RE: Random Smartthings hub disconnect and reconnects and Random Smartthings “Offline” notifications on phone app
This problem was so frustrating. The actual resolution to my problem is currently (Nov 2018) not in the Smartthings community, so I am sharing it for anyone who is having this same problem to use as an additional troubleshooting step.
My issue: For about a year I received random Smartthings “Offline” notifications on my phone app. The Hub log would show Smartthings hub disconnect and reconnects for about two to five seconds each instance, occurring about 8-10 times per 24 hr period. Everything was functioning fine; no other problems with hub or connected devices. It appeared the only problem was the 8-10 notifications going to my phone every day.
Resolution attempts: (You will see these in ST Comm):
- HUB: Checked everything visually, firmware updates on hub current, moveed hub away from all radio devices (including WAP)
- Internet connectivity: I called my ISP. They found no internet modem problems or internet connectivity issues. However, they said I had an “older modem” so they came out and installed a new modem along with new coax going into the modem. I also purchased new WAP and new Ethernet cables because they were about 8 yrs old This did not resolve the problem…
- ST Support: They could not diagnose the problem. They confirmed firmware and everything they could check were functioning properly. They suggested “trying a new hub”.
I gave up… decided to just ignore the notifications on my phone instead of dealing with a whole new hub and removing / re-adding all the devices.
About 3 months later I noticed the number of notifications began increasing. Also, an internet streaming app began buffering at the same time. I called the ISP back and finally… they were able to see physical disconnects registering on the modem log. So the ISP sent out another technician. He came out and within 10 mins, replaced the coax connector at the street utility pole. He showed the bad one to me… pointing to some blackish crud inside the connector. He said the black crud builds up over time on all coax connectors and gets worse and worse… eventually causing hard disconnects. The crud does not effect TV service at all, until the actual hard disconnects occur. Apparently the ST hub is more sensitive to this black crud. Replacing the connector at the utility pole fixed our year long problem!
Conclusion: When these coax connectors start to fail, you will experience random, intermittent Internet connectivity problems. However, these won’t show up on any line tests, speed tests, frequency tests, db noise level tests, or… most frustratingly, these connectivity issues won’t show up in your modem’s system logs. I hope you find this information useful.
Time for a new router I guess…