Mi Flora battery life

ESPHome
30

Completely agree with this. I have been using miflora for more than a year with a bluetooth dongle and command line readings from a linux script. I changed battery two months ago and that happens at the same time I was migrating to home assistant with an ESP32 reading with ESPHome the miflora unit. It has last for only two months with that config.

Also note that I upgraded the miflora firmware with the updated version which says in the release notes something about ‘fixing issues with battery’.

If fixing issues with battery makes the battery last for two months now, I prefer when it was ‘broken’ and lasts one year for sure.

1 Like
31

The default for that config is true, with results BLE_SCAN_TYPE_ACTIVE:

https://github.com/esphome/esphome/blob/8040e3cf95d097bd76110bb071f11fac7d7c96d3/esphome/components/esp32_ble_tracker/init.py#L86

32

Huh. So it is. Bug report?

Or is the scan type defined somewhere else?

33

Should we create a bug report? It reads like a possibility.

34

Yes.

35

I was about to create bug report, but then checked the documentation, which states that it defaults to active scanning.
Now I added this to my esphome sketch:

esp32_ble_tracker:
  scan_parameters:
    active: false

This should turn off active scanning. All my Mi floras are out of battery, so I will do a test with one mi flora and hope it’s battery lasts longer.

36

No it doesn’t.

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image1380×320 89.4 KB

37

Well yes, it states that for the sensor type, but the parenting tracker type defaults to active scanning, which is the piece of code you abmantis linked to. If you search for it a bit, people are using the combo of switching the BLE tracker to passive plus the flora sensor.

Edit: But feel free to create a bug report if you feel it is one.

38

Which firmware are you referring to?

I upgraded all my sensors to 3.2.2 and after that I have changing batteries like crazy.

I use the Xiaomi passive BLE custom component though and not EspHome.

39

…I updated to 3.2.2 too. (don’t remember from which version, I suppose the previous one). Updating and high levels of battery consumption matches with firmware upgrade.

I’m using an esp32 board with bluetooth and ESPHome firmware on it. At the same time I change battery I change the way of reading miflora info. Thats why I’m not sure which is the culprit. Previously I used a bluetooth dongle on a raspberry pi.

Maybe the firmware upgrade was the culprit. It will be nice if there is someway of downgrading our units. To test.

40

Yes it would seem like a firmware issue then. Don’t know what to do about it though :frowning:

41

I put in a fresh battery a month ago, running 3.2.2 since then and the battery is still reported at being 100%

Due to the change of two variables it’s hard to say whether the improvement was achieved by either:

  1. The new firmware 3.2.2 or
  2. Setting scanning to passive via: active: false 
esp32_ble_tracker:
  scan_parameters:
    active: false

In any case, I think now the battery should last longer…

1 Like
42

I’m going to give this low-tech glamorous raincoat a go. It’s just on the balcony getting occasional side-rain.

IMG_20200702_075206
IMG_20200702_0752063000×4000 1.16 MB

Edit: I have already upgraded to this breathtaking spice jar. I just pushed the jar into the dirt. I figure the bottom of these things should be ok.

IMG_20200702_080212
IMG_20200702_0802123000×4000 1.35 MB

1 Like
43

I stille have ridiculous battery life. Wondering if the ones I got are shit. Which battery did you use?

44

Why would you cover it? Mine are outside all year, getting rained and snowed on and still work…

45

Just a normal CR2032 battery, bought at a local drugstore.

46

I have one in a window box on the balcony of a third floor apartment and it’s fine. I just have the side with the hole aiming downwards.

47

I’ve had two uncovered on the balcony running pretty well for about two years. In recent months, the battery of one that gets more rain exposure now keeps getting a flat quickly (a month or so). So I thought I’d try this as a hopeful and easy trouble shooting attempt. They’re both on the same firmware/configuration etc.

1 Like
48

I have stopped paying attention to the battery sensor and just decided to let them fail before I change the battery. So far so good. I guess they could have changed the algorithm for battery level percentage.

49

Hi @Gymnae How are your mi flora sensor batteries doing?

I’m on the verge of ordering some and trying to see if the 2mo battery life has been solved.

There’s a myriad of options on aliexpress and who knows what i’l actually get. Some say green is the CN version, some dont.

I’m also wondering about using them in larger planters. ~10-12" deep. There was a larger version but it seems to have fallen off the face of the earth, and never worked right from what I can find.

thanks!