Wyze Sense Hub vs. Bridge with Version 1 Sensors

[MJE]

I’ve read that the v. 1 contact and motion sensors will connect to the new v. 2 hub, though not for the home monitoring service. My question is will the old sensors connect more reliably and/or at longer distance to the new hub?

[MarkR]

Where exactly did you read this information?

[AaronR]

It’s been stated several times, and I know it’s covered in the original announcement thread, that the v1 sensors will connect to the new hub, but they are NOT compatible with the monitoring service. (Obviously this could change once the product is released and in the wild, but that’s what’s been stated so far.)

[MarkR]

Thanks AaronR. I did some searching and found:

@carverofchoice

The v1 sensors are compatible with the standalone hub but NOT with the monitoring service

I stand corrected!

[carverofchoice]

Yes, I got that answer from a Wyze employee here:

@UserCustomerGwen

• Are V1 sensors compatible with the new hub or not? The AMA said they were, and the HMS page originally said they were, but the FAQ’s say they are not. Does this just mean V1’s will connect to the hub, but can’t count as an HMS device in the monitoring tab?

The v1 sensors are compatible with the standalone hub but NOT with the monitoring service.

They also discussed it in their Youtube Webinar “Ask Me Anything (AMA)” as well.

To answer @MJE there is no way to know 100% if the hub will absolutely make things better for the V1 sensors, because part of their issues are due to their own hardware limitations. However, in theory, the new hub has a better antenna than the Bridge had. It also has fewer Points of failure since the Hub connects directly to the router, while the Bridge was reliant on another device. The stronger signal should increase the reliability. Also, the new hub will continue to run on battery power even if the power goes out, and is capable of logging open/closed status of the sensors even without power (at least locally, not through the cloud if your router also lost power of course), making it a significant improvement over the V1 bridge.

All-in-all, we expect significant improvements from a logical standpoint just on the better antenna broadcasting and reduced points of failure issues. Additionally, the Home Monitoring System is a high priority for Wyze, while the V1’s haven’t exactly been the highest priority. So, making things work well with the new hub is likely to get and maintain good attention. As with any new product launch, there could be some bugs to work out. That’s why it is called Early Access and backing the new product. For some people it can be good to wait a little while until things stabilize a bit and exit the early access phase first.

[MJE]

Thanks for the detailed and helpful reply. I’ve mostly had good luck with my ver. 1 sensors and will probably order the hub when it’s available as a stand alone.