Another user with Factory Reset issue. I purchased a used V2 hub to extend my network. It did not come with a welcome code but I have obtained this from Smartthings Support. However I cannot get to the stage of entering the code. I have followed the steps given by technical support as follows:
Leave ethernet connected
Hold down the reset button on the back whilst inserting power plug
LED on front flashes yellow rapidly
Hold in button for up to thirty seconds until led on front turns solid yellow
As soon as led turns yellow release the reset button.
Hub should download any firmware updates and take about 5 minutes to factory restore
When ready for initial setup LED should flash green
I have tried this multiple times but the result is still the same. As soon as I release the reset button the yellow led goes out. A few seconds later the led flashes blue twice and then turns purple for a while. It then turns and remains red. I have left it for 30 minutes or more but remains red. If I try to pair it after 5 minutes or during the reset process on the app it just fails with a network connection error.
The strange thing is that during all stages, there is no activity on the ethernet port. Neither the green activity led or the orange connection speed led are lit. I am assuming this is the problem as the hub is not connecting to the internet?
Is this hub bricked or is it normal for no obvious ethernet activity whilst undertaking a factory reset. Smartthings Tech Support say the hub is still attached to another account so the factory reset has not been successful yet.
I don’t like the sound of the ethernet port not looking active. My understanding of how the V2 behaves is that it basically looks after itself when it comes to connecting to the cloud backend. If it connects and has been claimed then you get a solid green light. If it connects and is unclaimed you get flashing green and blue. The ‘installation’ process for a V2 seems to just be an interaction with the backend to claim the hub for your account. There doesn’t seem a lot of point in having the ethernet port connected for a factory reset if it isn’t being used.
Do spend a few minutes checking your ethernet connection. The first time I installed a V3 all seemed to go well but something was clearly wrong at the end. That something turned out to be that the ethernet lead wasn’t actually plugged in properly. The hub had successfully installed despite that.
The solid red doesn’t sound good either. Unfortunately the docs on the LEDs have always been a bit inconsistent, often conflating different hubs, and you’ll still even find instructions on Samsung’s site for a factory reset on a V2 without a power off (which I believe was once how it worked). I’ve always associated a flashing red on a V2 with a dodgy power supply and a lingering solid red with some other hardware problem but whether that is true or not is another matter. I’ve had solid reds occasionally but they’ve never lasted beyond a power cycle.
Thanks Graham. You’ve pretty much confirmed what my gut feeling was. I’ve tried several different leads and connections and even the hub I’m connected to doesn’t show network activity on the port the hub is connected to.
The seller has said they’ll refund me and I can keep the hub so I’ll play a bit more and then buy another. I was pleased with the quick reply from Smartthings tech support with a new Welcome Code and instructions on resetting the hub as I know other users have struggled getting a code.
I always ran my V2 hubs without batteries as they didn’t really gain me anything, but yes you’d want to remove them.
I seem to remember being able to do reboots and resets on the V2 just by using the button on the back, but then it was changed so the button only did anything if you held it in when applying power, and with batteries installed that couldn’t happen as you couldn’t turn it off.
Yes I did remove batteries or rather there were none installed. I noticed that a previous battery had leaked and before I powered the hub I washed it out with isopropyl alcohol in case any had dribbled onto circuit board. Maybe it already had!!!