Hi @mg.marsha.lehman
Apologies for not expressing myself clearly. What I meant was to put a “Good” such as 337QXN or maybe one of your Beta devices close to 334RPU, but still about a foot apart, at the “prior location”.
The reason is the following example of how wifi really behaves:
Wifi signal are not uniform and can be influenced by the surrounding very easily. In order to be certain if it was the device’s wifi that was the problem, we should put both devices close to each other and look at the difference in their reception. If the difference between 334RPU and the good device is more than an average of 10-15% over time then it is likely something inherently faulty
Thanks for the help
Al
Engineering
Al:
I will do this, but let me be clear: this is the last “test” I will perform for this particular device. I moved it to a spot so close to the wi-fi hub that it had to work – and it did. We both expected that it would.
Now you want me to move it, and another device, back to the prior “trouble spot”.
To do this test, I have to move two devices and start training all over again. I know from prior experience that the data are not reliable during training.
It may be fall, but I am still actively gardening – and irrigating. At least I have a handheld moisture meter to use while the two devices go through training again.
Marsha Lehman
1 Like
Hi @mg.marsha.lehman ,
Thank you for everything you’ve done so far with your device. I understand how frustrating it has been to keep testing, and I want to be clear that we’re not asking you to do this because we need more data from you. This is simply the last check we need before deciding whether the unit itself should be replaced free of charge under warranty.
Best regards,
Stanley
Marketing PM
Team GeoDrops
Al:
I moved the questionable device (334RPU) back to its prior location early last evening, so it has now been there for over 24 hours.
The device now shows good wi-fi, but has the message “slow to update” on the home screen. As I can only attach one screenshot at a time, I made a collage to show three screens for 334RPU in one image.
I will post a second reply showing a similar collage for the device that I moved to within 3 feet of the questionable device for comparison.
Al:
Here is the collage of screen shots for the second device that you ask that I move close to the questionable device.
I hope this provides all the information you need to assess the questionable device.
And now, a day later, the questionable device (334RPU) has gone “offline”. Here’s a screenshot taken about noon today.
Do you now have enough data to make a decision about this device (334RPU)
Hi @mg.marsha.lehman ,
Thanks for sending them over. @homedigy-alpha will be checking the information on our end shortly and get back to you soon.
Stanley
Marketing PM
Team GeoDrops
Hi @mg.marsha.lehman ,
Thank you for helping us and apologies for the inconvenience. Your test was helpful and we think it is indeed the device (334RPU) ‘s wifi problem. In this case, it simply failed to reconnect after being moved to that area. @homedigy-stanley will help with arranging a RMA for your device.
Thank you for your patience
Al
Engineering
Thank you.
I will wait to hear from Stanley for instructions on the RMA.
Marsha Lehman
Got the RMA.
Device was dropped off at the local post office on Sunday, September 28, 2025.
Hi @mg.marsha.lehman ,
We have received the RMA device and I have sent an email regarding next steps earlier. Once the inspection was approved, you’ll receive another email with the tracking status shortly.
Thanks for your patience,
Stanley
Marketing PM
Team GeoDrops
I got the USPS tracking email. The replacement device is supposed to arrive on October 14, 2025.
1 Like
The replacement device arrived today; ahead of schedule.
Just curious; what was the problem with the device I returned under RMA??
Hi @mg.marsha.lehman ,
We haven’t had a chance to dig deeper yet given the most recent release. Once we are able to investigate further, we may share more details.
Thanks for letting us know,
Stanley
Marketing PM
Team GeoDrops
Hi @mg.marsha.lehman ,
Just circling back about the RMA unit you sent in. @homedigy-lawrence still has it in his review backlog and will take a personal look when he has time.
How has the replacement unit been working so far? We really appreciate your patience and just want to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Best,
Stanley
Marketing PM
Team GeoDrops
Stanley:
The replacement device is behaving like the RMA unit. I connect to Wi-Fi and it goes into “soil sensing” mode. 24 to 48 hours later, it reports being off-line.
We have multiple Wi-Fi connection points. One is our primary (for our computers), and the other is for devices such as GeoDrops. When the GeoDrops goes off-line, it wants to connect to the primary Wi-Fi point. I have to remove the device, pull the batteries, and go through the process to connect it to the second Wi-Fi point.
It happened again on 21 October, for the third time. I do not why this device keeps doing this. Hubby is adamant that I may not connect this one device to the primary Wi-Fi point, especially when the other three devices work fine on the second point. I was busy with other obligations and did not do the “reconnect” process until today. Before I lifted the device, pulled the batteries, and reconnected the sensor, I took the two screen shots shown in the attached image. Take a close look at this: it tells me the unit is offline but shows a “GOOD” Wi-Fi signal.
What I have noticed is that the replacement device was manufactured on the same April 2025 date as the RMA unit. Is it possible that the April 2025 batch had several “bad” units? (I have a device manufactured in May 2025, and it is working fine.)
Marsha Lehman
Hi @mg.marsha.lehman
We will take a look into this. Please stay tuned
Thanks
Al
Engineering
Al:
The replacement unit (manufactured April 2025) has gone offline again. It is a major inconvenience to have to pull the batteries and reconnect to wi-fi every 3 to 4 days.
Here are screenshots taken earlier today:
Hi @mg.marsha.lehman ,
We looked into this further.
Regarding this observation, it is a possibility. We will need to conduct a board‑level analysis on the returned device. Because each unit is fully waterproofed, this requires cutting open the casing to access internal circuits. We’ll measure the power and Wi‑Fi components directly using an oscilloscope and verify the antenna and RF signal strength. We will also be reviewing the factory test data for your production batch, to see if there were any anomalies in the original calibration logs. This process will take months to complete.
In the meantime, I’m wondering if it’s possible for you to test things out by swapping the locations of your Launch edition devices (i.e. place the device with serial number 334WXN at the location where the device with serial number 337QXN was located and vice versa). If 337QXN experiences the same issues shown by 334WXN, we suspect that there may be something going on with the WiFi signal strength at that location.
No rush if you don’t want to remove 337QXN from its current location yet.
Hope this helps,
Stanley
Marketing PM
Team GeoDrops
Stanley:
I spent an hour earlier this afternoon trying to re-connect this device (334WXN) to Wi-Fi. I kept getting an error with the suggestion to “Retry”. I lost count of how many times I re-tried. After a while, the message indicated that “if this persists, re-set the router.” I didn’t think that needed to be done – nor did my husband – as the other three devices all appear to be working fine.
Several hours later, I convinced my husband to let this device connect to our primary Wi-Fi point. He finally agreed, and the device did connect on the second try. It is now in soil sensing mode. It should exit this mode in about 90 minutes. Time will tell.
And yes, I have moved 337QXN to where 334WXN had been – within one foot of where it had been.
Marsha
