Topic: I have “lost” my WH41

[whitecitadel]

So, had the Ecowitt system for just over 3 years, the WH41 lives outside in a sheltered location from the worst of the weather and has always been reliable. Summer is ok, but in winter I accept need to bring it in once in a while when the batteries go flat, and its been a dark December here in the UK.

I always bring it in, connect USB power and leave it and usually it appears on the HP2553 display and on the web via the GW1100 (and home assistant which is also linked) but not this time.

Some diagnosis suggests the origianl batteries might be nearing end of life, one of them anyway looked to be weak so I put new batteries in and WH41 seems to be running as normal. I mean by normal, the red light comes on for transmission (per the manual) and if I remove the white cover I can hear it running the fan on the sensor as you would expect for a AQ monitor. So it looks to be performing as it always have.

The HP2553 and the GW1100 do not however see it at all (note no other WH41 just this one). I initially power cycled the GW1100 as an experiment, then later logged in over the network and used “re-register” on the sensor ID page - which is now stuck at “learning”. I did not do anything to the HP2553 and it also cannot see the WH41 anymore.

I have been through multiple power cycles with the battery changes so I don’t think that is going to help any more, but does anyone have any other suggestions how I might persuade my WH41 to come back into the ecosystem?!

I would add that historically range has been no problem, but right now its on the windowsill in the house some 2m/6ft from the GW1100 and the next room to the HP2553 so I don’t believe its an RF issue.

[Gyvate]

register the WH41 manually and actively and not via learning mode (re-register). Go to the sensor ID page (HP25x0 inside the console, GW1100 via WS View Plus or WebUI), and enter the sensor ID which is printed on the label on the sensor (which you hopefully kept). To accelerate the process remove the WH41 batteries for 15 seconds or so and re-insert them. Then wait ... it can take some time. The WH41 can be "moody".

[whitecitadel]

Thanks for the suggestion Gyvate, I should have taken a screenshot of the sensor page BEFORE I hit the re-register buttin I am now thinking!

I have not cleared the HP2553, I went into settings yesterday to try and find the sensor ID, but could not see WH41 at all. A bit of paper inside the sensor fell out yesterday and is blank after 3 years. I might need to find a way to scan it or take a photo against a bright light and mess in image editing to see if it can be read!

[Gyvate]

the sticker with the sensorID is usually placed outside on the tilted/angled housing portion between vertical housing and solar panel
https://meshka.eu/Ecowitt/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=faq1#where_do_i_find_the_sensorsid_of_my_sensors

[whitecitadel]

Yes it fell out yesterday… but… not much help!
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[whitecitadel]

I didn’t realise these were so critical of I would have recorded them when new.

[Gyvate]

if you don't know it anymore and you have only one WH41, disable the sensors for WH41 channel 2-3 and leave channel 1 in learning mode. It may still find it after some time. Still do the battery remove and re-insert.
Fingers crossed.
Taking a screenshot of the setting (or phone or pen note) of the sensorsID page is a smart thing to do ...

[whitecitadel]

Thanks Gyvate, I will give that a try.

I did find some sensors showing on the HP2553, but its not seeing the WH41 at all (not been touched since I messed with the batteries) so they seem to be invalid data:
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I have disabled 2-4 and power cycled the WH41 so lets hope that works - screenshots taken of the sensors page and photo of the 2553 display!

[whitecitadel]

Ok, the WH41 is sensor ID 6B as shown on the 2553 display photo above.

I have now set that manually on the GW1100, and its already set on the 2553, so the problem does not appear to be the sensor ID but something on the WH41 sadly 

[whitecitadel]

@gyvate thanks for all the help.

Not sure why, I changed batteries again after setting the sensor ID manually and I am now back in business - which is a relief as these sensors are a lot more expensive having looked at a replacement than they were 3 years ago!

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[Gyvate]

as I mentioned earlier - WH41/43s can be sort of "moody" registering.
1. keep a screencopy of your sensorID (and calibration) settings
2. the WH41 was sold cheaper for some time due to model change - the new ones will have a USB-C charging port.
Probably even with a little silicone plug for the port as the WH41 designed use area is outdoors.
Mini-USB is no longer law compliant for new devices in the EU where all charging devices from 2025 on have to have a unique USB-C port - and the devices to-be-charged too.

[whitecitadel]

Thanks, I saw that when you replied, and in other threads you had replied to. I have to say in 3 years I have never had a problem with it, its always been really good for me. When it goes flat, change the battery and its back again.

I have now made a detailed table for future reference of all the sensor ID’s for all my sensors 

Mine has the Micro-USB port, its good they are now USB-C like the rest of the planet 

I think a project for this summer will be to find a new mounting position where I can run a 5v supply to it and avoid it going flat every few months. Strangely it seems to last better in the spring and autumn than the summer, I think the soft diffused light from the clouds works better with the solar panel than direct sun and it heating up a lot.

Thanks for again for all your help