I am new to zigbee, and want the the best futureproof and cross-brand solution. Since I also run my Home-Assistant on a virtual server a network-based gateway are prefferd.
For what I see a RaspBee add-on module for a Pi might be the best solution:
https://www.dresden-elektronik.de/funktechnik/products/boards/development-boards/raspbee/description/?L=1
And run the software “deCONZ” on this.
Am I right, or is there a better way? I have a unused pi I can use for this.
Hi there!
Yes, it is either deCONZ or zigbee2mqtt.
If you go with deCONZ and want to be really future proof you should get the Conbee stick.
Thanks.
I assume the Conbee stick can be used with both deCONZ and zigbee2mqtt?
Then I will connect the stick to a Pi.
If you have plan to also add zwave to your installation, you could considered GoControl HUSBZB-1 dongle. Otherwise I also zigbee2mqtt on a dongle CC2531 and it works very well except the range.
I started with zigbee2mqtt and found the range limited and was not very responsive. So I got the deCondz usb stick and never looked back well worth the money.
No there is no support in zigbee2mqtt for Conbee
It’s not the add on that restricted your range. It will be the device you used.
I started with Zigate. It was running fine most of the times, however it was lacking support. All of the sudden I decided to buy Deconz dongle. It was pricey but at the end of the day totally worth it. I was surprised how easy it is to add new devices and integrate them into Home Assistant. And compared to Zigate it is very fast and stable. Totally worth it!
What was the range you were getting with the cc2531?
The cc2531 Zigbee works on a mesh system and i only have a small house and the last bulb in my house is about 5 metres away, It worked 30% of the time.
How far away was your closest bulb?
For everything after that the signal should have been boosted by your other devices.
I did find the cc2531 lacking big time with signal strength. I’ve now moved to a cc2530+rfx2402 dongle that uses an external antenna. This works flawlessly for my home.
Which dongle did you get, please? Any brand or model?
Thanks. Appreciate it.
I’m using a HUSBZB-1 with good luck so far. ZigBee is still not well standardized so I don’t know what might be considered future proof.
https://www.amazon.com/GoControl-CECOMINOD016164-HUSBZB-1-USB-Hub/dp/B01GJ826F8
EDIT: Since I wrote this I have moved to a conbee on native ZHA and an aeotec to separate my zigbee and z-wave devices and it has performed exceptionally.
How do you setup the GoControl with Home Assistant? I don’t see a component for it
