Update:
Just got a chance to perform the factory reset (was too busy with work, life, etc.) and still have the three solid RED Led’s. Informed ST tech support via email but they have not responded yet. In short, I had a perfectly functional v2 hub that was bricked by the forced ST firmware update on Mach 27th.
I’m in the same situation. They asked me to do a reset and I did and the same 3 red lights. Been a couple days now and they haven’t responded. The right thing to do would be to replace it for us as this was caused by their firmware update.
I agree 100% John. That is the LEAST they could do…
Hi Mickey. I’ve had responses from the US and UK support teams but they don’t seem to understand what’s happened. UK support have said that my hub shows not to have received the update on their database! Kind of hard for it to report back to the database when nothing can connect to it any longer.
I’m just researching what to do next. As a Mac person I am inclined to go with Indigo Domotica. I think I could do everything I currently do even though it seems not to have native zigbee. But gateways for Philips Hue and Osram Lightify which should keep my bulbs going and everything else in my house is Z-wave.
I will be pleasantly surprised if they accept responsibility and ship me a new hub. The old one was V2 but I guess V3 would do as I have to re-build from scratch. But by then I may be underway with Indigo.
Add me to the list of Smartthings V2 Hub users who had their device bricked by a forced update 3/27. My hub shows flashing blue and then solid blue. The router log shows that it recognizes the Hubs MAC address and assigns it an IP, but the hub does not connect to the network. Never gets a NAT address.
I, like others, have contacted Smartthings support with no resolution. I’ve tried all the recommended solutions published. I also doubt there will be any admission of fault or reparations. If Samsung is listening, I can say with great certainty that this will strongly effect my decision to purchase any Samsung products in the future. Otherwise, I’m in the process of moving to an open home automation system, such as OpenHab or SmartHome.
Hi SawKyrom
I’ve just gone back through the main topic to do with the firmware upgrade issues. I think there are around a dozen or so who report that their hubs were bricked, either resulting in solid red lights or solid blue or flashing blue.
It seems to me that our issue has been swamped by a larger number with general hub and z-wave device stability issues.
I am having trouble getting further responses from U.K. support. The first line support person said they would have to enlist support from other more knowledgeable people but then nothing…
So, our systems were working normally, the firmware release happened on 27th March and it killed the hubs stone dead, apparently irretrievably with their comms capability crippled.
Maybe the z-wave stability issues hit more people, or a hub going repeatedly offline is more tangible but having the hub totally killed should be getting more attention, surely?
Does anyone have any ideas on how we can collectively assemble the information on dead hubs and negotiate a compensation?
If a hub is bricked, they’ll replace it. Regarding compensation, read the TOS - you’re not entitled to any. As for the replacement hub, you will have to rebuild. I have 285 devices, it’s not an enjoyable experience. Good luck.
Thanks, John. It seems where I need luck is in getting some kind of coherent response from support. It’s been 10 days now and all I’ve had is a statement that my hub shows the previous firmware version on the ST servers database.
I hope your first sentence about getting the hub replaced proves to be true. That’s the compensation I’m talking about, not the consequential loss. At least a rebuild would give a good chance to clean up my naming standards and legacy, dead devices.
This event has given me a good opportunity to research the current alternatives and relative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. The various posts of @JDRoberts have been invaluable for this.
ST issues of stability, config backup and migration and cloud processing would be solved, for me, by going to Indigo Domotics. A replacement ST hub would just be a standby for any devices I can’t get into Indigo. Maybe I will struggle with my Samsung webcams and speakers but then again their integration with ST was never that good.
I’m reminded of the old Total Quality Management message: it’s when things go wrong that a supplier can really win customer loyalty by showing their interest in making amends. Or, conversely, losing their customers when they appear to be in denial or disinterested.
Mine has been replaced twice.
How long have you had your hub? If more than a year, then you might be out of luck. Obviously, they had to cut a lot of things to be able to offer the hub for 60 bucks (support seems to have been hit the hardest).When Wink bricked my hub, I was faced with the same dilemma, do I buy another Wink hub or move to something new. I found SmartThings and I thought it offered a lot more features than Wink. So I went with them, but the Great Winkening thought me a valuable lesson, I cannot be without my home automation for more than 24 hours, let alone for 10 days. Go get yourself a new hub, the longer you wait the worse you will feel. If a switch would have died on you, would you wait for the manufacturer to compensate you, or would you replace it right away?
Add one more solid/blinking blue to the list.
Tried a reset after getting tired of waiting for support. I see that it sends dhcp-request messages, but does not respond to them. After a while it starts sending out some arp-requests with a self-assigned 169.x.x.x address. Trying to ping that address (from a network interface on its self-invented subnet) does not result in a reply.
Seems like something is broken in the tcp/up-stack/firmware preventing it from receiving packets.
The developer web site tells me it got the last ping from hub at 2019-03-27T18:54:08.823Z.
Hi Bob
I got it in 2015 for about £100 in the U.K. It’s not the cost that stops me doing as you suggest. I tend to think the way you suggest and haven’t bothered chasing up suppliers of stuff that breaks. And I agree that ST is cheap for a hub that offers so much.
But I’d rather spend £200 on an Indigo licence. I’ve put quite a lot of effort, time and money into HA and I’ve come to realise that, for me, reliability and backup contingency are worth a bit more than the apparent flexibility of including almost anything.
I know Indigo might be discontinued at some time and I also know that Mac OS upgrades have been known to brick Macs. But at least Apple offer effective support when things go wrong. Indigo seem to have a good reputation too. I’m off.
Indigo Domotics is a good choice for many people who only have Z wave and Insteon devices. It is solid and reliable and you control updates since it runs on a laptop.
However, unless things have changed, the last time I looked at it it did not support secure devices like smart locks and keypads. So it will work for some households but not others. Every system has pluses and minuses, the key is to find the one that best matches your own needs and preferences.
Hi JD.
I have Zigbee bulbs too but they are Hue and Lightify which both seem to have plugins for Indigo.
Remote access is also important for me and was a weakness with Indigo according to the stuff I’ve read but that’s been fixed now.
Above all, I don’t want unrequested firmware upgrades taking my system down for extended periods! Nor struggling with a support organisation which seems stretched beyond breaking point.
I too have had my V2 completely bricked by this forced 3/27 firmware update. A few days ago, I got a call from tech support while at work that the issue had been resolved. It hasn’t. Tomorrow I will have gone for two weeks without a resolution. I’ve tried all three versions of resetting it as described by tech support in a thirty minute phone call that had me sit on the phone in quiet with the rep for twenty minutes instead of just calling me back.
Someone suggested that you just run out and buy a new hub. Some of us don’t have that option right now in our budget. Also, any chance you work for Samsung sales? Their V3 is out, and it seems to be working fine. Don’t you want a new hub that in two years time will be bricked by a faulty firmware update?
Someone also mentioned issues with Wink. I too found the Wink to be buggy, which is when I purchased the SmartThings in 2016. It’s functionality has been shakey at best.
The only hub/light solution I’ve had with any reliability or success is Phillips Hue. It runs 1/4 my house, and although it doesn’t seem like it will be able to control the non-phillips light bulbs I have, it is older than the V2 I own and it is still running, flawlessly, with no forced bricking firmware updates. Don’t get me wrong, it just updated a light bulb last week. It’s just that Phillips apparently values its customers enough to test an update before shipping it to customers.
Thank you, Samsung, for making me a loyal Phillips Hue customer, despite the slight uptick in price. I’d rather send my money to the European Union anyways. Anyone need some Sengled zigbee bulbs?
I’m experiencing the same issue. V2 hub alternating between a solid blue and blinking blue light after the most recent firmware update. I have a ticket in with support and have attempted a reset with no resolution. Will continue to check for status updates here and post if I hear anything.
I’ve reached out to support again. They are going to send a replacement hub to correct the issue.
I woke up to the blue blinking light one day. After years of tweaking we finally got everything automated and rarely touched the app. Didn’t even want to think about moving to the new App.
Stopped working completely. Tried to restart it, nothing. I couldnt even see the hub in the app. Reluctantly did the factor restart. Still no hub found.
Submitted a help ticket… waiting over a month for response. Called support, he said sorry you need to buy a new hub. Needless to say I was pissed.
Didn’t have the extra time in my life to research new zwave hubs so we broke down and bought a V3. It’s working but needless to say I will jump ship once a decent alternative comes about.
That’s good to hear. I’ve been dealing with support for almost a month now. Still no resolution. They keep saying they fixed it from their end but I don’t see how that is possible when the hub doesn’t boot.
I have been seeding emails to ST tech support daily for the past 4 days and still no response. The last correspondence from them was 3/29/19…
Anyone else still being ignored?