I have looked at the visualization graph for the mesh network (both built in and zigzag) and found that my devises has almost only red and yellow connections… also end devices connect to “wrong” routers (on the opposite side of the house even though there is a router 2-3 meters from them). Also, most “lines/connections” have a LQI value of between 30 and 100, I’ve read it should be around 200-255?..
I have also read that devices recalculate their path every 4-5 hours, but it’s been like this for several months now…
What can I do to “help” the devices to connect to the correct routers and hopefully get a better connection?
Are devices unavailable / unresponsive or why do the need help?
I have a couple of devices that are very slow to react… like I press a button, and then it takes anything between 1 and 10 seconds for stuff (turn on a light or bring down a curtain) to happen…
I’m hoping a more “stable” network will improve this…
You improve network stability by increasing density. Almost every Zigbee device on mains acts as a router, like smart sockets or smart bulbs. On the other hand, there are some battery powered devices (mostly Aqara) that are known to be very picky on their connection partners.
Also, you use a Conbee II USB device: Is it close to a USB3 port or device (like an external SSD)? It is generally recommended to use an extension cord, as USB3 tends to interfere with 2.4GHz networks.
I do use a conbee 2 stick in a rpi4 and I think that has USB3… maybe I should try to move the stick to the USB 2 dock I also have connected…
A few other things, on top of moving to USB 2 and an extension cord:
- Hopefully you paired everything in the final location - many end devices won’t change parent if you pair near the coordinator and then move them
- Xiaomi devices are known to pair to the first potential parent they hear from - you can use the Pair via option to force it to pair through a particular device
- LQI is just a number. Every device reports it differently. I have LQIs from 30 to 200 and everything works fine. Don’t worry about the number, worry about whether it’s working or not.
- Consider doing an energy scan to ensure you’re on a clear channel, and make sure you’re clear of WiFi
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After some trixing with my wifi channels I actually got a bit better values in the visualization graph! Got a couple more green lines, YAY! Thanks for the tips!