Hub dropping off network issues

[jbeardon]

Hi Guys Just updated to 3.1.7 and have lost connection to my hub. UPDATE.

The hub was also offline in the wiser app and could not be pinged. Re-starting the hub has fixed the issue BUT the timing of it going offline coincided with the update being installed. May be purely a coincidence but it has never dropped off wifi before this.

Log errors below:

Connection error trying to communicate with Wiser Hub 192.168.69.12. Error is HTTPConnectionPool(host='192.168.69.12', port=80): Max retries exceeded with url: /data/v2/domain/ (Caused by NewConnectionError('<urllib3.connection.HTTPConnection object at 0x7fc4c5ea0670>: Failed to establish a new connection: [Errno 113] Host is unreachable')) 11:18:47 – (ERROR) Drayton Wiser Integration for Home Assistant (custom integration) - message first occurred at 10:02:54 and shows up 54 times

Retrying (Retry(total=1, connect=None, read=None, redirect=None, status=None)) after connection broken by 'NewConnectionError('<urllib3.connection.HTTPConnection object at 0x7fc4fc790100>: Failed to establish a new connection: [Errno 113] Host is unreachable')': /data/v2/domain/ 11:18:44 – (WARNING) Drayton Wiser Integration for Home Assistant (custom integration) - message first occurred at 10:02:41 and shows up 162 times

[msp1974]

Couple of questions.

1. What version did you upgrade from?
2. Did you do a hub reboot when you upgraded as suggested in forum?
3. I know, that's more than a couple! 😀 did you see whether flashing or solid red light? Thx

[jbeardon]

Hi Mark It was an incremental from the previous version and, sorry I didn't spot the suggestion in the forum but did re-boot the hub once I had worked out it was completely offline. The red light was flashing.

Cheers John

[msp1974]

Ok thanks. See how it behaves over the next few days. It maybe related to the fundamental issue I think I am trying to fix which is that the integration opened too many connections to the hub and then it ran out and was unable to create a connection. I think we are seeing a mix of flashing red (no wifi) and solid red (no cloud connection), but think both are somehow related to the same issue. We also see that these drop outs last 40 mins or 2 hours. So if you can keep an eye on it and tell me if it does drop again, how long for (it may not be exactly 40m/2h due when last update request was etc but I'v seen within 1-2 mins off these times.

I know Wiser are also looking at this to see if something can be improved in hub firmware to make it more robust too as this is a real PITA issue with this integration and certainly seems to have got worse in more recent times.

I'm going to leave this issue open for the time being.

[jbeardon]

Thanks Mark - I'll keep an eye on it and report back.

[diginfo]

v3.2.1

I have exactly the same issue, my hub can go offline for several hours at a time, cannot be pinged, cannot be accessed via the wiser app, and the wifi router shows no wifi connection from the wiser hub but all other wifi devices connected.

The wiser hub is about 8 feet away from the wifi router, and the walls are plasterboard not brick, so there's no way that this is related to signal strength.

All other devices including several esphome do not drop off the network at all.

See attached history graph based on last 7 days.

[msp1974]

This is a know Wiser issue. I've kept this issue open to track it. They are currently working on a firmware update to resolve this, however the beta version that was loaded onto my hub seems to be worse not better, so they have gone back to the drawing board.

It seems more prevalent on mesh wifi. Do you have a mesh setup?

[jbeardon]

Mark - this has reminded me that I was going to report back after the problem I had. My install has actually been very stable since my initial issue post. Think there has only been one occurrence when the hub has been offline since. I do think my initial issue was prompted by the version change but I have upgraded the integration versions that have been released since without a problem. For info, I do not have mesh wifi but multiple access points (TP-Link Omada). The Wiser Hub also has an IP reservation set within DHCP.

Cheers John

[diginfo]

@msp1974 Mark - "It seems more prevalent on mesh wifi. Do you have a mesh setup?"

Thanks for helping and for the info.

No it's just a regular WIFI, no mesh, but I do have address reservation setup for all of my regularly connected devices.

I just checked the firmware version on the hub: Firmware: 3.10.6

Are we all on the same firmware as I have never updated it and assume that it updates automagically ?

[anthonywalker75]

I too have been getting the red light of death. Both at my work installation and at my home installation. Both installations use unifi access points, both within 5M of the controller.

I got round the problem by installing a shelly 1 into the mains supply to the controller. I then use an automation in HA which if the controller goes "away" for more than 30 minutes then power off the controller wait 10 seconds then power back on.

A bit overkill but it seems to fix it.

Anthony

[diginfo]

This is a know Wiser issue

I just signed up for the forum hoping to see lots of reports about this but can't find any.

There is a post about someone setting up a new system and having connectivity issues.

Also, are we all running the same firmware i.e. 3.10.6 ?

[msp1974]

See the link in our readme file.

https://community.home-assistant.io/t/drayton-wiser-home-assistant-integration/80965

[diginfo]

Mark, sorry, you mentioned that it was a known firmware issue and I was trying to find out more info, I meant the wizer forum :-)

https://community.se.com/t5/Schneider-Electric-Wiser-Forum/bd-p/wiser-forum

[msp1974]

I think it is a lot less noticeable if you are not using HA whilst it does happen when not using HA. Wiser themselves have seen this and, as I say, are actively working on a fix firmware release.

[spuiuk]

I have been hitting a similar issue where the hub was disconnecting from the wifi network causing it to flash red on the hub. This continued to happen even after I disabled the HA extension. I was also hitting a similar issue with wifi plugs flashed with Tasmota. The plugs were similarly randomly dropping out of the network.

I have since changed the DTIM settings under wifi settings to a value of '1' from auto. This seems to have fixed the wifi dropping out settings for now. The tasmota plugs were on a different network which has had the change for a month now. I similarly modified the setting for the wifi network the Wiser hub was using to a similar DTIM setting of 1. The hub has been rock solid since then.

This may be a red-herring but seems to have fixed the issue with the hub falling out of the network on my setup. Just posted this here to see if others hitting the same problem are using Unify Access Points.

[ruipin]

I've also been seeing this quite regularly (once or twice a week). Setting DTIM to 1 did not help.

I've mostly noticed it because I get push notifications of unexpected HASS errors, so get told as soon as the Hub becomes unresponsive. If unlucky it can break some of my automations temporarily, which can be mildly annoying, but usually there's no actual effect as the hub will fix itself after 30-60 minutes.

[dangel666]

I've got the same (or very similar issue). Frequency can be as low as 24 hours but no red light - it's green. The app and HA can't see the hub when this happens. After reading this today I waited rather than powering off the hub and sure enough it came back later on. I've also see the red light but months apart and usually it's dropped off the wifi.

[asantaga]

i just checked my hub stats and for the last 10 days i dont have a single drop..coincidence or perhaps the new fw menitoned sometime ago is working for me?

[giuliano108]

I'm on firmware 3.10.8 and, since setting up Home Assistant 4 days ago, the hub disconnected from WiFi a couple times already...

[asantaga]

Mine is also on 3.10.8, but i lied.. using hub data it says mine also dropped a few times.. That said we never noticed... I guess it would affect automations

Anyway this is being actively looked at by wiser. not much we can do here

[msp1974]

I think Jamie has said on the forum that they are close to a firmware fix. I have been running a version of this new firmware for about 1.5 weeks now on my test kit and so far, only 1 drop for less than a minute, compared to my other hub showing many drops so think they have found the main issue.

[msp1974]

Should have added, I think we will look at some sort of retry for hub commands if it fails such that if it does happen to coincide with a wifi drop (presuming they will only last a very short time in this firmware fix), we have more certainty of the command being executed.

[stuart938503]

@msp1974 Hi Mark - I have recently been running the gauntlet of dealing with Drayton about this same issue (although I use OpenHAB). I have historical availability data going back around 8 months, and noticed a significant increase in drop outs around July this year. Drayton have confirmed there was a firmware update around that time, but refuse to give that any serious consideration.

Your posts suggest some parts of Drayton may be aware of this issue - is there any public information about it e.g. on a forum I could read? Could I also ask what version of firmware of you running please? I am on 3.10.8-fb3437180f.

Hub downtime grab with jump after July firmware update: https://imgur.com/a/KvhqJkV

[msp1974]

Yes, we (Angelo and i) have been in dialog with the guy that heads up the Wiser product (Jamie). From the feedback from the user base for this integration they realised it was a significant issue and have been investing time finding a fix. I have a special dev version of a hub with the test versions of firmware and logging (as I think do some others) to help find the resolution. I expect that there will be a firmware release soon that should fix it.

[stuart938503]

Thank you - good to hear I am not the only one with this issue. Is there anywhere I can publicly track the progress of this work? I am happy to run dev versions of the firmware to help test potential fixes if that is something Drayton would like.

[asantaga]

I think the closest we have is lots of discussion on this topic on our homeassistant integration thread here https://community.home-assistant.io/t/drayton-wiser-home-assistant-integration/80965/1666

Drayton Wiser have in the past requested volunteers to test the firmware,

[ruipin]

The app/firmware changelog page is now stating that the newest HubR firmware version is v4.12.30, hopefully that fixes the disconnection issues.

My hub is still on v3.10.8. Has anyone else been updated to v4 already?

[jbeardon]

Still on 3.10.8 here (UK)

[stuart938503]

I noticed that version in their email, although am still on 3.10.8. Guess it may take a few days/week or two to push out.

Edit: that change log page says it should update within 24 hours.

[ruipin]

Edit: that change log page says it should update within 24 hours.

The reason I asked is because the changelog is dated 16th December, i.e. it has already been multiple days. But I assume they're just being slow at pushing it out, or might be doing it gradually / by regions.

[Duke-Box]

Hi, Just to add my 2 pennies worth. In my case this is not a wifi issue it is a wiser cloud issue. And it happens quite frequently (several times a day for a minute or 2 at a time), far more times than the HA wiser integration shows (I guess because of the polling interval of the integration). I have noticed this cloud disconnection has become more prevalent over the last couple of months. My Hub firmware is 3.10.8

I note that the change log page shows the latest hub firmware is 3.10.8 (UK) (so it appears there are different version by location?) not 4.12.3 as reported here, and the 24hr update is referring to the phone App only.

[ruipin]

Huh, seems they updated the page with the reduced version. When I posted my comment it did say 4.12.3. Maybe that was a mistake and 3.10.8 is the accurate version.

For me I don't think it's a cloud issue, I know for a fact the Hub regularly becomes unreachable in the local network and disconnects from the Wifi router.

[Duke-Box]

Ok but for me it is the solid red light not the flashing red (wifi). I assume that solid red means the hub is not communicating at all? The wifi signal strength does vary considerably though.

Also, if I have the App open on my phone I can see the hub disappearing so that, to me, means both the cloud connection and wifi are down. I can get the hub back online quickly by power cycling the hub.

I do have a mesh network but the hub is not connected to it. My hub is connected directly to the router.

[Duke-Box]

Update: so I had the flashing red light. rebooting the hub brought it back immediately. Obviously an issue with the hub as all my other wifi connected devices didn't complain. I have over 50 but maybe they are more resilient to outages?? Doubt it!

I have reported this issue to drayton via the App.

Even though the hub usually recovers itself, when it does all over rides are cancelled and it reverts to the schedule. This is a REAL problem and is big issue as the hub is in effect rebooting itself (as in a Unix panic!)

@msp1974 has there been any further update from wiser as this is becoming more than a nuisance?

[scooper1]

if you got 50 devices on one access point then you can be flooding the access point . i think the hub is less resistant to flooding because of the switching between wifi and zigbee networks

[bjbdev]

At the moment my hub's on an (Unifi) access point with only a couple of clients. The drop-outs are local, not just cloud, and can be verified both from the AP and from ping/http requests on the local network. I've tried many setups over the last year but the behaviour hasn't changed so I think it's clear it's the Wiser Hub rather than the wifi. Not sure about the "switching between wifi and zigbee" comment -- @scooper1, can you elaborate on that? I'd have assumed they were separate radios?

On which note, has anyone opened the hub up and looked at what's under the hood?

[andywwright]

Guys, there is no need to power cycle the hub, what if you interrupt the firmware update in the middle? Just press the upper left button two times, that will do the trick.

I have no faith in Wiser team as the problem is at least a decade old. I think about opening the damn thing, cutting the hot water relay from the mains and wiring its NC contacts in series with the heating relay so that when I call hot water it would cut off the heating instead.

That way I would have a possibility to send a command like "Switch heating off for X minutes" so it would indeed come back in x min even when (not if) the hub drops out of WiFi somewhere in the middle.

[scooper1]

@bjbdev I have been told in the past that it only has one radio chip shared between the two functions and that's why it has trouble with keeping wifi connection I have not seen an internal breakdown to confirm this I did not see two internal PCB aerials on the version that I got but was not really looking for that when I installed it

[scooper1]

@andywwright I have my hub wired by a sonoff switch so I can remote reset it if it goes offline - it used to happen at least 1 a day but now lasts around 60 days between resets

[newtoiot]

Guys, there is no need to power cycle the hub, what if you interrupt the firmware update in the middle? Just press the upper left button two times, that will do the trick.

I have no faith in Wiser team as the problem is at least a decade old. I think about opening the damn thing, cutting the hot water relay from the mains and wiring its NC contacts in series with the heating relay so that when I call hot water it would cut off the heating instead.

That way I would have a possibility to send a command like "Switch heating off for X minutes" so it would indeed come back in x min even when (not if) the hub drops out of WiFi somewhere in the middle.

Upper left button, do you mean the ‘setup button’? I’ve been pushing this once, connecting to the hub with the local app via the local ap it creates, then pushing the setup button again, a short while after it connects back. I’ll try your suggestion next time, that will remove some steps. I don’t know how successful it’ll be, but I opened a call with Drayton.

[andywwright]

​Sorry I didn't remember what it called, but now I checked and yes, it reads Setup. People even press it with actuators https://community.home-assistant.io/t/drayton-wiser-home-assistant-integration/80965/1785?u=andywright

[mikeasharp]

I have had to disable mine - first new HA install.

4 node Deco P9 mesh.

Solid red light every day or two.

Pressing the setup button twice makes it reconnect.

Home Assistant 2023.1.2 Supervisor 2022.12.1 Operating System 9.4 Frontend 20230104.0 - latest

Wiser Hub: 3.10.8

is there any update on this issue?

thanks

[jbeardon]

I have had to disable mine - first new HA install.

4 node Deco P9 mesh.

Solid red light every day or two.

Pressing the setup button twice makes it reconnect.

Home Assistant 2023.1.2 Supervisor 2022.12.1 Operating System 9.4 Frontend 20230104.0 - latest

Wiser Hub: 3.10.8

is there any update on this issue?

thanks

@mikeasharp - the hub going offline has nothing to do with Home Assistant. The only thing Home Assistant does is make it far more obvious that the hub has actually gone offline. The 'issue' is hub firmware related and is being investigated by Drayton - there was supposedly updated firmware being pushed out to the hubs but none of us have seen it yet.

[mikeasharp]

I have had to disable mine - first new HA install. 4 node Deco P9 mesh. Solid red light every day or two. Pressing the setup button twice makes it reconnect. Home Assistant 2023.1.2 Supervisor 2022.12.1 Operating System 9.4 Frontend 20230104.0 - latest Wiser Hub: 3.10.8 is there any update on this issue? thanks

Mike - the hub going offline has nothing to do with Home Assistant. The only thing Home Assistant does is make it far more obvious that the hub has actually gone offline. The 'issue' is hub firmware related and is being investigated by Drayton - there was supposedly updated firmware being pushed out to the hubs but none of us have seen it yet.

Before HA, the hub was fine. It maybe dropped off once or twice since I had the heating installed. The Wiser app always seemed to work. How, with HA polling the hub, the hub is dying every other day.

I'm quite prepared to accept there is a problem in the firmware, but my first thought wouldn't necessarily to absolve HA of any part in it.

For example, I thought it may be saturating the hub way beyond its design limits. The polling was set to the standard 30s.

I'll disable the polling for now, until the Drayton firmware fix is released. I have raised a ticket with Drayton to see if that nudges things along.

Thanks

[andywwright]

My Wiser hub was falling off daily long before I knew what HA was. No mesh, less than 10 clients in the network, 2 meters from the hotspot, not a single dropout of any other device EVER.

[msp1974]

Wiser are telling me a firmware update will be released at end of Jan. I have a test hub with a dev version of firmware with these fixes in and it has significantly improved the situation - not dropped wifi for over a month.

[dangel666]

My Wiser hub was falling off daily long before I knew what HA was. No mesh, less than 10 clients in the network, 2 meters from the hotspot, not a single dropout of any other device EVER.

Yeah same here - although I did buy it due to the HA integration. It's a hub issue and (frankly) it's not being snowed under by polling it's just not reliable for some internal reason. Thanks all for keeping the information flowing here for now I've learnt to jusr wait for it to come back from the dead on it's own..

[ZuluWhiskey]

Wiser are telling me a firmware update will be released at end of Jan. I have a test hub with a dev version of firmware with these fixes in and it has significantly improved the situation - not dropped wifi for over a month.

Is there a way we can throw our hats into the ring to sign up for this dev version? It's a right pain!

[newtoiot]

I opened a call with Drayton about the red light issue, even though I suggested that this was a known fault and they had some code for release soon, the reply I received was :

Based on what you have said this sounds like this may relate to a rare instance of what is known as attenuation.

Attenuation is essentially interference caused by an electromagnetic field (EMF) produced by the boiler, not all boilers create EMFs.

This can be solved by moving the Hub so it is a minimum of 1m from the boiler.

. I don’t know how many domestic installs have this option, mine certainly doesn’t, all of the wiring goes to the hub (formally danfoss programmer) is beneath the boiler, and not easy to move.

I hope that the firmware due for release stops the red light of doom on my hub and it isn’t some weird emf.

[stuart938503]

Your experience is I feel, simply standard consumer tech support - assume the cause of the issue is something that can't easily (never) be proven or disproven (e.g. WiFi) and put it all on the customer to do the fault finding until they get bored or by pure chance one of the suggestions work. Most users lack the knowledge to challenge anything said.

I have had a case open for several months now, going back and forth. Despite every single thing they have asked me to do (all WiFi stuff) never working, me providing extensive evidence this appears to be an issue with the hub only (including tethering the Hub from my phone so using a completely different radio and AP network), we are still focusing on the WiFi. I have put a complaint in which seemed to get me some more attention... will chase in a week to see whether anything is moving. Doesn't look promising however as the very first email after the complaint was asking about WiFi again....

[andywwright]

My hub is 2m from the boiler so it can't be the reason, at least for me. I also would not be too optimistic about the next firmware update solving this problem. Better safe than sorry,  we'd better think about workarounds just in case they never fix it and it will drive you mad or freeze you or both.

I have all the Shnider TRVs connected directly to HA already, so no problems there (such as unwanted calls for heat, crappy temperature predictions, no temperature correction etc.). In two of the most important rooms I have Wiser roomstats connected to Wiser hub. Also I have Zigbee temperature sensors in all the rooms, so in theory I'm ready to get rid of the Wiser hub all together.

My general advice to everyone - add Zigbee network to your HA if you don't have it yet. One more dimension of freedom would not hurt.