my home assistant runs on an RP4 and I use the sonoff zigbee 3.0 usb dongle plus.
I bought some Ikea switches and they are behaving very strangely.
I have 2 TRÅDFRI wireless dimmers one works great the other loses the connection all the time and has a strange battery drain. After 1-2 days the battery is empty.
The same goes for the Styrbar one works great the other loses the connection all the time, and I have to add it again via the “Add Device” function. Is there something I am missing or are the 2 just defect?
Welcome to the club.
I don’t have disconnections as I’m still using the tradfri gateway but I’m experiencing the same battery drain.
Yesterday, I lost connection with my 2 bedrooms lights (I’m playing with a hue bridge, something went wrong). I’m putting a fresh CR232 battery in my ikea remote (E1524). Pair the first light, no problem, on, off, it is working. Pair the second one, on, and … never off, battery empty.
Ikea zigbee is cheap and I love(d) it, but there are many defects!
In regards to the battery “consumption” make sure the device ( and the Hub ) has latest software, it’s less than a year ago they “released” a fix for this (don’t know if that helped all.
I have an understanding for that the batteries of i.e motion-sensors and specific temperature-sensors last longer, it’s with in the nature of the technology
Ikea’s remote-batteries however loses power even thou the physical device(remote) is not used, which is kind off “Odd” , But apparently is a “talking to much” to the Hub, for some reason, but i did see some improvement on battery-life since software update last Spring.thou still noticing that it tends to “drain” faster than on other devices
This is probably true.
I have an update of my remotes pending for a long time.
But it is running for hours and then “the remote is unreachable”, battery is dead, again.
No way to update it
, no other way than change battery again, and then immediately pair-it, and update firmware (1 of my 5-Button did that “trick” to me ( became-unreachable, after that i had to repair )
After this i have had no problems since last Spring and Battery still alive on both, 1 on 60%, the other on 87%(changed battery on this in October)
That will not solve @Blook’s problem. And on my side, I did put those remotes in a drawer, only get them out when I need to re-pair a light bulb and, most important, never, ever, leave a battery inside them.
For the disconnections, I’d say that the material is defect. You can replace it within a year at Ikea.
No question asked.
And the Ikea material was not modified, it is connected to a sonoff zigbee gw, instead of the Ikea one
I did the same with some of my Ikea tradfri material, connected to my usb zigbee or philips hue.
Point is, i’d never said you “asked”, And im pretty sure that Ikea couldn’t /wouldn’t care less whether someone has problems with connection/battery-drain on a Ikea Device, which you connects to a sonoff/hue -bridge.
Ikea Device(trådfri in specific) are build for their (Ikea) hub/app, whatever problems one might have while you have them connected to Sonoff/Hue, is not of Ikea’s concern … in fact it could also be a “source/cause” of battery drain ( communication costs ! ), beside that other interference etc will cause battery drain … Some people flashes i.e Motion-sensors to “update every 5 sec” !, Well that cost also !, if someone makes an automation that checks a status “pull/post” Cost !
So, in OP’s interest he should check whether his devices have latest firmware (i.e via Ikea’s app) ;), exclude other interference/communication causes etc.
But still also have in mind that the initial Ikea"battery" Devices had this symptom, which was addressed with a firmware uodate, And Ikea’s new Hub(Zigbee Controller) obviously is an Improvement in compared to “Trådfri” version, so goes for all their devices
Go to Ikea with a “reclamation” is as you mention easy, and within good time… but tell anyone(or state)
I think that’s not a big help, and im very curious how you came to that conclusion “material is defect” , based upon OP’s description
I have two IKEA e1743 dimmers. Both work fine and don’t overly drain the batteries but one often shows as unavailable, where the other does not. However if I press the button on the unavailable switch it works fine and immediately shows up again. Never really got to the bottom of why.
Is it the exact same model ? I mean, I have two remotes, they look identical but not the same number (E1524 and E1810), one is with a rubber soft button to pair and the other one is a “clic” button. Because I bought them with a few month in between. Nevertheless, both are draining the battery (sigh)
Mine are both E1743’s, look identical, product info on the back is identical, and identified in HA as the same, bought a couple of weeks apart.
The only strange difference between them is that when I got the second one (that always stays online), it initially showed up with a very very low battery level, and kept dropping out for the first day or so. Then HA started to report what I think is the correct battery level and its stayed stable.
The first switch just worked normally straight away, but has this unavailable state from time to time, but works fine.
Could be so, thou there’s no info in regards to location and i.e interference/obstruction of the individual devices, nor software versions etc. ( you mentioned your self you had 2 “same” devices, bought with months difference, and visible only a rubber/clic button )
I would however first check the overall signal strength(monitor for some days/ a week) of the one’s dropping off, and software versions … and try to move them to another location ( i.e what does the remotes controll ? , could it be that the remotes controll an Ikea-trådfri-Driver ? , which are hidden in a closet or behind alot stuff etc.( ikea remotes talks to the driver / device, not the Hub )
PS: another “vital” thing i never seen mentioned in the topics related to i.e battery-life / signal strengh… The Battery, im sure all knows the “variation” of quality on batteries in common, im pretty sure that goes for these tiny 3Volt to, and some might even expect the same from a CR2025 as from a CR2032 … i mean they fit in the same “slot” and a device usually work regardless of which
A new reply to an old thread, as this was the only relevant Google result for my search “CR2025 e1743”.
I learned the hard way today that a CR2025 battery does not work well in a Tradfri E1743 switch. The CR2025 was a brand new Panasonic lithium. The older battery was an IKEA brand CR2032. They’re both 3v.
Ofcause, the cs2025, is thinner, so most likely there is a big risk, of a “glitch” and “shaky connection” (in some devices), if you dont put something in to “fix” it.
Bottom-line in above post was, don’t use 2025, if it’s mend for 2032
And secure that you have a good signal, as bad signal will obviously drain the battery faster
, no other way than change battery again, and then immediately pair-it, and update firmware (1 of my 5-Button did that “trick” to me ( became-unreachable, after that i had to repair )