# Troubleshooting

# Troubleshooting

# Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions for Everything Presence Lite.

## ESP32 LED Flashing

The LED on the EPL board is the ESP32 status LED.

It will flash if:

* The device is **not connected to WiFi**, OR
* The device is connected to WiFi but **Home Assistant has not connected** to the EPL


:::tip
This is normal during initial setup. The LED will stop flashing once Home Assistant successfully connects to the device.

:::

## Board Buttons

The EPL board has two physical buttons:

* **RESET**: Reboots the board.
* **BOOT / FLASH**: Puts the ESP32 into manual flashing / recovery mode when needed.

In normal use you usually do **not** need the **BOOT / FLASH** button, because standard ESPHome web flashing should work automatically.

If you are following a recovery or manual flashing workflow, that is when the **BOOT / FLASH** button may be needed.

## Sensor Not Appearing in Home Assistant

### Check WiFi Connection


1. Ensure the EPL is powered (LED behaviour explained above)
2. Verify your WiFi network is 2.4GHz (EPL doesn't support 5GHz)
3. Check that the EPL is within range of your router
4. **Try a different power supply** - poor quality or noisy USB power supplies can cause WiFi connectivity issues

### Re-adopt the Device


1. Go to **Settings > Devices & Services > ESPHome**
2. Look for a new device to configure
3. If not visible, try power cycling the EPL

### Check ESPHome Logs


1. In Home Assistant, go to your EPL device
2. Click the three dots menu > **Logs**
3. Look for connection errors or WiFi issues

## Entity Shows "Unavailable"

This usually indicates a connection issue between Home Assistant and the EPL.

**Solutions:**

* Power cycle the EPL (unplug and replug)
* **Try a different power supply** - noisy power supplies can cause intermittent disconnections
* Check your WiFi router for connection issues
* Restart Home Assistant
* Check ESPHome logs for errors

## Sensor Stuck on "Detected"

The sensor reports presence continuously even when the room is empty.

**Common causes and fixes:**

| Cause | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Poor quality power supply | Try a different USB power adapter |
| Ceiling fan in detection range | Use an Occupancy Mask to exclude the area |
| Detecting through thin walls | Reduce Max Distance setting |
| Reflective surfaces | Reposition or use Occupancy Mask |
| Target "stuck" in sensor memory | Enable Stale Target Reset (see below) |

**Tuning steps:**


1. Reduce **Max Distance** to match your room size
2. Set up **Occupancy Masks** to exclude problem areas
3. Enable **Stale Target Reset** if targets don't clear

## Stale Targets / Sensor Won't Clear

Sometimes the sensor holds onto a detected target after they've left, especially if they exit through a blind spot.

**Solutions:**


1. Enable the **Stale Target Reset** switch
2. Set the **Stale Target Reset Timeout** (default 3 seconds)
3. The sensor will automatically clear targets that haven't moved for the timeout period


:::warning
Use Stale Target Reset carefully - setting the timeout too low may clear targets that are genuinely still (e.g., someone sitting very quietly).

:::

## Sensor Not Detecting / Stuck on "Clear"

The sensor doesn't detect presence when someone is in the room.

**Solutions:**


1. **Check your power supply** - noisy power can affect mmWave sensor performance
2. Increase **Max Distance** to cover the full room
3. Check sensor placement - ensure clear line of sight
4. Verify the person is within the sensor's field of view (\~120°)
5. Check zones aren't misconfigured (excluding the detection area)

## Zones Not Working

Zones don't trigger when someone enters them.

**Check:**


1. Zone coordinates are correctly set (use Zone Configurator)
2. **Tracking Behaviour** is set to at least "Targets Position"
3. Zone entities are enabled in Home Assistant
4. Zone doesn't overlap with an Occupancy Mask

## False Positives from Pets

The EPL will detect pets that move within its range.

**Options:**

* Use **Occupancy Masks** to exclude floor-level areas
* Mount higher and angle downward
* Create zones only in areas pets don't access
* Increase **Occupancy Off Delay** to filter brief triggers

## Detecting Through Walls

mmWave can penetrate thin walls and detect movement in adjacent rooms.

**Solutions:**


1. Reduce **Max Distance** to stop before the wall
2. Use **Occupancy Masks** to exclude the wall area
3. Reposition the sensor to aim away from thin walls

## Home Assistant Database Growing Too Fast

The EPL reports many entities frequently, which can grow your database.

**Solutions:**

Add this to your `configuration.yaml` to exclude tracking entities from the recorder:

```yaml
recorder:
  exclude:
    entity_globs:
      - sensor.everything_presence_lite*target*
```

Alternatively, change **Tracking Behaviour** to a less verbose option if you don't need all target data.

## Occupancy Stops Updating (Light Still Works)

If occupancy stops updating but illuminance still changes, this indicates an LD2450 firmware bug.

**Solution:** Update the LD2450 firmware:


1. Enable the **mmWave Bluetooth** entity in Home Assistant
2. Install the HLKRadarTool app ([Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hlk.hlkradartool) / [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/hlkradartool/id1638651152))
3. Connect to the LD2450 sensor
4. Update to firmware version **2.04.23101915** or later
5. Disable **mmWave Bluetooth** after updating

See [How to update LD2450 Firmware](/doc/1a926b13-6c37-4810-b3ca-27aa29055b21) for detailed instructions.

## Reset WiFi Settings Using the Boot Button

If you need to reset the WiFi settings (for example, to connect to a different network), you can use the boot button on the EPL board:


1. Locate the **BOOT** button on the EPL PCB
2. Perform this sequence:
   * Press and hold for **1 second**, then release
   * Press and hold for **1 second**, then release
   * Press and hold for **at least 5 seconds**
3. The LED will flash **5 times** to confirm the reset
4. The device will restart with WiFi settings cleared

After resetting, follow the [Set up your EPL device in Home Assistant](/doc/82661309-df52-470a-a668-7dbd15bcaaea) guide to reconfigure your device.

## Still Need Help?

* [Home Assistant Entities](/doc/c4893273-871e-49a4-beaf-e12f5b01932f) - All sensors and controls
* [How to Tune Your EPL Sensor](/doc/515d8862-90dd-4d60-a5b9-af421e94cf22) - Placement and sensitivity guide
* [Automation Examples](/doc/c6fadc38-7c5f-4460-8762-97dc953bf6a8) - Create automations with your sensor
* [Zone Configurator](/doc/5b75125c-e11e-4009-a366-59e9e9ff1a72) - Visual zone debugging
* [Technical Entity Reference](/doc/e4ff833e-ef42-4368-a1ac-9dfbd98c284a) - All settings and defaults
* Join the [Discord community](https://discord.gg/Bgfvy2f) for support

## Factory Reset

If all else fails, you can restore factory settings: [Restore or Update your EPL to factory settings using a computer](/doc/b7d755f9-84af-43bd-879b-e45ae0794271)

---

**Documents**

- [EP1 vs EPL: Which Sensor is Right for You?](https://docs.everythingsmart.io/s/products/doc/ep1-vs-epl-which-sensor-is-right-for-you-5B3RxiY3Kp)
- [Everything Presence One (EP1)](https://docs.everythingsmart.io/s/products/doc/everything-presence-one-ep1-3R178yZSUP)
- [Everything Presence Pro](https://docs.everythingsmart.io/s/products/doc/everything-presence-pro-nh3fIXmow9)
- [Everything Presence Lite (EPL)](https://docs.everythingsmart.io/s/products/doc/everything-presence-lite-epl-ZVnBzYzuX2)
- [Zone Configurator](https://docs.everythingsmart.io/s/products/doc/zone-configurator-93b9scGsa2)
- [Knowledge Base Articles](https://docs.everythingsmart.io/s/products/doc/knowledge-base-articles-KnRRmk4zvt)