That pairing button is necessary, the bridge pairing button isn’t
They seem to be setting it in pairing mode. Who knows, anyway, it will not pair if they’re trying to pair with the eWeLink app.
So, you’re guessing that the eWeLink app is the problem?
Correct. Once you flash Tasmota on the bridge, the eWeLink app is useless.
Thanks for the awesome explanation @mrneutron. Like @tteck says I’m using the eWeLink App which is probably the issue here. So then the question is - do I need to flash in Tasmota in order to get the “Add devices from device” option for my Bridge? Because I can’t seem to find that on my Bridge device screen in HA (sorry if that’s a stupid question…).
If you use the ewelink app, you are probably using a sonoff integration, and are mostly limited to Sonoff devices. If you flash it with Tasmota, you can use ZHA or Zigbee2Tasmota, and use a wider range of devices.
Thanks @francisp. So I’ll have to flash the bridge, then get them to pair. I’ll do that and report back - just need to get some extra gear first after reading the flashing guide 
I recommend following this guide if you elect to flash Tasmota yourself.
You could also purchase one already flashed with Tasmota to make things easier if you’re uncomfortable soldering. They sell out quickly, but they restock often.
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I recommend following this guide if you elect to flash Tasmota yourself.
That is the exact guide I followed to get my Sonoff Zigbee Bridge Tasmotized and integrated into Home Assistant.
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Hi Eric,
I have bought a couple of Sonoff PIR’s (SNZB03) and they all have failed in all sorts of ways.
(paired via Zigate/ZHA)
The sensors loose connection or stay on, even with the batteries out, or fail to trigger.
So no more Sonoff for me. They don’t work in my setup.
Hey @mrneutron how have you set your zigbee coordinator with Homeassistant? I see you are using Homeassistant to add and remove zigbee devices from your system. Is there a guide that I can follow?
I have a CC2531 and I am running zigbee2mqtt on docker.
There’s an integration, ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation): https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha/
It allows you to use your Zigbee dongle act as a hub and your devices will show up straight into HA.
Just add ZHA from the integrations page.
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I followed this guide.
The Home Assistant setup part starts at the heading:
We are done with Tasmota! Let’s jump into Home Assistant.
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@bachoo786, Last week, I removed the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge and joined you in using a CC2531 USB stick as the Zigbee coordinator.
Based on all the available information, the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge appears to be a lost cause.
Zigbee devices repeatedly come unpaired because data packets get lost or missed in the wifi-to-zigbee link, inside the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge. It sounds like a fundamental architecture flaw, which likely means it’s not fixable without a new version of the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge hardware being created.
Thus far, with the CC2531 USB stick as the Zigbee coordinator, there have been zero instances of Zigbee devices coming unpaired. 
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@mrneutron Great thread - thanks for the advice! I’m going to follow you and use the CC2531. Quick question - do you mean that the SNZB-02s are working fine and remind us are you using any of the Tradfri family or Sonoff Basic or Sonoff S31 repeaters or something else as repeaters?
Yes, the SNZB-02s I have are all working great.
Since removing the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge from the system, there have been zero problems with any Zigbee devices becoming detached or unassociated.
The SNZB-02 I modified with the extended battery, has been working flawlessly and the battery still up at 100% 2.5 months of outdoor operation.
The Sonoff S31 Lite (plug and repeater) has been working fine, but I still notice that it’s RF performance is not as strong as the IKEA TRADFRI repeaters I have in the system. It makes sense because the TI CC2530 Zigbee radio chip in the S31 Lite does not have as much RF power capability as the Silicon Labs Zigbee chip in the IKEA TRADFRI repeaters.
I recommend getting one of the CC2531 stick models with an SMA connector on it, so you can use an external antenna. It helps extend the RF range.
There are also 3D-printed cases with the SMA opening, you can get. Here’s an example:
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@mrneutron sorry confusion regarding this last point you have made about the sniffer. Is this sniffer your main Zigbee stick that you plug into your hub or is it rather your repeater of choice instead of the tradfri (or perhaps in addition to the Tradfri)? Seems like they’re very close in price - would prefer better quality either way and I think you’re indicating this sniffer is the best quality please clarify.
Also separate but related, how many repeaters do you have total / any good rule of them for repeater per square footage assuming it’s the high quality version?
Yes, the “sniffer” is the main USB stick I plug into the computer running Home Assistant. This is also called the Zigbee coordinator. I also have Zibgee repeaters in the system (made by IKEA and Sonoff)
All CC2531 USB sticks I’ve seen are 95% the same PCB design. I think they copied Texas Instrument’s reference design.
Some have an external antenna connector, and some only have an antenna etched onto the PCB.
See:
https://www.itead.cc/cc2531-usb-dongle.html
https://www.newark.com/texas-instruments/cc2531emk/zigbee-usb-dongle-evaluation-kit
I believe they all come with the basic coordinator firmware in them. The ITEAD and Sonoff models state this.
I reprogrammed mine with various versions of firmware following this guide:
They can get programmed with repeater firmware so they can act as a repeater if you want.
I have not tried the repeater firmware, yet.
Here’s the one I bought from Amazon, acting as my main Zigbee coordinator.
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