SmartHomeShop

English

Nederlands

English

Nederlands

Appearance

Troubleshooting Guide ​

This guide helps you resolve common issues with your UltimateSensor Mini.

General Troubleshooting Steps ​

Before diving into specific issues, try these steps:

  1. Check Power Connection

    • Ensure USB-C cable is securely connected
    • Try a different power adapter (minimum 1A)

  2. Restart the Device

    • Unplug power, wait 10 seconds, reconnect
    • Or use the "Restart" button in Home Assistant

  3. Check Home Assistant

    • Restart Home Assistant: Settings → System → Restart
    • Update Home Assistant to the latest version

  4. Verify Network Connection

    • Check if device appears in your router's DHCP list
    • Check the WiFi Signal diagnostic entity

WiFi Connectivity Issues ​

Can't Find the WiFi Hotspot ​

The ultimatesensor-mini hotspot should appear after powering on:

  • Wait 1-2 minutes — it takes time to initialize
  • Hotspot only appears if WiFi isn't already configured
  • Try different devices — some phones/laptops see it better than others
  • Factory reset if previously configured (see below)

Connected to Hotspot but No Captive Portal ​

If the configuration page doesn't open automatically:

  1. Open a browser manually
  2. Navigate to http://192.168.4.1/
  3. Try disabling mobile data on your phone
  4. Try a different browser

WiFi Won't Connect ​

  • 2.4 GHz only — 5 GHz networks are not supported
  • Check password — WiFi passwords are case-sensitive
  • Signal strength — move closer to router during setup
  • Special characters — some special characters in SSID/password may cause issues

Frequent Disconnections ​

  • Check signal strength — view the WiFi Signal entity
  • Reduce interference from other 2.4 GHz devices
  • Check router settings — some routers disconnect idle devices

Alternative WiFi Setup Methods ​

If the captive portal doesn't work:

  1. Improv Serial: Connect via USB-C, use ESPHome Web Tools
  2. Improv BLE: Use Bluetooth for initial setup (disabled after WiFi connects)

Fallback Hotspot Mode ​

If the UltimateSensor Mini can't connect to WiFi, it automatically creates a fallback hotspot:

  • SSID: ultimatesensor-mini
  • Password: ultimatesensor-mini

Connect to reconfigure WiFi settings.

Voice Assistant Issues ​

Voice Assistant Not Responding ​

  1. Check configuration

    • Verify voice assistant is set up in Home Assistant
    • Ensure Use wake word switch is ON
    • Check that Home Assistant Assist is properly configured

  2. Check connection

    • Verify the API Connection binary sensor shows connected
    • Check WiFi signal strength

  3. LED feedback

    • Front LED should turn RED when wake word is detected
    • If no LED response, wake word isn't being detected

Wake Word Not Detected ​

  • Position: Make sure you speak clearly toward the device
  • Distance: Try speaking closer to the sensor (1-3 meters works best)
  • Noise: Reduce background noise
  • Configuration: Verify wake word is configured in Home Assistant

Audio Quality Issues ​

Crackling or Stuttering Sound ​

The speaker shares resources with wake word detection:

  1. Disable wake word while playing audio
  2. Check WiFi signal — weak signal causes buffering
  3. Reduce volume slightly
  4. Use local audio files instead of streaming when possible

No Sound from Speaker ​

  1. Check US Mini Media Player entity in Home Assistant
  2. Verify volume is not set to 0
  3. Try playing a test sound:
    yaml
    service: media_player.play_media
target:
  entity_id: media_player.us_mini_media_player
data:
  media_content_id: "https://smarthomeshop.io/products/ultimatesensor-mini/v1/audio/boot1.mp3"
  media_content_type: "music"

Text-to-Speech Not Working ​

  1. Verify TTS is configured in Home Assistant
  2. Check media player entity is available
  3. Test with a simple TTS call:
    yaml
    service: tts.speak
target:
  entity_id: media_player.us_mini_media_player
data:
  message: "Test message"

Sensor Data Issues ​

Sensors Not Updating ​

  • Startup time: Sensors need 10+ minutes to stabilize
  • CO₂ specifically: May take 24-48 hours for accurate readings
  • Check entities: Some may be disabled by default in Home Assistant

Inaccurate CO₂ Readings ​

  • Initial calibration: Wait at least 24 hours
  • Placement: Avoid heat sources and direct sunlight
  • Manual calibration: Place outdoors in fresh air for 10+ minutes, then use "CO2 manual calibration" button (calibrates to 420 ppm)
  • See Calibration Guide for details

Temperature Reading High/Low ​

The SCD41 has a built-in offset of -2.3°C. If still inaccurate:

  • Check placement: Away from heat sources
  • Additional offset: Can be added in ESPHome configuration
  • See Calibration Guide for instructions

Humidity Reading Inaccurate ​

The SCD41 has a built-in offset of +3%. If still inaccurate:

  • Placement: Avoid humid areas or drafts
  • Additional offset: Can be adjusted in ESPHome configuration

mmWave False Positives ​

The radar may detect movement through walls or from moving objects:

  • Reduce Max Distance setting
  • Configure zones to exclude problematic areas
  • Check for moving objects (fans, curtains, pets)
  • Adjust zone boundaries to exclude areas behind walls

mmWave Not Detecting ​

  • Check positioning — front of device must face the monitored area
  • Verify entity states — check Target X Distance values
  • Off delay — default 15 seconds before reporting "no occupancy"
  • Distance limit — check Max Distance setting

LED Issues ​

LEDs Not Working ​

  1. Check Front light and Back light entities in Home Assistant
  2. Entities may be disabled — enable them first
  3. Try turning on manually:
    yaml
    service: light.turn_on
target:
  entity_id: light.ultimatesensor_mini_front_light
data:
  rgb_color: [255, 255, 255]

Status LED Flashing ​

  • Slow flash: Device not connected to WiFi or Home Assistant
  • Rapid flash: Startup error — try power cycling

Home Assistant Integration Issues ​

Device Not Auto-Discovered ​

  1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services
  2. Click Add Integration
  3. Select ESPHome
  4. Enter the device's IP address (find in router DHCP list)

Entities Missing ​

  • Some entities are disabled by default (Zone 4, etc.)
  • Go to device in Home Assistant, click entity, enable it

Device Offline in Home Assistant ​

  • Check network connectivity
  • Verify IP address hasn't changed
  • Firewall rules may be blocking communication
  • mDNS issues: Try using IP address instead of hostname

ESPHome Specific Issues ​

Error: default_16MB.csv Not Found ​

If you see:

Could not find file '/config/esphome/default_16MB.csv'

Solution: Download default_16MB.csv from our GitHub repository and place it in your ESPHome folder.

OTA Update Failed ​

  • Check WiFi signal during update
  • Don't interrupt power during updates
  • Try USB-C flashing if OTA consistently fails

Advanced Troubleshooting ​

Accessing the Web Interface ​

The UltimateSensor Mini has a built-in web interface (if enabled):

  1. Find device IP in your router's DHCP list
  2. Open browser and navigate to http://<device-ip>/
  3. View sensor values and device info

Note: Web server may be disabled by default in current firmware.

Viewing Logs ​

In ESPHome:

  1. Open ESPHome Dashboard
  2. Click on your UltimateSensor Mini device
  3. Click "Logs" to see real-time output

Factory Reset ​

To completely reset the device:

  1. Enable the Factory Reset button entity in Home Assistant (disabled by default)
  2. Press the button
  3. Device will reset to factory defaults including WiFi credentials

Or flash new firmware via USB-C.

Firmware Update ​

For OTA updates:

  1. Adopt device in ESPHome Dashboard
  2. Make any needed changes to YAML
  3. Click "Install" → "Wirelessly"

For USB updates:

Network Communication & Privacy ​

100% Local Operation ​

The UltimateSensor Mini works entirely locally:

  • ✅ All sensor data stays on your network
  • ✅ Home Assistant communication is local
  • ✅ Voice processing happens in Home Assistant
  • ✅ Automations run locally

External Communication ​

Limited external communication:

  • Boot sound from SmartHomeShop server (optional)
  • Firmware update checks (can be disabled)

Still Having Issues? ​

If none of the above solutions work:

  1. Join Discord: smarthomeshop.io/discord — fastest support
  2. Contact us: smarthomeshop.io/contact
  3. Check GitHub: github.com/smarthomeshop/ultimatesensor-mini

When asking for help, please include:

  • Hardware version (Basic/Complete)
  • Firmware version (Software Version entity)
  • Description of the issue
  • Any error messages from logs