3RTHS0224Z Temperature sensors getting stuck

vondie

Hello,
I have several of these temperature sensors all around my house. I started noticing that many of the sensors will randomly get “stuck”. I am using them with Home Assistant and display the values on a dashboard. I initially thought the problem was interference or a low signal, but I’ve added the sensors LQI values to the same dashboard so I can compare those values when the sensor itself appears to get “stuck”. Here is the waveform of the temperature and the LQI history. You can see the LQI is perfectly acceptable yet the temperature flatlines. To solve the issue, I simply pull the batteries and re-install them forcing a reboot. Once powered back up, the begin working just fine. Is there a way to maybe increase the sensors update rate? I’m ok with a reduced battery life, I am using rechargeable lithium AAAs.

maggar

I’m having the same problem. I have four sensors in different environments and 3 of them have exhibited this behavior within a couple of weeks of installing them - one has just done it again - hence my visit here. Curiously, the one that has not had the issue is the one I installed first. This is notable because I had some issues with getting it to join (battery came out when I pulled the tab) and I ended up having to reset it and then joining it again. I’m going to try this with the one that just failed to see if it stays steady this time…

vondie

I fought and fought these sensors. No matter what I did, they would hang or decide to connected to a random much more distant access point. I ended up ditching the Third Reality sensors in favor of Aqara T1 devices. Since switching to them, all my problems have gone away. They ALWAYS find the closest access point and maintain a much higher LQI as a result. Their sample rate is faster too. The only negative with the Aqara device is that is uses a coin cell battery. To address that issue, I’ve wired in a AAA battery pack so I can use my rechargeable lithiums.

richie510

I am having similar issues. I only have one of these sensors as I bought it to see if it was a viable option in my home.

Question for 3reality people: do I need to do anything special to get firmware updates in Home Assistant for this device? I have 3reality: Smart Blinds, Vibration Sensor, button, leak sensors, smart plugs and motion sensors. All of the other devices have updates automatically in Home Assistant. This temperature sensor just shows “unknown” for firmware version in Home Assistant.

Firmware updates, standard AAA/AA batteries, and clear interoperability with Home Assistant are the main reasons that I choose 3reality. It seems that several of us may have defective units or that this device is not supported in the same way that your other Zigbee devices are supported.

My alternative to this sensor is the SONOFF SNZB-02P. It does not have Home Assistant firmware updates and takes a lithium metal battery (though it is supposed to last like 2 years…). However, there are two main points that keep me coming back to this sensor:

it works without any interruptions in sensor data reporting (I have 8 of them in service)
it has a metal mount that can be installed with 1 screw and the unit magnetically sticks to it. This is a superior mounting scheme compared with the 3reality sensor.

I really like the form factor of the motion sensors from 3reality. I also really like how easy it is to mount the back plate with only 1 screw, and then it is very easy to change the batteries. With this temperature sensor it appears that the only way to mount is to use a sticky pad, and that is a non starter for me. They either fall off the wall or rip off the paint when I want to change the battery.

The purpose of this post is two fold:

to help other customers realize that the quality that we have come to know from other 3reality products may not be the case with this temperature sensor.
to help motivate 3reality to get this product inline with the rest of the products that I have come to love from 3reality.

I assume that a firmware update would likely fix most of the issues (drilling a hole in the back plate and using a screw to mount that to the wall will be the second fix). Is there a firmware update available and this device just needs more action to get it implemented?

richie510

I have a new finding. My temperature sensor told me there was an update again. I tried to update it several times and it could never finish. I then restarted my ZHA integration and then the sensor was magically “up to date” but still has the same version.

The firmware version I’m showing in ZHA is 0×0000001e, but it showed an update for 0×0000002f for a while.

Is anyone else running either of these firmware versions? Has anyone gotten a firmware update to work on this device?

vondie

Before I gave up on these sensors, I had several firmware updates that worked. I did have one case where my Zigbee coordinator (SLZB-06p7) started running super slow which caused a firmware download to take almost a full day. Rebooting the coordinate fixed the slow download and all the devices updated. Unfortunately, none of the firmware updates fixed my connectivity problem.

Since I wrote this post, I have received a note from support saying they recognize my issue as a real problem and that they are working on a solution. No idea when or what firmware version that will end up being.

richie510

vondie Thank you for sharing. This gives me a lot of insight. I will continue to mess around with this device as it is not necessary in my setup, I just have it for exploratory testing purposes.

vondie

richie510 You are very welcome. I have 9 of these sensors just sitting in a drawer, it would be great if Thirdreality could fix the connectivity issue so I could find a use for them.

tom

vondie
You can follow the steps below for settings:

Remove the plastic battery insulator of the sensor to power it up, it enters pairing mode automatically.
2.Follow the instructions of your Zigbee hub to pair the sensor.
Note: If not successfully paired to the Zigbee hub within 3 min, the sensor will exit pairing mode. To enter pairing mode again, press the reset button until the LED turns red and release. The LED turns blue and flashes, indicating that it is in pairing mode.

For more detailed settings, please refer to this document：
(https://tr-common-us-prod.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/product/manual/TemperatureandHumiditySensorGen2.pdf)

Kvng

According to another post on this forum, this problem is apparently associated with older firmware. Unfortunately, devices running older firmware cannot be updated via Hubitat. Does anyone know if there is another way to update the firmware?