Fibaro Heat Controller 0 degrees sensor

[eureka 9]

Hi,

 

Just installed my Fibaro Heat Controller with Sensor. My homecenter 2 is picking up both the sensor and the heat controller (also connection between radiator and sensor was executed), so far so good. However, if I look at the temperature that the seperate sensor is providing. It says it's 0 degrees celsius. I've been waiting for a while now and also did a soft reset but it's still at 0 degrees.

 

What can be going wrong? or is this a known bug?

 

also: is there a known way to fix the sensor to the wall? I want it to be at 1.50meters to get correct temperature. But if i would fix it using tape I cannot get to the battery anymore. Probably i'm missing something because i can't imagine that they make a seperate sensor without having a way to fix it to something... right?

Edited December 14, 2017 by eureka

[meute 2]

42 minutes ago, petergebruers said:

I get the impression you cannot let go the idea to "tame" this valve... 

I can't ... I want and must absolutely use it, because the upgrade of my heating system with this product is part of a more global change of concept of it and of the way I want to manage it.

So I don't want to reverse all the other actions and change I have already made for that only because this Heat Controller is not working as it should.

 

I waited the availability of this product for a long time, at the beginning my plans was to use z-wave TRV from POP or Danfoss until I have seen the first announcement from Fibaro about this product.
I have thus postponed the complet project to wait for this product, now the product is there, the winter too and I can't go back and wait for the firmware update.

 

And with a so bad first behavour I may have doubts that the first fix will be perfect directly. 
So some users who will wait till beginning or maybe end of March will maybe wait again more ...
And here after March the time remaining before get the summer or at least starting to get best outdoor conditions will make the validation of the fix more difficult and problems will not come back before the next heating season ...

 

By finding solutions to fix it myself enough to be able to use it right now I know that for the next season I can always use it and make it work even if the fix from Fibaro don't give fully conclusive results.

Edited January 21, 2018 by meute

[samuelAN 1]

16 hours ago, petergebruers said:

Ouch! What can I say... long time forum member here... Latest product launches where quite uneventful... for me, personally, this is the worst in years. That does not make you happy, I understand. I'm not happy either, but I expected some trouble so I still have my old valves as a backup. I think this product got less test time, but this is pure speculation. People do not come here to say "hey, it works!". I think the FGD-212 is one of their top products, I like it *very* much. It took them a few firmware updates to make it more compatible with a different range of LED bulbs, ripple control in different countries and long wires to the inputs.... I wish you would have tried that one first...

Yes.. the fgt001 can be a great heat controller if these issues are rapidly corrected... for me it suffers from 2 problems: the regulation issue and the standby mode with its full open valve position... (this mode should be activated only using the small key supplied with the valve.. since the goal is to provide a safe way to dismount the device).

 

I use it with a domoticz controller and I have already found a local supplier which is able to upgrade the firmware of my valves.. I am sure that it will work perfectly once upgraded! as you said, it is a all new product which , probably, has not been tested enough by Fibaro team..

[Tigo 0]

Although I haven't seen any official announcement by Fibaro, March as release date for new firmware is of course totally unacceptable. That is one full season (winter season mind you) after the official release of the HC. As I said before, I can understand that sometimes a new products has some issues. As long as they get fixed, that is okay. But that certainly doesn't mean a fix should last for weeks, let alone months. Customers are left in the cold, literally in my case. I understand some others of you are in intolerable heat these days. In any case, the product is not working. The shame is that there is no clear communication or even understanding on the side of Fibaro to those who simply want value for their money.

 

I want to know, from Fibaro, today, (a) how Fibaro thinks the issue shall be solved, (b) how I will get the update without having to ummount a ship everything to Poland (being a customer without the HC or HC lite: selling a stand alone product like the HC requires stand alone fixes for faulty functionality to ANYONE who bought the product and expects it to operate as advertised), and (c) when I will be able to properly control my expensive HC. If this is a matter of weeks, then Fibaro should understand their product should not have been launched to customers in the first place.

 

I understand they wanted a release right before Winter starts, but if that meant pushing a not yet functional or fully tested product, then a simple "we are sorry" would have been kind, wouldn't it? If Fibaro wants to be like Apple--which I think they want, being exclusive, focussed on design, expensive and keen on their own closed ecosystem--then start to solve things like Apple: Communicate, fix and provide value for money within a short time frame. I choose Fibaro many times because I love the design and I am willing to pay extra for that, compared to other manufacturers of Zwave devices. I suggest Fibaro starts making an effort keeping customers like me (I mean users of other controllers than the HC's, which is a vast market) on board, cause the current handling of issues is really far beyond being professional. 

[samuelAN 1]

Availability date for the fgt001 has been delayed in major suppliers in Belgium and France to end of April 2018.

 

Seems to be coherent with a firmware release date during March..

 

Can someone of Fibaro team give us some indication? It is very disappointing to be without any information...

 

Moreover, giving to your customers some details concerning the problem could help everybody to find working and optimized ways to use this product! A lot of people have spent money, it seems that this is the least you can do!!

 

Having this kind of issue on a product is already unacceptable, but not giving any detail about an upgrade date and details over the problem encountered is more unacceptable..

 

 

[ggoetz56 9]

It seems to me that  FIBEFGT-001 (StarterSet as well) are sold in Germany.

Any other information? Did Fibaro stop the delivery?

[petergebruers 1,261]

No official statement. I own two starter kits, and I have two kits on backorder. I asked my seller (webshop) about delivery date and he told me has no ETA. But he does have some stock of the FGT without the sensor.

[tinman 1,025]

On ‎22‎.‎01‎.‎2018 at 9:55 AM, Tigo said:

March as release date for new firmware is of course totally unacceptable

 

3 hours ago, samuelAN said:

Seems to be coherent with a firmware release date during March..

 

where is that "march" statement coming from? 

 

3 hours ago, samuelAN said:

Having this kind of issue on a product is already unacceptable

 

 go and buy iPhone ^^

[samuelAN 1]

On 22/01/2018 at 9:55 AM, Tigo said:

Although I haven't seen any official announcement by Fibaro, March as release date for new firmware is of course totally unacceptable. That is one full season (winter season mind you) after the official release of the HC. As I said before, I can understand that sometimes a new products has some issues. As long as they get fixed, that is okay. But that certainly doesn't mean a fix should last for weeks, let alone months. Customers are left in the cold, literally in my case. I understand some others of you are in intolerable heat these days. In any case, the product is not working. The shame is that there is no clear communication or even understanding on the side of Fibaro to those who simply want value for their money.

 

I want to know, from Fibaro, today, (a) how Fibaro thinks the issue shall be solved, (b) how I will get the update without having to ummount a ship everything to Poland (being a customer without the HC or HC lite: selling a stand alone product like the HC requires stand alone fixes for faulty functionality to ANYONE who bought the product and expects it to operate as advertised), and (c) when I will be able to properly control my expensive HC. If this is a matter of weeks, then Fibaro should understand their product should not have been launched to customers in the first place.

 

I understand they wanted a release right before Winter starts, but if that meant pushing a not yet functional or fully tested product, then a simple "we are sorry" would have been kind, wouldn't it? If Fibaro wants to be like Apple--which I think they want, being exclusive, focussed on design, expensive and keen on their own closed ecosystem--then start to solve things like Apple: Communicate, fix and provide value for money within a short time frame. I choose Fibaro many times because I love the design and I am willing to pay extra for that, compared to other manufacturers of Zwave devices. I suggest Fibaro starts making an effort keeping customers like me (I mean users of other controllers than the HC's, which is a vast market) on board, cause the current handling of issues is really far beyond being professional. 

Any answer from Fibaro at your side ?

 

 

[Morgano 0]

Anybody have an update on this? Have Fibaro fixed the firmware yet?

[Jon798 1]

v4.3 came out a few days (a week?)  ago.

 

But for me at least, it has not made things any better. I have the valve 'crashing' more than it did before, and it still is not regulating temperature properly. Setpoint 18. Room Temperature 23. Valve: Open...

 

Others may have had a better experience.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon.

 

 

[Morgano 0]

24 minutes ago, Jon798 said:

v4.3 came out a few days (a week?)  ago.

 

But for me at least, it has not made things any better. I have the valve 'crashing' more than it did before, and it still is not regulating temperature properly. Setpoint 18. Room Temperature 23. Valve: Open...

 

Others may have had a better experience.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon.

 

 

 

That's disappointing... Was there a changelog with v4.3? I presume you have a Fibaro controller too - that's the only way to upgrade the firmware isn't it?

Thanks, Jeremy

[Jon798 1]

There'a a whole thread on the firmware update on this forum. The changelog is in there I think I remember.

 

I use the Heat Controller with HomeSeer but bought (begrudgingly) a second-hand HC Lite purely to upgrade the module with.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon.

 

 

[petergebruers 1,261]

8 minutes ago, Jon798 said:

There'a a whole thread on the firmware update on this forum. The changelog is in there I think I remember.

 

Correct. It is not an official topic. I've posted the changelog on march 12, it is in post #4

 

 

8 minutes ago, Jon798 said:

I use the Heat Controller with HomeSeer but bought (begrudgingly) a second-hand HC Lite purely to upgrade the module with.

 

There is a semi-official statement from Fibaro for non-HC users somewhere: contact your reseller and if that is impossible for some reason, contact [email protected] - as I understand it it is handled as a "warranty procedure".

 

There is no mention of alternatives (like USB update, I do not think that is possible, or sending OTA files for other controllers).

 

The HCL can also read "blackbox logs" but there is a catch... When you exclude the TRV, it erases the logs (because Z-Wave devices perform a reset at exclusion time). So that won't work if you're currently on a non-Fibaro controller.

 

Edited March 19, 2018 by petergebruers

[Morgano 0]

@Jon798 - how are you getting on? Still the same problems? Is the latest firmware still 4.3?

 

Thanks

[Jon798 1]

My valve is in a drawer - 4.3 made no performance difference for me, and made the integration with HomeSeer worse. No sign of any new firmware coming (for me at least).

 

I bought an alternative which works miles better. The only downside of that alternative being that you have to source your own external temperature sensor which makes the "bundle" slightly more expensive. But better to have something that works, I think.

I will 'lurk' here and see what Fibaro do then maybe try again once others report improvements.

 

Cheers,

Jon.

 

 

 

[Morgano 0]

@Jon798 Thanks for the update. Would you mind sharing what you used for your alternative solution? Cheers, Jeremy

[Jon798 1]

Given that this is a Fibaro forum, it's probably not fair to post here about specific alternatives. I sent you a private message.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon.

 

 

[samuelAN 1]

On 30/04/2018 at 8:47 AM, Jon798 said:

Given that this is a Fibaro forum, it's probably not fair to post here about specific alternatives. I sent you a private message.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon.

 

 

I am also interested... my 3 valves being in a drawer since begining of this year.. very useful isn't it?

 

Thanks!

[petergebruers 1,261]

Reviving this old topic!

 

Firmware 4.4 has been released. I've updated my 2xFGT-001 + external probe. Due to the good weather, I'm unable to do extensive testing. A quick test in 2 rooms looked promising: target temp reached, stable, less valve movement...

[wienog 107]

Well, that's not my experience with FW 4.4, I'm sorry to say. Letting the valve do the work it does just ....nothing. First the (well connected thru BLE ) separate sensor doesn't move at all mostly. While other temperature sensors (Netatmo, Everspring...) are going up in a paralell way the connected Fibaro sensor does not move up or only after a few hours...

Then, when the room temperature is 21 ° C and I put the setpoint at 24 °, thanks to Dave Harrison's piece of code, the boiler starts heating and the pump starts running but the valves don"t move and remain shut, so no heating at all. Only 'manually' through the GUI setting the temperature higher makes the valve work, no automatic stabilising function here...