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SignalsContinuing to build a Smart Home and the number of Hubs increasing, I came across what is a common problem over the weekend. My Hive decided to show a “No Signal” on the Thermostat, a Red light on the Receiver and the Hive App saying that it couldn’t connect to the system.

Luckily the internet was at hand and I could obtain a set of instructions on how to reset everything and connect it back up. Unfortunately this didn’t seem to work. So onto the Hive chat and an operator helped me to reconnect everything. Great…….except the following day the system was back in the same state of not working.

Resorting to speaking to someone and helping me to diagnose the issue, the main issue was that the WiFi channel being used was dropping in and out and the units were not getting a good signal. Strange as nothing has changed recently with my home networks or Smart Home additions.

A full factory reset on the hub and allowing the hub to automatically choose a different WiFi channel that isn’t busy seems to have fixed the issue. Although the Hubs and Smart Devices are supposed to be auto-negotiating it would appear on the surface that there are still challenges that need to be resolved going forward.

As we introduce different Smart Home devices to our homes, the chances of conflicts increase and the challenge to identify whats causing the issue increases.

So what can you do to help?

  • Check all the hubs/Smart Devices are on and talking through the WiFi.
  • Check your bandwidth is okay and has capacity.
  • Scan your WiFi to see what channels are in use. There are lots of tools available to help.
  • Check the signal strength at the location of the Hubs/Smart Devices.
  • Move your router is possible or move Hubs/Smart Devices if your signal isn’t strong enough.
  • Consider WiFi extenders where signal is weak.

I’ve put some links below for further reading.

Further Reading