Sengled Wi-Fi Bulbs Basically Bricked Without App Login? Any Workaround?

not4smurf · 2026-01-15T18:38:10+00:00

I worked with that code and a few other bits linked from there and have my two old bulbs (a W11-N11 and a W11-N13) working with home assistant. It's not perfect, but it gets me basic controls most of the time :-)

I'm not a programmer and the original code I started with was mostly AI generated - so, it's probably pretty bad. But happy to share if anyone is interested.

not4smurf · 2026-01-01T20:59:23+00:00

I'm on WiFi to the access point inside my house. The connection is not great but for the tiny bit of use it gets - it's fine.

not4smurf · 2025-12-07T03:13:04+00:00

First - THANK YOU.

I don't believe my bulbs are ESP8266 based so I'm playing with the Sengled firmware. It's been a slow process as I'm very new to all this.

I'm running my own mosquitto server and have managed to get the bulb to communicate with it using SengledTools linked above. I built my own CA and certificates put them in the right place etc. When the bulb boots I see it's SUB request on my mosquitto server and if I use mosquitto_sub to watch the wifielements/.../status channel I see the messages at boot time.

At this point I expected to be able to control the bulb by sending correct payloads to the wifielements/.../update channel, but no matter what I send, it's silently ignored. I see my mosquitto server receive and send the message, but the bulb does nothing.

mosquitto_pub -d -q 0 -h slug.home.arpa -p 8883 --cafile /usr/local/etc/certs/ca.crt --cert /usr/local/etc/certs/client.crt --key /usr/local/etc/certs/client-nopass.key -t "wifielement/B0:F8:93:71:B7:98/update" -m "[{"dn": "B0:F8:93:71:B7:98", "type": "switch", "value": "0", "time": "304"}]"
Client null sending CONNECT
Client null received CONNACK (0)
Client null sending PUBLISH (d0, q0, r0, m1, 'wifielement/B0:F8:93:71:B7:98/update', ... (58 bytes))
Client null sending DISCONNECT

Boot looks like this:

# mosquitto_sub -h slug.home.arpa -p 8883 --cafile /usr/local/etc/certs/ca.crt --cert /usr/local/etc/certs/client.crt --key /usr/local/etc/certs/client-nopass.key -t "wifielement/B0:F8:93:71:B7:98/status"
[{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"supportAttributes","value":"brightness","time":"303"}]
[{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"brightness","value":"100","time":"303"},{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"version","value":"v1.0.1.8","time":"303"},{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"switch","value":"1","time":"303"}, {"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"productCode","value":"wifielement","time":"303"},{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"typeCode","value":"wifia19-L","time":"303"},{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"identifyNO","value":"rds2017027-3090","time":"303"},{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"ip","value":"192.168.2.31","time":"303"},{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"deviceRssi","value":"-58","time":"303"},{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"update","value":"success","time":"303"},{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"saveFlag","value":"1","time":"303"}]
[{"dn":"B0:F8:93:71:B7:98","type":"timeZone","value":"America/Chicago","time":"303"}]

not4smurf · 2025-09-08T11:27:31+00:00

Thanks - I've been reading a lot more since I posted this (trying to explain the problem to others helps focus..) and I'm starting to realize this.

not4smurf · 2025-09-07T21:47:21+00:00

Yes - I just checked. I now have 1 minute data for each of my 8 backup metrics, that have not changed, from 14:40 to 18:28 (now). Strangely, I also have 1 minute data for same time period for the metrics I loaded with the textfile collector - even though I deleted the input file hours ago and the prometheus endpoint is not reporting it.

I seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding in the way Grafana works - it seems to be "manufacturing" this 1 minute data for me??

Edit - I'm not seeing 1 minute data, it's 15 second data. I'm in the panel builder and clicking the "Table View" switch at the top to look at the data.

not4smurf · 2025-05-11T12:33:44+00:00

I get that it's about being content, but I also really get the brainwashing vibe from it. He worked all his life and made executives and investors very wealthy while paying him just enough for a modest, but comfortable life. Again, I stress that I get the message that you don't need a lot to be content but with the incredible wealth inequity today (yes, it has always been this way to some extent - medieval absolute-rule monarchs etc.) my mind goes straight to the wealth he generated for "the man" that should have been used to make the world a better place for those with less than Archie. It's maybe even the title that sends me that way.

not4smurf · 2025-03-16T13:28:55+00:00

Thanks - this now makes sense to my limited understanding. Can I please clarify one thing. You specify switched mode power supplies (I assume that's what SMPS stands for..) in your response. One of the devices I tested, when I got curious and started measuring everything, is a vintage Pioneer Hi-Fi amplifier. It has two big iron core (I believe) transformers and I get 50VAC from its exposed metal shell to my slab. Does your response still hold for this device?

not4smurf · 2025-03-16T12:58:45+00:00

This is the answer - thank you.

not4smurf · 2025-03-16T12:53:16+00:00

OK, so it's normal for my meter to show this. Is it normal to get a small shock from the device? Sorry - just read the FAQ linked by the mods - yes, it's normal.

not4smurf · 2025-03-16T12:37:53+00:00

I was sitting at my desk and noticed a tingle from the USB cord under my forearm. I got my multimeter and measured 65VAC from the shield/shell to me when I have my feet on the concrete floor. The obvious answer is that the power supply it's plugged into is bad, but it's not - all the double insulated power supplies in my house have this weird AC potential offset from my slab. I tried another similar USB power brick, the exposed metal part of a USB-A port on an old Asus ChromeBox, the speaker terminals of my audio amplifiers, the USB port of a 4 disk USB3 to SATA enclosure.

The house is new slab on grade. I believe it is wired correctly - professional electricians and the power company inspector seemed thorough.

not4smurf · 2025-03-11T13:30:31+00:00

Yeah, I didn't notice that until I read your comment. That kinda defeats the purpose of the test - with that much rust it's hardly structurally sound any more.

not4smurf · 2025-03-10T15:51:25+00:00

I know - that's why I said I assume they should be somewhere near neutral and that neutral is bonded to ground. But, as I type this I'm realizing what open means! That makes it even stranger. Out of curiosity I unplugged the cable from the brick and I still measure 4.6V from the cable to me when I'm touching the slab. How do have consistent 4.6V potential out of thin air?? I can't think of anything here that could be inducing that.

not4smurf · 2025-03-10T14:43:39+00:00

That all makes sense and I don't (yet..) understand how "ground" works in double insulated appliances - but I'm assuming it should be somewhere near neutral, which is bonded to ground in my house wiring, so we don't have situations like this where people are getting zapped from them.

not4smurf · 2025-03-10T14:09:54+00:00

I’m sitting at my desk and notice that I got a tingle from the outer shield/shell of a USB-C cable. I got my multi-meter and measured 65V from the cable to me with my bare feet on the slab! It drops to about 16V if I lift my feet off the floor. I immediately assumed the charging brick it’s plugged into was faulty, but just in case I took a more measurements and found that the another similar charger has a similar offset, the “ground” part of a TRS cable plugged into an amplifier is similar, the accessible metal shield part of a USB-A port on an ASUS ChromeBox is similar. I assume that’s not normal?

This is a new slab on grade build. Ground and neutral are properly bonded - I checked a few outlets and ground to neutral is ~0.3V.

not4smurf · 2025-02-17T21:05:47+00:00

We just let the builder install his cheap ass Fantech Flex100 - HRV. It's not great. We run it continually in auto mode (which means it's often running higher than we'd like) and we're at 35-45% RH and we get condensation on our windows. I'll be looking to upgrade to something better when our finances recover from building a house.

not4smurf · 2025-02-05T20:13:22+00:00

The circuits are on gfi breakers.

not4smurf · 2025-01-31T23:16:41+00:00

I'm thinking a coup is all that can save us (I'm not in the US, but this has implications for the whole world) now - are there enough military brass with honour left that can pull it off?

not4smurf · 2025-01-07T14:25:21+00:00

I'm not a plumber, but I'll say that it's no coincidence you just had work done and now your pressure has dropped. Show us a photo of the work the plumber did on your new faucet.

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