I have the same policy regarding WiFi/Ethernet.
After our discussion the OP has some extra arguments to make his decision. He asked for Pros and Cons.
Yes, i still believe that i.e. Aqara-Hub are “specific” designed for Aqara devices, and as you mention, divide the Channels, my concerns are maybe less, due to the mentioned approach with Ethernet(for all capable device) and (beside i haven’t tried if i even can change Channels on Ikea) , make sure that he can Change Channel for the HUE hub, but as i haven’t used either Conbee, zigbee2mqtt or Mosquitto(yet) , i might when i come to my Heating / Ventilation system, and nor ZHA , i can’t say anything, but what i mentioned ( and i do know that spite there are a-lot Topics, in regards to issues with various “setups”) it’s more or less depended on the specific environment hardware and premises , experience , etc ,A-lot of factors, and i know Many uses these mentioned USB-Device and the Various Integration with no problems
Yes, or does it ?, isn’t it just another “failure” point, if not planned carefully ?, i mean it’s not just “absolutely” choose best setup/route, many have/had problems due to mesh, whether wifi or zigbee, cause devices to “drop out” etc. , but again this is entirely also depending on the premises, setup etc. i know work perfectly for probably most people, and eventually i might need this also … i still have a fairly small “system/systems” thou covering 3 floorplans 100 sqm each, and my Upcomming heating/ventilation system probably going to be partly separate, through MQTT integration ( main function/devices in basement ) … so that’ll be a 3rd Zigbee system
I ordered the one from Electrolama. Thanks all.
I assume the usb extensions I read about are just to get the aerial to be in a place that would lead to better reception?
Yes, ans less possible interference from HA-device and/or other 2.4 Ghz sources
No, if you run HA on a Pi it’s very recommended to use an extension cord to rule out interference coming from the USB 3.0 ports.
Just get a 3-foot / 1 Meter extension as it will save you from troubles.
I am just reading this now, and like many others, like to reduce the need for extra hubs.
Just in response to @anon94216691 about the Conbee II though. This really is not outdated. It regularly gets firmware updates via the Home Assistant add-on as well as stand alone. Additionally, device support is not by the stick, which is Zigbee 3.0, it is by the application or hub. Conbee II works absolutely beautifully with Home Assistant ZHA and with Deconz and all Aqara Zigbee and Hue Zigbee products I have tested work flawlessly with it. I still use the Conbee II with ZHA in Home Assistant, as I wanted to migrate away from the DeConz add-on just for my own reasons, not for functionality.
I know, an old post, but in case anyone comes across it, the Conbee II is absolutely fine to use. Unless you are using Zigbee2MQTT, it will work perfectly well with your Home Assistant instance.
My setup is an odroid (Home Assistant Blue flavour) Conbee II, Zwave.Me and a CSR generic Bluetooth 4.0 adaptor. About 30 Hue light products (I started with Hue stand alone back when I was young and stupid) and 20 different Aqara motion and environmental sensors, along with a small number of wifi devices (mainly ESPHome devices). Bluetooth is used for Blinds and locks. Z-wave controls a couple of outlets and climate control. Probably will migrate all the z-wave to Zigbee one day as I have very few Z-wave products
Hi Brendan,
I think you did not get my point.
Sure it still gets updates and all (as they don’t sell a more recent model) but that’s exactly the point:
The technology and chipset of the Conbee II is weak and outdated compared to CC2652P chipset based coordinators!
@anon94216691 I will speak from my experience here.
Conbee II - Range is good. Zigbee is a mesh network anyway so each device improves the range and also stability. Speed is fine, no latency with over 80 Zigbee devices., including real time power monitoring and temp/humidty sensors sending at short intervals. The radio is supporting the same standards the brand new chipset supports. The IEEE 802.15.4 is a standard, and the Conbee II does follow the standard.
You may not like Conbee II, but it is not a weak device in my expereince. Sure, it wont ever support Thread, was never designed to, but it will run any Zigbee device my hub (Home Assistant ZHA) will support. If you run Zigbee2MQTT that’s fine. USe the TI chipset device and load your firmware up on it. I know it’s not hard, but it’s just not for everyone 
Basically, I get you don’t like the Conbee II, but calling it weak is just incorrect in my experience. It pairs with every device I throw at it, whether it be Tuya, Aqara, Hue, Sonoff and even many of the little sub brands sold out of China. As long as the hub supports the device and has a handler for it, it works from my experience. As I mentioned, I have no latency and have never had a single device drop out or fail to work, unless it is a battery device and the battery dies. That is obviously my issue then. not the stick.
I will change over when I get my Home Assistant Yellow, as that has the Si Labs chip on board, but that change will be just to move to the yellow, which I only really bought to support the HA guys, I have 0 issues with the current setup running on the Blue.
YMMV, but the above is my feelings based on my experience with my own setup, and also 3 other smaller Zigbee setups using Conbee II’s.
Just don’t want people thinking they should only buy TI chipsets for Zigbee on Home Assistant when that is not true
There is also this:
So the takeaway for future users coming to this thread: gather information before you make your decision… there will always be different opinions.
I went with CC2652P chipset simply because it is less expensive, and has fewer negative opinions.
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That video is specific to Zigbee2MQTT and I believe those bugs are fixed now.
Zigbee2MQTT has historically only supported certain co-ordinators. Conbee’s on ZHA and DeCONZ is bullet proof. All the notes I put above are actual real world personal experience in ZHA for my system, and DeConz on a couple of smaller networks.
I guess all of it is not relevant to the OP who was looking for information, given very early on, about Aqara with a Hue Birdge (it doesn’t work). The thread kind of moved sideways.
As a note, I totally agree with NOT using Conbee or Conbee II with Zigbee2MQTT specifically. It won’t be a nice experience with Zigbee2MQTT