Forgotten Sensors (dead batteries)

@davsav Thank you! We can the MAC ID off the board. If you contact our customer support, they will send you new replacements and help you with the returns. Thanks!

Mine won’t work with new batteries. Where should I send them?

Jacks Mobile

Hi all,
I believe I have discovered more about when it blinks 5 times, you are just plain bricked, with very little hope of recovery…

I was very intrigued by Home Assistant, and specifically, the local support for the Wyze Bridge and Sensors, because the Sensors have become so delayed over the past few weeks/months. So I wanted to set it up, and try it out.

I have a few sensors that I have allowed to run completely out of batteries and just now have a bunch of fresh batteries, and a few others that still have juice, and are working fine with the Bridge.

It just happened that I tried the sensor that I let run out of juice for awhile. I popped a fresh battery in, and then followed the guide to get it brought into HA.

The sensor blinks 5 times, rather than the usual 3, when you insert the pin into the hole on the unit. In the past, on the Cams, I know this usually means that they are dead/gone/bricked, and need to be RMAed with Wyze.

But just for kicks, I tried it anyway.

The bridge does see it, and gets info from it… However, it has lost its MAC:
2020-06-14 00:39:18 DEBUG (SyncWorker_2) [custom_components.wyzesense.wyzesense_custom] Sensor found: mac=, type=1, version=16

However, on a unit that blinks just 3 times during the pairing process, the Wyze sensor does properly send its MAC:

2020-06-14 00:25:34 DEBUG (SyncWorker_19) [custom_components.wyzesense.wyzesense_custom] Sensor found: mac=[7785D8F9], type=1, version=16

Following this theory further, I have tried the bad ones (ie, the ones that blink 5 times instead of 3 times), and they all have not sent their MAC addresses.

On the other hand, all my other sensors that I have brought into HA that blink just 3 times, every one has properly sent a MAC.

The main difference between the 3 blink units and 5 blink units, are the 5 blink units I have allowed to completely run out of batteries for awhile.

So I suspect this explains a number of mystifying things about those dead units some of us are seeing…

Somehow, by allowing the batteries to completely drain, the MAC address is getting lost on the unit.
(Which is weird, you would expect the value to be stored in flash, which doesn’t require power…)

The unit actually knows there is a problem, which is why it blinks 5 times instead of 3, and also explains why we can’t get them linked onto the bridge anymore.
They can’t talk with it either, because there is no MAC to talk to.

The most troubling thing is, I have allowed quite a number of sensors to run out of batteries for awhile, and nearly all of them are now bricked/blinking 5 times when new batteries are used.

Since I don’t believe the sensors can be flashed/updated with new firmware, we are all on ticking time bombs of failure, unless you are on top of keeping the batteries fresh…

4 Likes

I lost two. The problem on both is that the battery level was reported to be over 85% which it was not. I don’t believe either was installed over 6 months. Tried to report the issue to wyze and they weren’t interested.

2 Likes

They are not interested in the issues, just releasing new and spotty products.

2 Likes

Hard to believe that the Mac address gets lost when the battery drains and no one at wyze is interested in solving the issue.

I believe this is an issue they cannot correct (i.e. a hardware limitation that was not identified with testing). So it’s not that they aren’t interested, it’s just that it cannot be fixed with a few troubleshooting steps. Hopefully it is fixed on the new sensors they send us for replacement, but I’m not too confident in this.

1 Like

Agreed. I suspect it is why when you mention the 5 blinks, they don’t even try to debug further. They just replace them at that point for you.
It is a shame they didn’t make these flashable out in the field somehow. I bet this issue could probably be fixed by a new firmware, either by letting you burn your own MAC in, or rewriting the area that is losing the MAC.
You would hope the new ones they are sending have the problem fixed, but like you said, the confidence factor there isn’t too high. I am sure they know what the issue is, and how to fix it, but it might require a rework of the hardware and/or more expensive parts to fix it.
I guess we will know in a year, when the replacement’s battery die…
(It is unclear being proactive and replacing them a bit earlier fixes the issue… I wish they would tell us more about the issue…)

5 blinks when pairing or 2 blinks when you put the battery in does not appear to be an indicator of a failed contact sensor. I absolutely have 3 failed contact sensors that will not pair no matter what I do. They all blink 5 times when trying to pair and 2 times when adding the battery, However, I had a spare starter kit that I hadn’t opened yet from last year. The sensors blink 5 times when trying to pair and twice when adding a battery. They paired instantly.

Leaving the battery out of a good 7 days or so will sometimes make them pair up again also.

So… I would trash them 5 blinking sensor out just yet …

I left the battery out for 6 months and it still doesn’t pair. No MAC address. They have agreed to replace it.

1 Like

I have the exact same situation w/ a lost MAC address. Unit was in service all of a month, last reported battery was 80% or so. :frowning:

Sounds like they quietly upgraded the internal hardware to address this. But you would think a responsible company would issue a recall rather than leaving their customers frustrated. Although most companies don’t unless forced by a class action. I’m very conflicted about wyze - so much potential but so many problems. Their handling of this particular issue has been a big reason for me to hold off on getting any further into the wyze ecosystem. Also lack of native HomeKit compatibility. But I can live with homebridge. I can’t live with unreliable, glitchy or throw away devices that defeat the low cost. Although I’m really not sure others that cost more are any more reliable.

I just requested a sensor replacement due to this exact issue and they denied it because I’m out of warranty by 19 days.

19 days! Really? Looks like they really know how to treat their customers.

The sensor battery is supposed to last 1 year. So essentially the sensor is out of warranty then and you don’t qualify for replacement.

NICE!!!

4 Likes

Complaining here is like preaching to the choir. Take your complaint to social media! Wyze like most companies tends to respond to valid public complaints.

Which platform are they active and responsive on? I’m not active and will have to engage a millennial.
Too much trouble for some cheap sh!t but they need to be called out.

1 Like

In general I find companies respond quickest on Twitter. I know wyze is on Twitter Facebook and reddit - maybe others. I had good luck with ryobi via Facebook. But most times I complain on the company Twitter page as long as I have a legit beef. Some companies have dedicated customer service pages which have been generally helpful.

Thanks!

Good luck. I’m a bit surprised you got the cold shoulder. Personally I’d tag @UserCustomerGwen, in general she has been extremely considerate for issues not too long after warranty ending, especially widespread issues such as these sensor failures that surely would have triggered a recall or class action lawsuit by now if it was a more expensive or larger customer base product. Only issue I can see now is the recent influx of investors may have created a more rigid adherence to their written policies. Hopefully they remain a more customer friendly company.

For an example of a great company, I got a small victorinox pocket knife as a thank you gift about 20 yrs ago, The spring for the scissor just broke, Sent them a photo and inquiry, they are sending me a new one, no proof of purchase, no hassle. Obviously it’s not electronics, but it is an item prone to user abuse, yet it still has a lifetime warranty.

I think the “cold shoulder” was more from the cold customer service associate “Ian” who handled my request. I have posted another ticket to reconsider. Let’s see.

As I said, the cost is minimal, but the “experience” left a bad taste in my mouth.

2 Likes