SWV-ZFE: documented control payloads are unreliable / incomplete on real hardware, need correct device-specific docs

What happened?

We are trying to control a real SONOFF SWV-ZFE valve via Zigbee2MQTT.

The current SWV-ZFE documentation suggests that normal switch control should work via:
{"state":"ON"}

and that timed control might work via:
{"state":"ON","on_time":300}

optionally with:
{"state":"ON","on_time":300,"off_wait_time":120}

On our real hardware, these documented paths were not reliable enough to build a safe integration.

Direct local observations from repeated MQTT tests against the real valve:

• {"state":"ON","on_time":1} did not start the valve.
• {"state":"ON","on_time":5,"off_wait_time":1} did not start the valve.
• {"state":"ON","on_time":30} did not start the valve.
• plain {"state":"ON"} was also not reliably sufficient from state=OFF / schedule_status=end.
• {"state":"TOGGLE"} did not reliably start the valve either.

The only repeatedly observed positive control path on our device was:

1. first write manual_default_settings
2. then immediately send plain {"state":"ON"}

Example of a working sequence we observed:

{
"manual_default_settings": {
"irrigation_duration": 1,
"irrigation_mode": "duration",
"irrigation_amount_unit": "liter",
"irrigation_amount": 0,
"fail_safe": 2
}
}

followed by:

{"state":"ON"}

That sequence produced a real transition to:

• irrigation_schedule_status.schedule_status = "start"
• state = "ON"

We also observed another successful run with:

{
"manual_default_settings": {
"fail_safe": 2,
"irrigation_amount": 1,
"irrigation_amount_unit": "liter",
"irrigation_duration": 1,
"irrigation_mode": "capacity"
}
}

followed by a start reaching:

• schedule_status = "start"
• state = "ON"

Additionally, the documentation seems incomplete or at least unclear around irrigation_mode:

• The current SWV-ZFE docs list manual_irrigation_mode values as duration and capacity.
• On our real device, we also observed duration_with_interval in runtime data.

That makes it unclear which modes are actually supported for SWV-ZFE, which are user-settable, and which command combinations are expected to work.

We also repeatedly observed confusing runtime data during tests, for example:

• year-2000 timestamps
• extremely large real_time_irrigation_duration
• extremely large real_time_irrigation_volume

That made it harder to distinguish valid state reporting from stale/corrupted-looking telemetry.

What did you expect to happen?

We expected the SWV-ZFE documentation to provide a correct and device-specific way to:

• start the valve manually
• start it for a bounded time
• stop it again
• understand which payload combinations are actually supported

More concretely:

• if {"state":"ON","on_time":N} is documented for this device, it should either work on supported firmware or the docs should clearly state limitations
• if manual_default_settings must be written before state=ON, that should be documented explicitly
• if duration_with_interval is a real SWV-ZFE mode, that should be documented explicitly
• if some control methods only work on some firmware/hardware revisions, that should also be documented explicitly

How to reproduce it (minimal and precise)

Use a real SWV-ZFE device in Zigbee2MQTT.

Start from a state where the valve reports:

• state: "OFF"
• irrigation_schedule_status.schedule_status: "end"

Then send the following payloads to:

zigbee2mqtt/<friendly_name_or_ieee>/set

Non-working examples we observed

{"state":"ON","on_time":1}

{"state":"ON","on_time":5,"off_wait_time":1}

{"state":"ON","on_time":30}

{"state":"ON"}

{"state":"TOGGLE"}

Observe that the device may remain on:

• state = "OFF"
• irrigation_schedule_status.schedule_status = "end"

Working sequence we observed

First send:

{
"manual_default_settings": {
"irrigation_duration": 1,
"irrigation_mode": "duration",
"irrigation_amount_unit": "liter",
"irrigation_amount": 0,
"fail_safe": 2
}
}

then immediately:

{"state":"ON"}

On our device, that produced a real start with:

• schedule_status = "start"
• state = "ON"

Zigbee2MQTT version

2.10.1

Adapter firmware version

{"meta":{"maintrel":1,"majorrel":2,"minorrel":7,"product":1,"revision":20210708,"transportrev":2},"type":"ZStack3x0"}

Adapter

zstack

Setup

Local Docker Compose setup.

Relevant local evidence:

• compose image: ghcr.io/koenkk/zigbee2mqtt:latest
• frontend port mapping: 8099:8080
• Zigbee2MQTT data directory: /app/data
• MQTT broker used by Zigbee2MQTT: mqtt://mosquitto:1883
• startup log showed: "Starting Zigbee2MQTT version 2.10.1"

Device database.db entry

{"id":4,"type":"EndDevice","ieeeAddr":"0xa4c138145043ffff","nwkAddr":9176,"manufId":4742,"manufName":"SONOFF","powerSource":"Battery","modelId":"SWV-ZFE","epList":[1],"endpoints":{"1":{"profId":260,"epId":1,"devId":2,"inClusterList":[0,1,3,6,32,64599,64529],"outClusterList":[3,25],"clusters":{"genBasic":{"attributes":{"modelId":"SWV-ZFE","manufacturerName":"SONOFF","powerSource":3,"zclVersion":8,"appVersion":16,"hwVersion":0,"dateCode":"20260317","swBuildId":"1.0.7"}},"genOnOff":{"attributes":{"onOff":0}},"genPowerCfg":{"attributes":{"batteryPercentageRemaining":200,"batteryVoltage":0}},"customClusterEwelink":{"attributes":{"20495":0,"20504":[0,0,0,0],"20506":0,"childLock":0,"realTimeIrrigationDuration":10,"realTimeIrrigationVolume":85,"hourIrrigationDuration":0,"hourIrrigationVolume":0,"manualDefaultSettings":[1,0,1,0,1,0,10,1,0,1,0,2],"rainDelayEndDatetime":0,"valveAlarmSettings":[7,5,1,5],"seasonalWateringAdjustment":[10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10,10],"irrigationScheduleStatus":[1,0,1,1,0,3,203,206,0,3,204,70,0,3,203,132,0,1,0,0,0],"valveAbnormalState":0}},"genPollCtrl":{"attributes":{"checkinInterval":14400}}},"binds":[{"cluster":6,"type":"endpoint","deviceIeeeAddress":"0x00124b0039df8b5d","endpointID":1},{"cluster":1,"type":"endpoint","deviceIeeeAddress":"0x00124b0039df8b5d","endpointID":1},{"cluster":32,"type":"endpoint","deviceIeeeAddress":"0x00124b0039df8b5d","endpointID":1}],"configuredReportings":[{"cluster":1,"attrId":33,"minRepIntval":3600,"maxRepIntval":65000,"repChange":10}],"meta":{}}},"appVersion":16,"hwVersion":0,"dateCode":"20260317","swBuildId":"1.0.7","zclVersion":8,"interviewCompleted":true,"interviewState":"SUCCESSFUL","meta":{"configured":"0.0.0"},"lastSeen":1783106029569,"checkinInterval":3600}

Debug log

Relevant local startup log excerpt:

[2026-06-30 17:05:54] info: z2m: Starting Zigbee2MQTT version 2.10.1 (commit #94751abaacb66989e688f21d8ac3773cf5d754a9)
[2026-06-30 17:05:54] info: z2m: Starting zigbee-herdsman (10.0.7)
[2026-06-30 17:05:54] info: zh:adapter:discovery: Matched adapter=zstack path=/dev/ttyUSB0, score=4
[2026-06-30 17:05:56] info: z2m: Coordinator firmware version: '{"meta":{"maintrel":1,"majorrel":2,"minorrel":7,"product":1,"revision":20210708,"transportrev":2},"type":"ZStack3x0"}'
[2026-06-30 17:05:56] info: z2m: 0xa4c138145043ffff (0xa4c138145043ffff): SWV-ZFE - SONOFF Zigbee smart water valve (EndDevice)

Relevant live-error excerpts during our control tests:

[2026-07-03 20:54:56] error: z2m: No converter available for 'valve_abnormal_state' on '0xa4c138145043ffff': ("")
[2026-07-03 20:54:59] error: z2m: No converter available for 'valve_abnormal_state' on '0xa4c138145043ffff': ("")
[2026-07-03 20:55:27] error: z2m: No converter available for 'valve_abnormal_state' on '0xa4c138145043ffff': ("")
[2026-07-03 20:55:32] error: z2m: No converter available for 'valve_abnormal_state' on '0xa4c138145043ffff': ("")

Relevant observed examples from our local testing include:

• failed on_time attempts from OFF/end
• successful manual_default_settings + plain state=ON
• observed runtime telemetry containing stale/corrupted-looking values

Notes

This issue is specifically about SWV-ZFE, not SWV.

That distinction matters because:

• SWV and SWV-ZFE have different documented capabilities
• related reports for SWV should not automatically be assumed to apply to SWV-ZFE

Relevant docs:
https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/devices/SWV-ZFE.html

Possibly related issue for a different device (SWV, not SWV-ZFE):
https://github.com/Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt/issues/27465

The main request is better and correct SWV-ZFE documentation for real-world manual valve control.

Start with the SWV-ZFE device documentation at the linked page and compare its control payloads and irrigation modes with the reported real-hardware observations. Reproduce the documented and working MQTT sequences on SWV-ZFE hardware, then update the device-specific documentation to state supported payloads, modes, firmware limitations, and telemetry caveats clearly.