@Andreas_Roedl check out this new message about a firmware update.
Interesting. Never seen that for a Zigbee device. Check the attributes of the device in the AWA to see the current and the available firmware version.
The firmware can also be updated via Bluetooth from the eWeLink app.
Have only seen this for the old smartthings zigbee devices
That’s how I did the update a few days ago. ST has been in this state now for a couple days after I selected Update.
Also, I provided Sonoff videos of how my valve shuts off but the reopens on it’s own. Now I’m just waiting on them on what to do. I hope they replace it because it wasn’t even a month old.
Quick update on my valve. SONOFF reviewed my video and confirmed I have a defective valve, so they are shipping me a new one, and paying the shipping for me to return mine. They did a great job working with me on this, no complaints at all.
Funny, today I installed the EweLink app and paired my valve just to upgrade the firmware from 1.07 to 1.08. Then I removed it from the Sonoff app and added it back to ST. The result is that the limiter isn’t working at all! It doesn’t work for either manual watering or scheduled watering. Unless you manually close the valve, the water runs nonstop.
Wait for the upcoming 1.09 or even 2.08. Meanwhile I’m waiting for the feedback from SONOFF…
No updates in the last few days from the other integrations. A hardware issue on a batch isn’t ruled out either - see above.
Just got my replacement valve installed in both ST and the eWeLink app. Their app updated my valve to 1.1, that version must have just come out.
Also, I updated the watering limit in the eWeLink app to 20 minutes, turned on the valve with ST and just let it run. It turned off after 20 minutes.
Also, timed watering did not work in ST. I set it to run for 5 minutes, but it never opened.
Something must have changed in the firmware. Looks like there’s no preset limit anymore. The next version of my driver will write a limit in any case.
That has been working before? I’ll have a look into it.
New version: 2026-07-30T00:56
- Mostly reverting some workarounds - still present, but deactivated.
- The driver no longer assumes that a 10-minute limiter is already configured after pairing or a firmware update - see comment above.
- A disabled or unlimited device limit is now detected and replaced with a verified nonzero safety limit before the valve opens.
- Manual Open/On now uses the duration configured in the settings.
- Short timed watering reuses an already sufficient device limit instead of unnecessarily rewriting it.
- Timed watering now arms its closing timer before opening the valve.
- Minor fixes
Yes, I would select the time and the tap on ok and the valve would open for that amount of time.
Sorry, that was meant as a rhetorical question. I know that it has been working before.
Can you please test it again with the latest version of the driver? And please go through the settings in ST to make sure that everything is correctly configured.
CC: @Pajacyk0v
A short explanation of why this driver is more complicated than a normal valve driver:
The Hydro valves use ordinary Zigbee On and Off commands to physically open and close the valve. The watering duration, however, is stored separately in SONOFF’s private 0x501D configuration.
That configuration is not a simple number. It is a complete 12-byte value. The driver therefore has to:
-
read the complete configuration;
-
preserve all existing settings;
-
change only the duration;
-
write the complete value back;
-
read it again and verify that the valve accepted it;
-
only then send the normal Zigbee On command.
For normal Open or On, the valve uses the Manual watering duration configured in the SmartThings driver settings.
For Open valve for X minutes, the driver additionally creates its own close timer. For example, if the valve already has a verified 20-minute safety limit and five minutes are requested, the driver opens it and sends Off after five minutes. The device’s 20-minute limit remains an independent backup.
This double protection is important because a SmartThings timer could be lost after a hub or driver restart. On the other hand, relying only on the device limit would not allow a five-minute session when the stored limit is 20 minutes.
The valve is also a sleepy battery-powered Zigbee device, so responses can arrive late or in an unexpected order. The driver must distinguish between an old closed-state report, an opening that is still being prepared, an active watering session and an explicit Stop command.
After pairing, a firmware update or a driver restart, the driver no longer assumes that the old ten-minute limit still exists. It closes the valve as a precaution, reads the real configuration again and refuses to open until a valid nonzero safety limit has been verified.
The basic rule behind all of this is:
The driver must never deliberately open the valve unless it has first established how the valve will be closed.
LOL, no problem!
Yrs, I can do that a little later today when I get home from work.
Thanks! Current version: 2026-07-30T11:35.
OK, by the time I get home I should be at that version. Mine is at 2026-07-30T00:56.
Thanks, and hopefully you got bed and got some sleep last night!
Important notes before testing:
-
The first Open command may take a few seconds because the driver checks the valve’s safety limit first.
-
If the valve does not answer within about 20 seconds, the Open command is cancelled. It will not open later by itself.
-
Manual Open uses the duration set in the driver settings.
-
“Open valve for X minutes” uses an extra SmartThings timer and should close after the selected time.
-
The valve is battery-powered and sometimes responds slowly.
-
After a hub restart, driver update or firmware update, the driver sends Off first as a safety measure.
-
If the driver cannot confirm a valid watering limit, it will not open the valve.
-
Off, Close and Stop always cancel watering.
-
The app may show “open” or “stopping” until the valve really confirms that it is closed.
-
Hydro DUO uses two channels, but only one channel should run at a time.
-
The current driver supports watering by time, not by water amount or interval mode.
-
Please watch the first tests and keep a manual shutoff nearby.
Hi @Andreas_Roedl, unfortunately I have a little bad news, I’ve checked out my watering this morning and no valves opened, I tried opening all the valves directly in ST - none opened and I received the message “Network Error…”
I switched back to the generic ST Zigbee Switch and they open and close without issue.
I noted the version of your driver I have is dated yesterday (2026-07-30T12:24:42).
I did update two of my valves (2 x SWV-ZNE) yesterday to the 1.1.0 firmware (from 1.0.8) using BT and eWeLink App, the third valve is still currently on 1.0.8 (1 x SWV-ZFE).
I turned on the Debug on your driver but not 100% how to retrieve the logs - if you could advise how to do this I’ll happily share.
Thank you for the detailed report and sorry about the failed watering.
This should be fixed in the very latest driver version 2026-07-31T10:56. The version dated July 30 contained a problem that could prevent the normal Open command from being sent when the SONOFF-specific settings could not be verified.
The logs would be extremely important, particularly if the problem still occurs with the latest version. Without them, anything I say about the cause would essentially be guesswork.
To collect the logs:
- Enable Debug logging in the device settings.
- Install the official SmartThings CLI on a computer connected to the same local network as the hub.
- Find the hub’s local IP address in your router.
- Open a terminal or command prompt and run:
smartthings edge:drivers:logcat --hub-address=<HUB_IP_ADDRESS>
For example:
smartthings edge:drivers:logcat --hub-address=192.168.1.50
- Select the SONOFF Hydro driver when prompted.
- Leave the command running and reproduce the problem in the SmartThings app: try opening the valve and wait for the Network Error.
- Copy the complete output from shortly before the command until about 30 seconds after the error and paste them here and share the resulting link here in this thread.
The logging is live, so it must already be running before you reproduce the problem. Please do not extract only the lines that look like errors—the surrounding Zigbee messages are often what reveal the actual cause.
It would be particularly useful to capture one attempt with an SWV-ZNE on firmware 1.1.0 and, if possible, another with the SWV-ZFE still on firmware 1.0.8.
It has been a while since I have received logs, so this would be extremely helpful. Thanks!
Hi @Andreas_Roedl ,
I saw the same issue @robfg detailed with the driver of the 30th and, unfortunately, it still seems to be present with the 2026-07-31T10:56 driver.
I wont be in a position to get logs for a few days but if not resolved I will endeavour to do so sometime next week.
As always, thanks for all your effort 
New version: 2026-07-31T12:00
- A failed
0x501Doperation (used for timing) cannot affect basic control (on/off) anymore. - Removed special handling for different firmware versions, because it’s a mess and we won’t need it anymore in the fixed firmware.
- Added more logging.
And it is back… That’s a quick fix!
