Aqara hub E1 repeatedly goes offline at irregular intervals

[jbaugh]

I began my Aqara investment with the purchase of the hub M2 and multiple water leak sensors. In order to access Ethernet connection for the M2 it was installed at one of the far ends of my house. I found that leak sensors at the other far end of the house showed adequate but marginal signal strength. In fact one or more of them frequently went offline. In an attempt to remedy this I bought a hub E1 to extend the range of the M2 to serve the sensors distant from the M2. The E1 is located about 50 feet line-of-sight from the M2.

The more distant sensors were associated with the E1. Initially this worked fine. But recently I am notified every 1-3 days that the E1 has gone offline. Recycling the E1 restores everything to online status. What is the likely cause and best remedy for this? Thank you.

[devlinjamesc]

Check which WiFi devices on 2.4 are being used. Zigbee and 2.4 can interfere with each other.

[Raman.V]

Hello @jbaugh
If your E1 hub loses connection, you first need to check the wifi, try moving it closer to the router.

If you don’t have enough Zigbee network coverage, repeaters are used for this.
I’ve written about this in more detail here.

HUB placement - density optimization

Hi @guylopes71 , there is currently no custom Zigbee network map, maybe it will appear in the future. If you have a large area, you need to use Zigbee signal repeater devices for better signal coverage over large areas. Aqara devices powered by a 220v network (neutral is required) are repeaters (relays with neutral, switches with neutral, motors for 220v curtains, sockets, light bulbs, etc.)

[gafich10]

Hello, if you live in an area where the Wi-Fi network is overloaded or channels from other devices (from neighbors, etc.) overlap, try changing the WiFi channel and be sure to fix it in the router settings. I hope you know how to fix the WiFi channel on the router. If the WiFi channel is automatically enabled on the router, then the router (each has its own algorithm) can change this channel, which leads to a malfunction of the E1 gateway. I had this happen. You can find this setting in the router section, the approximate name is “my networks and WiFi”.

[aisle_urgent_7l]

I have an Eero router that does not allow customization of WiFi channels. My network does have a fairly large number of 2.4 only devices. The signal strength reported on the E1 is -40. I thought that was a reasonably good signal strength. All of the leak detectors and other Aqara apps connected via the E1 show either good or excellent signal strength. Would replacing the E1 with another M2 hub work better?

[aisle_urgent_7l]

My WiFi signal strength seems strong at the location of the E1. I have two Aqara smart switches located between my M2 and E1. Isn’t this supposed to strengthen the signal?

[gafich10]

Zigbee (battery) ->Zigbee (repeater, 220 v with zero)->М2->WiFi<-E1 <-Zigbee (repeater, 220 v with zero)<-Zigbee (battery).
This is how it works.
Within the building, this is the structure of local automation.
If the smart switches are without a zero, they do not work as a repeater.

[aisle_urgent_7l]

Thank you for your explanation. This helps my understanding greatly. My Aqara smart switches are powered by 120v. When you say “with/without a zero” I’m not sure what you mean. Where do I look for a zero.

[gafich10]

There are two wires in AC, phase and neutral (L and N). If you are from America you may have phase to phase (phase-phase= 240v) or phase to neutral (phase-neutral=120v), so you have 120 volts, that’s normal.
Now, to help you understand, in the box where you mount the switch, there should be two wires connected to the switch (L and N).
In this case, the switch becomes a repeater.