1000000%! It sucks that things have gone wrong - but things do go wrong and it’s how you deal with it that matters. And Nabu Casa have dealt with this marvellously 
Yes they have.
Hell, I’d say they were *too generous. A 5-year return period doesn’t safeguard against the scammers who run into an issue when their warranty runs out. I’d have extended the warranty period and stopped at that.
Kudos for the way you are handling this, and for the full transparency. Thanks.
Good time to consider making a next-generation Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2?
Maybe also make ZBT-2 in different colors to separate which firmware is preflashed from factory?
Save the color blue for Bluetooth and perhaps use purple color for Z-Wave?
Regardless I think it would be good idea for a complete hardware refresh with newer radio chip and external antenna.
Is it absolutely certain this only affects a ZBT-1 batch?
I checked my Home Assistant SkyConnect or atleast that’s what i think it is, i bought it on June 11 this year, two days before the ZBT-1 announcement.
it shows a faded area in the same placement, and has only ever been connected to a Home Assistant Green.
It’s still working and has worked flawlessly since purchase, but it concerns me that it also shows this faded area.
Do all units have this faded area on top of the regulator or only ones that have this defect?
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You shouldn’t be impacted by this based on when you bought it. As long as it works, it should be fine - what you want to watch for is warping of the plastic itself.
Quick edit to add: It will absolutely stop working if you are impacted. 
I’m impressed by both the level of effect you put in to diagnosing this issue and the steps you’re taking to assist impacted users. Kudos!
I would like to know how the customers contacted Home-Assistant to make the complaint. I tried to get a response from Home Assistant for several months via twitter/Github for a faulty Home Assistant Connect, but support did not exist and the thing when in the bin. Basically money down the drain!
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I don’t have one of these but must say I am deeply impressed by the way you handle this.
Is batch 232401 affected? I have an unopened box here that I’ll open soon.
If you know which batch is affected, why not just tell us? Especially as the boxes have big batch stickers on them, batch numbers aren’t obscured at all.
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Yeah, batch 232401 is the one affected, the stick immediately got super hot and melted the plastic on the spot.
Really stupid of you to ask people to experiment with melting their sticks instead of just telling people which batches are defective.
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There is no batch specified because it is all ZBT-1s - if you have a ZBT-1, assume it is faulty. I’m not sure we asked people to test things, though, we said if it’s still working then get a replacement when it stops working. I’ll talk with the team about getting wording corrected if you let me know what led you to believe that we were asking that, though! Definitely don’t want to give that impression at all.
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Quotes from the article:
the most recent batch
defective voltage regulator that was used in this specific batch
Obviously it is logical to think you are talking about a specific batch when you explicitly state so.
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Gotcha, that’s fair. I’ll let them know.
How do you tell if you’re affected? Is the device still recognised, but nothing connects, does the device stop being recognised as USB, etc.?
I bought mine from Seeed Studio in China (I believe this is the official seller for those of us located in New Zealand) a few months ago.
Was just wondering about the “return process”, since the postage to here was USD26, which is basically the same price as another ZBT-1. Will we need to pay shipping to return these, does anyone know? Or perhaps we’re too soon in the remediation process for these sorts of edge-cases to have been considered yet?
I agree my sky connect crashes my system at least once a week. My old Conbee never once crashed it.
Hi, everyone cannot possibly be affected. Hopefully your composent tracing was good from the beginning. Good luck with the second test phase on the first dozens. Thank you for the remarkably excellent customer care.
Hi,
Do you have a tracability ?? Do you have a batch nimbée to check ??
Buy end 2023 i see the déformation batch number 212302
Chris
I also have the same problem, I bought it from Seedstudio, and recently (about 2 months) all 3 devices (used on rpi4) started to stop working… I tried to add them again, it sees them, but it tells me that the firmware is not good… and that I should update them with the correct firmware… but “SL Web Tools” - The firmware update is temporarily unavailable.
I mention that I haven’t updated them since I got them, and that they worked very well until 2 months ago… I think it was something generated by the Home Assistant updates.
For whatever it’s worth, I have one of the units from batch 232401 that has no visible deformities and is working perfectly. It’s connected via a 6 foot extension cable to a MacBook Air. If I do encounter issues, I will request a replacement since there appears to be no safety hazard with the current unit. Thank you for the transparency.
There have been some additions to the blog that won’t appear in the community post above, but we’ve tried to make it clearer which devices are affected.
This graphic shows the difference between SkyConnect (left) and ZBT-1 (right),
All ZBT-1 branded devices produced, as of October 2024, are believed to have this fault. You can tell if your device is a ZBT-1 by checking the white label on the back for “ZBT-1”. There is no need to test if your device is affected by this fault.
SkyConnect branded devices are not affected, and do not have this fault.
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Probably a good idea to add batch-number to the printed label of future fixed ZBT-1 batches as a batch-ID to distinguish them from newer fixed revision and make it easier to troubleshoot any future problem that might or might not be related to hardware revivisions?
Thanks for this,
So I purchased 2 of these recently
The first one is a used Sky connect as pictured is the same as the one on the left which I assume is good
The second one is brand new and still in its box - Batch no 232401 - Opening up now… … … and it’s the same as the second part in your graphic - which I assume is the dud 
Now to find the replacement process ?
This is where I’m at. I have a device that’s probably not effected (I bought at launch) but I have a nonworking device because I need to change the firmware but those tools have been disabled. I’m stuck for now
Any idea how to actually go about getting the replacement? Mine has never worked…
I have a sky connect that shows the same burn mark. So far I have not used it other then plugging in. So at the moment don’t know if it will work. In the post it’s mentions that sky connect dongles should not be affected. Does that mean not affected with the not working problem ? And burnmark can happen to skyconnect but should not cause issues ?
Hi Everyone!
This is Seraphina from the Seeed Studio Technical Support Team.
As a partner of Nabu Casa, Seeed Studio is committed to quickly addressing the ZBT-1 USB device issue, offering a free replacement program exclusively for affected ZBT-1 devices while ensuring effective after-sales support and replenishment of new batches.
Once we receive your returned product, we will arrange for a replacement device to be shipped to you at no additional cost or offer you a refund. Check out the blog for more details.
To ensure everyone can use the product as soon as possible, we will do our utmost to resume supply at the earliest opportunity. Stay tuned!
Don’t worry! The aftersale details are as shown in the link above. You can always contact Seeed Studio Technical Support Team for after-sales help!
Kenny from CloudFree here
If you purchased a Connect ZBT-1 device from us, we have made it very easy to obtain a replacement device. Just submit a ticket on our website and we will send you a pre-paid shipping label to return the affected device. Once we receive your return, we will send out a replacement.
You can find more information on our Help Center.
I ordered mine through CloudFree, they are requiring me to send in my current ZBT-1 before sending me the replacement - leaving my home bricked for the shipping times. Any way Nabu Casa can reach out to CloudFree and figure out a way to make this not happen? Maybe put a hold on my credit card that gets released once they receive my old device?
Hello Everyone!
Brandon here from ameriDroid’s Support Team.
We understand the inconvenience caused by the ZBT-1 USB device issue, and we’re committed to making things as simple as possible. As part of our dedication to customer satisfaction and in partnership with Home Assistant, we are offering a free replacement program for affected devices. You can choose to either receive a replacement or request a refund once the return is processed.
Our team is communicating with Home Assistant to restock these units as quickly as possible. For more details on how to proceed with your return or refund or to check if you are eligible, please reach out to us to [email protected] or by submitting a ticket on our website.
Thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this issue and get everything back on track.
Hello Everyone!
This is Seraphina from the Seeed Studio Technical Support Team .
ZBT-1 USB Device Now Available! We are pleased to announce that we have received the latest batch of quality-approved ZBT-1 USB devices from Nabu Casa.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support. We are here to assist you every step of the way!
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Honestly, I get your point, but what’s their alternative?
Ask you to buy a new device from them with the promise that they’ll send a refund once they receive the damaged item back? You’ll probably still get people that complain about having to spend more money.
How else can you prove that you did not just send in a picture of a broken one from the internet and then re-sell your old one if it was not broken. They are not all broken. It couls hurt the reputation of Home Assiistant if people abuse the replacement policy and request replacements if their are not broken then sell their old ones.
Just got an email from my reseller to return my zbt-1 I bought a few weeks ago. Should I expect money back and a free new one when it comes out or not money back and a new one when it comes out?
CloudFree Stock Update: Replacement stock has arrived at our warehouse, is available to order, and ready to ship.
Replacement Program Update: Please keep in mind that this issue only occurs in certain setups and is likely to never cause any issues for most users. There is no need to rush to replace devices that are functioning properly, as you are guaranteed a replacement if something does happen within the next five years.
If you do feel the need to have your ZBT-1 replaced but don’t want to bring your Zigbee network down during the process, we are offering an Advanced Replacement program so that you can receive a replacement upfront. To participate, first save your payment info with us, then file a ticket using the instructions as usual.
We will then place a hold on your card and send a replacement and return label to you.
I want to know the same. My Skyconnect has similar marks (barely visible but still there) and it has stopped working. Every device that was connected to it has stopped sending information to it.
The new batch has arrived earlier than expected (At least for us), so I would think all official Home Assistant distributors should now be offering it. You may also check the product page for any notes indicating the latest batch or reach out directly to the distributor if you don’t see a note confirming that they are shipping the latest batch.
It should, but you could contact the distributor that you got it from just to make sure.
@Brandon-ameridroid Are the new batch marked with batch number as ID on the device itself or only on the packaging as before?
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I bought mine from The Pi Hut (in the UK) last week. Batch number is 232401
Any idea what the process is if you’ve bought from a third party?
Just found out - I need to send mine back. Joy of joys.
Can you open it up and check the PCB board if the new batch now has a batch number printed on the PCB board?
How else are we suppose to in the see the difference between old batch and new batch of ZBT-1 on only the device alone without the packaging it came with?
Playing the devil’s advocate here and I just imagine future scenario examples where packaging it came with is lost and there is no identifying markers on the device itself to identify batch number and distinquise this fixed variant from the faulty variant that is not yet broken?
Why would you not want to have batch identifyer somewhere on the device itself? …I understand not needing serialnumber for simple devices like these but batch ID is now needed for quality assurance and future troubleshooting.
Most of these questions would be best directed to the manufacturer. After Home Assistant identified the issue, all distributors should have paused sales, so any Connect ZBT-1 purchased before that date is part of the replacement program. Units ordered after sales resumed are from the new batch and are not affected by this issue. At ameriDroid, we can verify your batch with your order number to confirm if your unit is part of the replacement program.
Please note that some replacement units are being shipped in packaging from the previous batch, as the replacement units were sent to us without their own packaging. This approach allowed us to make the replacement units available sooner and to resume sales faster. For specifics about serial numbers and batch details printed on the PCB, I would recommend reaching out to the manufacturer. You can also check with the distributor where you purchased your unit; they should be able to confirm if it’s from the latest, non-faulty batch.
Same, SkyConnect here, yet it seems to show a slight deformation (to the point it’s very difficult getting a clear picture). My device works off and on…right now it’s not working and I have to reboot my server to get it working, and that doesn’t work a lot of the time. Sometimes it requires mutliple reboots.
Ordered mine from Ameridroid and sent an email to them to see if I’m eligible.
edit: Nope, not eligible…yet still have issues with mine.
In that case I would recommend reaching out directly to the distrubutor you purchased from, they should be able to help you with an RMA.
Bought mine just about a week before the recall so I decided to swap it to a new one before connecting a lot of stuff to it, however it still worked fine for me (batch 232401).
Got a new one yesterday (batch 432402) that was completely unrecognizable both on my NAS and both my laptops (Linux/Win). Went back to the store today to try another one from the same batch but that one also seems dead. They would try to get one from another batch for me.
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They’ll be refurbished into new stock.
I’d hate to be running a lot of stuff on one and having to give it up for a while.
Same. Mine was unusable. I have moved on to another coordinator then found out these were recalled. I’m sure some Skyconnect units are affected. Mine is a Skyconnect from earlier build but would crash my system every other day. No real visible logs, just zigbee disappears, hard reboot the system and everything is normal until the next crash.
Got it working. Turned out I hadn’t mounted it correctly on my VM.
Got fooled by a FAQ saying that it should show up in Windows or Linux as unknown device but that is not the case, but it can be seen in device manager. However that statement seems to be removed now.
Hi all,
I have bought 5 of them at the shop raspberrypi.dk, but they do not want to replace them. How can I proceed getting new ones? We actually see them burn in on this spot. Help ?
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Many shops in the EU (European Union) will not replace a product unless it is actually broken, but the EU have great cunsumer protection laws so if it is broken due to manufacturing fault then they legally have to replace it as long as you bought it within 3-years and still have proof-of-purchase (receipt) from that retailer.
If the five ZBT-1 units you have belong to the batch eligible for the Replacement program, reaching out directly to Home Assistant (Nabu Casa) would be the best approach. You can contact them via:
Nabu Casa can then communicate with the manufacturer or assist in navigating the replacement, they may be able to help facilitate a resolution if the distributor is unwilling to provide support
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Thanks for your answer. We do own one of the first batches (so it is about the left on the picture of the announcement). Not the one with ZBT-1 printed on it, but the other ones (we got them early 2023). We do see the burn in spots on them. Are they eligible for the replacement?
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If your unit resembles the left side of the image, it is not eligible for the replacement program. As outlined in the blog, only a specific batch of the Connect ZBT-1 qualifies for replacement, while SkyConnect devices are not eligible.
If RaspberryPi.dk has informed you that none of your orders qualify, but you believe at least one does, I recommend reaching out directly to Home Assistant for further assistance.
Hi,
I do not want to replace but I have removed the stick completely. However, it still appears under Hardware. How can I completely remove it from the system?
Most authorized vendors should have a note indicating that they are shipping the latest batch. For example we have the following Notice: The current batch of Connect ZBT-1 devices is not affected by the previous voltage regulator issue. All units are fully functional and verified to be issue-free! You could also reach out to the vendor to double check.
Hi All, in my case, a few days after connecting my new ZBT-1, my raspberry PI power supply died ! Now i understand. Thanks HA for the honesty and replacement program , i’ll contact the shop today.
