Aqara devices develop connection issue over time

Configuration Zigbee
1

I have a long standing issue where all my battery powered Aqara sensors are really fast to communicate when I first connect them, but then over time the ones that are furthest away from my main Zigbee hub (My Home Assistant server) slow way down, with sometimes a 30+ second delay before triggering.

It seems like they start trying to talk directly to my hub instead of the nearest repeater. Additionally, I start getting warnings in HA that my Zigbee utilization is 98 or 99%, which seems to support that theory.

The only things that seem to resolve the problem are either:

  1. Resetting each battery powered sensor fully so that they go through setup again and make a new connection or
  2. Unplugging my Zigbee USB stick or turning off my HA server and leaving it off for a while. I’m not sure how long is needed, I’ve only done it this way by accident. Simply restarting HA or the server has no effect, it requires time for the Aqara device to decide to find a new repeater I think.

I don’t seem to have this issue with other Zigbee brands I use, so I’ve started buying more of those brands instead, but I have a ton of Aqara sensors already so I’m trying to make the best of it.

I know Aqara connection issues and particularly periodic disconnects are a common issue in these forums, but those issues stopped when I eventually switched hubs. I’m now using a SkyConnect (non-multiprotocol because that wasn’t working for me) and the connection is really good until this issue eventually and inevitably crops up.

Has anyone else run into this, and possibly found any workarounds easier than factory resetting the affected sensors every time it happens?

2

The one thing I read when researching if I wanted an Aqara feeder was that for people experiencing disconnects that connecting it directly to your Zigbee coordinator seemed to fix that issue, rather than just generically adding it to the network. I haven’t needed to do that yet, but that’s the only fix I’ve read about on here.

3

In my case I don’t have periodic disconnects anymore, just slow or missing events and I think my issue is that they for some reason revert to connecting directly to the controller all the way across the house instead of to a nearby repeater.

When I connect them to a nearby repeater, they work great, but something inevitably happens at some point that causes them to switch connections directly to the far away controller and then only connect to the controller permanently.

4

So try to not place them as far away, use the new brands for those premises
I had kind of same issue with a handful, which were either placed in basement , or another kold areas, had to reset them every 2-3 month, beside the battery ofcause had a much shorter life than the others
I have already replaced most in basement , so now most aqara sensors live cozy and warm, nearby :grinning:
( yes, i know one suddenly have to figure out what/where to use them, it’s not like when one bought them for a purpose, now you have to find a purpose :laughing: