Brand new GZ Yeti 4000 Pro, multiple problems right from the start?
Ok wow, where to begin? Well, I just got and unboxed my new GZ Yeti 4000 Pro today and plugged it in, linked it to the app on my phone, all per provided instructions and almost NOTHING is working! The unit powers on and does connect both directly and "cloud connects". My first order of business was a check for any available firmware updates. The app reports an installed firmware version 1.5.8, version 1.7.7 available to download. MULTIPLE attempts to re-download and install the firmware have failed, all with the same failure code 244. I have tried the tip for forcing a firmware update (depressing the pair butting for 10 seconds, 2 beeps) as well as attempting a re-download from the Android app, both to no avail. After power cycling the device by unplugging ALL inputs and outputs and waiting 5 minutes, the app will not auto-reconnect to the Yeti, I have to go through the who BT pairing and wifi cloud connect procedure again. Firmware update attempt STILL fails. At this point I'm thinking that if the device at least provides power and charges, then it's not a huge deal. Problem is, USB power ports seem to only deliver power intermittently, even when the indicator in the display and the app reports that USB power is on. I have NO AC 120V output on the front outlets and the AC LED is either orange with the app indicating an AC error or the AC LED is green and the display and app report AC power is on, yet no AC output at all. I have also seen a COM 02 error pop up after a power cycle and goes away after another power cycle that I can find no guidance for online. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Anyone got any ideas short of repacking this thing and sending it back to GZ, sending back a 70 lb power station is a COLOSSAL inconvenience for me as live an hour away from a Fedex terminal?
Gotta say this, I've had GZ products before and they worked flawlessly, that's one of the major reasons I chose the Yeti 4000 Pro over Renogy or Jackery, but this is leaving a very bad taste in my mouth about GZ, especially after reading the kinds of problems others are posting about the 4000. After paying thousands of dollars for a product, I expect it to actually work!
Answers
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Don't have an answer for you, but I've had my share of separate problems. I will note that it's worth calling Goal Zero. They ended up replacing mine (didn't solve all my problems) but they did take care of returning it (sent a driver to pick it up from me, I didn't have to take it anywhere).
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This is the exact problem I am experiencing with mine as well. Reports 1.5.8 installed with 1.7.7 available. Many attempts to install following all the recommended troubleshooting tips to no avail. Previously ac ports were working but now do not.
Haven't contacted gz support yet but have little faith in being told anything other than pinned troubleshooting/pairing tips.
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Thanks PDX_Jay you for your thoughts and interest. I have sent a message to GZ support describing in detail my experiences. I am currently awaiting their response. I hope they are able to resolve my issue, otherwise I've got a really expensive 70 pound doorstop. I'll let you know.
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Thanks for responding Dunkin. Based on other reports I've been reading regarding problems with the 4000, I'm sorry to say it seems we are not the only ones stuck in this boat. Seems to me that the firmware on these things is seriously jacked up. Given the number of people that seem to be having problems with this model, I'm frankly shocked that GZ allowed this to happen. Makes me wonder if they have any quality control at all. I sent a message to GZ detailing my problems a few hour ago. I'm currently awaiting their response. I'll post back here if and when I hear from them.
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We're all stuck in the same boat. I'll give em a call when I'm able and report back. Hopefully one of us ends up with a workable solution.
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Haven't heard back from GZ yet, been only 24 hours since I emailed, so I'm inclined to give them another day or so before I start making phone calls but I've encountered some new odd behavior. I did a factory reset and then I tried again to update the firmware again. After the factory reset, the firmware update failed again, same error, except this time the display blacked out for a moment and then came back on and suddenly the display which had been reporting a SoC of 88% was reporting 0%! Then I attempted again to update the firmware, this time the display and app reported a successful firmware update, but when I look at the installed firmware version that's reported on the Android app, it reports version 1.5.0 is installed, not the most recent 1.7.7. and the option to update is still there. That's not a typo by the way, it says version 1.5.0. is now installed, not the 1.5.8 that it came loaded with and so far as I can tell, there never was a firmware version to begin with 1.5.0! I have USB power now, but still no 120V AC output, the LED above the 120V AC outlets comes on and the outlet icon on the display comes on, but no power so I still do not have a fully functional device. Whatever is going on, this is beginning to feel to me more like a straight up firmware problem and not a hardware malfunction, like the installed firmware is so hopelessly corrupted that it won't even update properly.
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For sure give them a call - they were very slow to respond to email, and I ended up calling them every time I needed an answer when I was working through my issues.
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Good to know, I'll do that first thing tomorrow. I really hope that GZ's customer service is up to snuff. I've had bad experiences with other companies' customer service before. Seems like all they're interested in anymore is quantity over quality.
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I have multiple Yet Pro 4000 units. I just got a new one the other day and experienced the 244 error when attempting the firmware update. I unplugged everything and did a soft reset. (Unplug everything and power down for 30 seconds) On powering the unit back up, the software update succeeded. The one thing I’ve found is that the units are sensitive to weak WiFi.
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Ok, just got off the phone with GZ tech support. The Tech support representative was very pleasant and seemed eager to help. They are telling me that the 4000's battery voltage may be too low, in which case it will basically shut down and not properly update, charge or discharge. They recommend I attempt to charge the Yeti 4000 Pro from AC and DC simultaneously and attempt to bring the batt voltage up above the shutdown threshold that way. I do not currently have a way to charge both from DC and AC at the same time, so GZ is sending me out a DC power supply. It'll take a few days to receive the DC power supply. I'll let you all know how it goes.
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My 4000 will not pair with my WIFI. It paired with my phone just as expected, but will not pair will WIFI. Does that mean I will never be able to do updates??
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My 4000 will not pair with my WIFI. It paired with my phone just as expected, but will not pair will WIFI. Does that mean I will never be able to do updates??
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my experience is that the Pro 4000 needs good strong wifi. Does not do well as soon as the signal level drops at all. Even though my phone/laptop are still fine, the Pro 4000 struggles to cloud connect. But as soon as I get the wifi point closer (use a repeater, or bring the Pro 4000 inside the house) it seems to do fine.
Maybe check that issue first, see if that's what you're running into? -
Hi JBIA, My experience with the pairing and wifi goes something like this, pairing over bluetooth and direct connect works just fine and when I enter the password for my home wifi, the 4000 reports a successful connection to my wifi, but first attempt to cloud connect seems to always fail, but when i hit retry on the android app it seems to cloud connect the 2nd time without issue. I did contact GZ tech support about the issues I'm having and asked them if it might be possible to update the firmware form say a thumb drive plugged in to one of the USB ports, but alas they say no, this is not possible as the USB ports are power delivery only, so it seems that the only firmware update option (so far as I know) is via wifi. I would suggest you call GZ tech support directly at 1-888-794-6250. Also, I could be mistaken, but I think in my search for a solution to my problems I remember seeing something about making sure your wifi is operating on the 2.4GHz band, not the 5GHz.
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Today 01/18/2025 I started my GZ. I was VERY happy when I plugged in and everything was working seamless. I had the notification for firmware update, so I did it. After multiple attempts, with a lot of error, I upgraded from 1.5.8 to 1.5.0 (was supposed to be 1.7.7.). The battery now doesn't change, the AC port is in Error, I am VERY sad. I looked on the internet and I've seen your comments here. Lesson learned, I will do a check before any firmware updates for now, but what am I going to do? I need to call GZ Technical Support Monday, but if anyone has a different advice, I am here to listen. Thank you!
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Same situation with my unit. Attempting to update from 1.5.0 to 1.7.7 started a firmware cycle that stalls at 8 of 11 and gives me the 244 error. Outputs don't work any more, but the display is still on. Now we have a big brick. I've contacted GZ, not very pleased at the moment.
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The Yeti Pro 4000 is the WORST product I’ve ever purchased. I’m on my third unit, and it still doesn’t work properly. Issues include:
•Frequent AC short errors.
•Inability to charge from AC and DC simultaneously.
•Firmware update problems (rolled back to 1.5.8 instead of updating to 1.7.7, then errored out repeatedly).
•Bluetooth connectivity issues.
•Unreliable Wi-Fi that requires frequent resets.
After leaving the unit fully charged at 100%, I returned two weeks later to find it bricked. Goal Zero’s customer service was unavailable because it was the weekend, despite their claim of “Best in Class” support. Their go-to response is, “The next firmware release will fix your problems,” but it never does.
I’ve spent thousands on this unit and its accessories, and it’s completely unreliable. One unit even started smoking, yet Goal Zero told me to continue using it! Meanwhile, I’ve burned thousands on gas to run my generator because the unit disables DC input when charging via solar. My 16 solar panels are now just expensive paperweights.
Returning these units is a massive hassle. Living in a remote cabin, I must drive two hours to a FedEx facility and risk injury loading the unit into my truck. Despite weeks of “trying to figure things out,” Goal Zero has resolved none of my problems.
Once, when I urgently needed a replacement unit, I even offered to drive nine hours to their office to exchange the faulty one, saving them shipping costs. I asked if they’d cover my gas—they flatly refused.
Goal Zero’s Yeti Pro 4000 was clearly released prematurely, riddled with bugs, and completely unfit for its intended purpose. I’ve asked to speak with their General Counsel, Hadley, to negotiate a resolution, but I’ve been ignored. This level of neglect is infuriating and unacceptable. My next step will be legal action.
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. It’s cost me thousands in gas, time, and frustration. At this point, even a refund wouldn’t suffice. It seems, in the absence of any real support, and being continually ignored by their General Manager and General Counsel, my next step will have to be to involve my state’s attorney general as well as to take legal action.
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It seems this is the reason why the new Yeti line with LFP batteries are not available in Germany (and the whole EU). Here you must give at minimum two years of warranty.
My ancient Yeti, a seven years old 400 with lead acid, is still running fine. I have it upgraded with a LFP and it runs fine with the LFP since two years.
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I am on my second 4000. I could never get the first one to charge, and worked for days with Yeti customer support. I successfully updated the firmware to 1.7.7 on that unit, but it was never able to charge the unit. I used both the supplied power cord and a charger that I got with my prior Yeti 3000 that generated DC power, and neither one was able to charge the unit. I tried multiple resets, all to no avail. Finally customer support ok’d a return and sent a replacement, which arrived today.
Now I have the same problem described in this thread: I cannot successfully update the firmware to 1.7.7. It gets to 66% complete then stalls, and no further progress. The update times out with a 244 error. The installed firmware changed to 1.5.0 from 1.5.8. I have retried the install and I have done multiple resets.
Note, I used to be a QA engineer in a large internet hardware company, so I am used to doing firmware upgrades, testing products and tracing problems. I have also seen products get released before they are ready, and what that does inside a development organization. One can only hope that GZ learns a lesson here. The bean counters and marketing yahoos are clearly in charge of this company. Clearly they are aware of the problem, but there is no-one willing to admit the problem to a customer, and they continue to ship units that do not work. I do know that they are shipping units that have been in storage for some time, they have very old revisions of firmware on them. Any time a product gets shipped with non-working firmware, it is not a good sign about the development organization or company ethics. They should be upgrading firmware before shipping to a known good release.
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Sorry, been busy with my day job to keep everyone here updated. Long story short, my 4000 is still not fixed. GZ customer support has handed the problem off to their engineers and I am waiting for them to attempt to connect with my 4000 remotely and see what they can do from there. That was a week ago and I have not seen or heard from their engineers or seen any changes to my 4000. It's Sunday, so I'll call their customer support again on Monday or Tuesday.
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I am very disappointed in Goal Zero, customer service only available M-F 8-5, wait on phone for 10 minutes. I have been without my new April 2024 Yeti Pro 4000 for the past month due to problems with firmware update. Tech support had me try all their work arounds to no avail and finally today customer service is processing sending me a replacement Yeti Pro 4000. I am really concerned whether I am going to have the same issues with firmware updates, for I doubt they will update the firmware before sending out the new unit. I spent over $10k for this 12kHW homeback up system with solar panels and I am afraid I totally wasted the money. There is no excuse to push out a product that has all these issues, really wished I had not bought the old Yeti 6000. I will not recommend Goal Zero to anyone.
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My 4000 firmware update has not been successful, with well over a dozen failed attempts. Each time, the firmware quickly downloads until it is 66% complete then hangs 5 minutes and times out. I have tried every type of reset. The firmware version initially was 1.5.7, then after the failed install it dropped to 1.5.0.
I am not even getting replies from email sent to GZ support. This is the second 4000 Pro I have had, the first one was replaced after it would not charge and battery voltage dropped. I have been very patient, and I would continue to be patient if Goal Zero would be honest and tell me that they are aware of the problem and a fix is in progress. Instead, every time they contact me, they repeat all the same info about doing resets, re-trying the firmware update using the pair button, etc.
Goal Zero should update the firmware on every unit it has in stock, prior to shipping. No customer should have to go through what I am going through, in order to get a working unit, and with no acknowledgement from Goal Zero that they are aware of the problem.
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Pro 4000 paired with my phone via Bluetooth but will not pair via Wi-Fi. Am I stuck with 1.5 firmware? I find no instructions on how to connect with wi-fi?
I finally have the pro 4000 connected to the cloud via Wi-Fi. Started downloading new firmware, got to 58% and it failed with an error code of 244. Now looking to see if I can find out what that means. This is grueling for an old coot like me.
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For that error, try unplugging everything, powering off, waiting 30 seconds, then powering on again. The update should proceed and get you past the error.
In terms of the wifi, once detected by the app, select "cloud" as the pairing type. That will allow you to type in the wifi password, which is handed to the Yeti for it to get on wifi. The Yeti will then connect to the cloud over wifi, and you'll be able to access it via the app from pretty much anywhere. -
Hey there Jaime, does anyone in here or reading this have a positive experience with updating their 4000 Pro? As a consumer hoping to purchase one in 1-2 months, hopefully this is a vocal minority! Or just operating! Want a 4000 pro and a single tank
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My update process was relatively straight forward. I did make the mistake of trying the update with the starlink powered by the goal zero (which meant that when it restarted during the update process, it cut power to the starlink which then errored out the process). But I just restarted the update process, with the starlink powered off my vehicle directly, and it was fine. As mentioned, it's critical to have a good strong wifi connection, and stable internet. But I've updated the firmware on mine multiple times in the last year, and on my first unit as well (which I returned last summer, and had it replaced).
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Uh-oh why did you return it? 😭
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long story, multiple issues. After trouble shooting, they offered to exchange it, sent me the new one, and a driver to pick up the old one. Solved some of the issues, but not all of them :)
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Same Problem. This is how I solved it:
- Factory reset through device, not the app.
- Did all set up steps until the device was connected to Wifi.
- Made sure I was within a few feet of my router.
- Did a ——- FORCED UPDATE ———- by holding the 'connect' button for about 10 seconds. The device quickly went through the update and I got no errors.
So far, so good. Firmware is now 1.7.7
I will update my comment in a month, unless there are significant changes before then
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The 4000Pro has a very small wifi range, it MUST be close to the router with no obstructions. you can use the app but like Sinbad suggests using the pair button on the back held down for 10 seconds until the 2nd beep (force update.) you should get a perfect update every time. the key is, no wifi interruptions or you will get error codes, if you do just wait it out and restart the 4000 using the app, then force another update. We have been having issues with updating these units until this solution, and has been flawless every time on all our units out the door so far.
if using with a tank, update the unit without the tank first, then update it again with the tank connected. it goes smoother that way.
Remember: directly beside the router with 100% wifi connection. and force update using pair button.
