks compared to the C5 or C7. All I'm going to say is Hubitat found a way to turn zigbee into a turd. J/k but yea. I would think that maybe I just got a bad C8 but until someone shows me a zigbee log with reasonable signal quality I'm thinking it's not just my C8

Kappen · March 16, 2023, 6:34pm

okay understandable but what do you consider reasonable?