Troubleshooting SmartThings Hub 2018 and Aeotec Hub

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Use this guide for troubleshooting help with onboarding your Hub. We also include Hub replacement information if necessary.

Overview

When encountering the 33-504 error while claiming a SmartThings Hub 2018 (IM6001-V3P) or an Aeotec SmartThings Hub, the following root causes may apply:

  • Your hub cannot access the internet over Ethernet or Wi-Fi connections
  • Hubs manufactured before April 2024 may not have received firmware updates after production. If a Hub has not been claimed by March 2, 2025, it may not have been updated before purchase or activation.

The following steps could be attempted to claim your hub successfully.

Verify Internet Connectivity:

Please verify the following:

  • Your hub can connect to the internet
    • If claiming over Ethernet, the LAN is internet-connected
    • If claiming over WiFi, the access point selected is internet-connected
  • Your mobile device is connected to the internet

Hubs Manufactured Before April 2024 Without Certificate Updates

Starting March 2nd, 2025, hubs manufactured before April 2024 may require manual steps during setup to complete the claiming process. This is due to a gap in the manufacturing schedule where some older 2018 Hub and Aeotec Smart Home Hubs were manufactured with certificates that expired on March 2nd, 2025.

While we have made significant strides in ensuring hubs are updated before reaching customers, we recognize that some units, particularly those manufactured earlier and left unclaimed, may still encounter this issue. We appreciate your understanding as we work to minimize its impact.

Affected users will need to temporarily configure their local network during the claim process to complete the setup for an affected hub.

For these hubs, blocking NTP traffic during hub claim can allow the hub to connect to the hub firmware update server. This does require administrator access to your router and the ability to set Access Control Rules. The following steps outline how users with the necessary permissions and equipment access can proceed:

  1. Locate the steps provided by your home network router manufacturer to access the Router Settings / Admin Interface.

  2. In your Router settings, navigate to Access Control Rules and create a rule to disable UDP port 123 (NTP). (What is NTP Wiki). Please be sure to set only the source port as 123 and do not specify a destination port.

  3. Factory reset the SmartThings/Aeotec Hub.

  4. Go through the standard onboarding/hub claim process outlined in the hub documentation provided with the device.
    If you still have trouble claiming, please collect hub logs as outlined in the Troubleshooting section below before rebooting.

  5. Once the hub has successfully onboarded, remove the Access Control Rule created to block UDP Port 123. At this time, the hub should have updated its firmware to the latest supported version.

Troubleshooting

If there are any issues with this process, please leave a comment in this thread. Weā€™ll then send you a direct message (DM) so we can collaborate with you and collect Hub logs if possible.

Capture the hub logs via a USB log dump using the steps below:

  1. Insert Fat32-formatted USB drive to the USB slot on the back of the hub.
  2. Press and release the reset hole on the back of the hub.
  3. Hub LED will blink magenta while copying logs.
  4. After the Hub LED returns to normal from magenta blinking, extract the USB drive and connect it to a PC.
  5. File name will be ā€œlogdump_xxxx.tgz.encā€
  6. Leave a comment in this thread and weā€™ll send you a direct message (DM).
  7. Then send the package via direct message (DM) to our SmartThings support team.

Replacement Hub Process

If after trying the above troubleshooting steps, it may be necessary to replace your Hub. We have worked with our partners to replace Hubs for affected users and here is the contact information to start the replacement process.

Contact information for Hub Sellers

1. Aeotec (Global)

2. 4MI (Korea)

3. Hanman (East Asia : Singapore, Malaysia)

12 Likes
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Very interesting! Finally, a ā€œhintā€ on what that connector can be used forā€“other than providing power to some other device. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Thank you for this postā€“it is very enlightening to folks with hubs that are ā€œstuckā€ in one of those statesā€¦

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I have recently received my new V3 hub and have tried everything in this thread without being able to get my hub connected. I have also got a copy of the hubs log files.

Can you please advice where to send log files and let me know how to proceed?

Many thanks
Matt
Western Australia

4

Sent Matt a DM.

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I tried this method, but my router does not allow to block the UDP 123 (itā€™s a eero), so I need to update the firmware through the USB port. I sent an email to the support requesting the latest firmware.
Waiting for a response

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You could bring your hub to a friend or a friendly neighbor just to update the firmwareā€¦

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Hi Pedro,
Unfortunately there is no ability to update firmware through the USB port. The only method to update firmware is over Ethernet. I can start a DM session with you if you wish to collect hub logs.

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Having same issues. I donā€™t think my router has an option to block ports, only allow. I havenā€™t used the hub in couple years and itā€™s been offline until now. Done several resets. @Itati serial 3011040354

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Hi Mikko - will send you a DM.

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Same issue - I have two older 3v hubs that I can not add?

Attempted:

-Factory resets multiple times.
-Identified and removed incomplete Hub(s) setups from advanced ST option list
-Ethernet / Wifi from my home and office to register.
-Deny NTP UPD 123 confirmed deny NTP traffic for the device(s) IP addresses (WatchGuard Firebox -Traffic monitor)

Info:
-Using latest ST android app
-App Cleared cache - and app storage data
-During Register Step 2 Hub is verified to be connecting to the internet (flashing red/green LED)
-During Register Step 3 Hub (intermittently) will state performing update (solid Blue LED) at one point reached 99%
-Intermittently the hub may/can be visable in the ST advanced hubs but without a firmware version

Common error codes 33-504 33-513

Is there a firmware option available via the USB?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Stephen

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You have to close this port, so that the hub wonā€™t get the current time. Otherwise the pre-installed certificate will be outdated.

From the OP:

In your Router settings, navigate to Access Control Rules and create a rule to disable UDP port 123 (NTP). (What is NTP Wiki). Please be sure to set only the source port as 123 and do not specify a destination port.

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Andreas,

Iā€™m sorry for the confusion I was attempting to post from my phone. I originally CLOSED the NTP port traffic and then did OPEN the port. Here is a sample of the traffic.

image
image796Ɨ344 85.2 KB

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I suspect an established VPN is bringing in the NTP service. I am going to start the factory reset completely over again on an isolated switch.

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BOVPN - sourced and disabled windows NTP service on DC. I can confirm the firmware is updating now. Thank you for the reply

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This is my third Aeotec Smart Hub purchased in the last couple of months because I canā€™t get any to connect.

One of them was like the user above it got to 99% then stopped, and bricked itself.

How can I check if this serial number is affected?

I also canā€™t block port udp 123 in my router settings, what do you recommend?

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Hey.
I purchased an ST hub V3 (S/N:4021273845) last week, unfortunately I have not been able to get the device to work. Despite open ports and excluding UDP port 123 and dozens of resets of the device. Each time the update installation stops at 99%. The SmartThings app reports a 0-0 error.
The LED during the ā€˜update flashes green - redā€™.

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I am having an issue updating the firmware using this process. Captured the logs. Where do I send?

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Ok so I managed to get into my modem GUI and I found the NPT setting under my firewall tab.. there is an incoming and outgoing check boxes that I can deselect and that is all I can do. Which one am I supposed to deselect?

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Outgoingā€¦

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Thank you, that helped me get through the first hurdle. Next issue is that once I have reconnected it to the network via the Ethernet connection and it says ā€œconnectedā€. I unplug the Ethernet to connect it remotely in its alternative location and it goes back to being disconnected.