I have deCONZ on a long Lead
and it has note MISS a beat yet after the latest update. so thanks all
before this verson my door sensor would just drop unpair 
Any of the protocols run alertme (Iris 1v)?
Any of the protocols run Ikea 5 button remote?
Any of the protocols support group messaging?
I’m currently using a Hubitat which doesn’t support the Ikea button. I tried ZHA but I got popcorning lights, no alertme supported and I asked how to get the Ikea remote working in the ZHA support thread but no one replied. On top my contact sensors didn’t report temperature on ZHA. I gave up on ZHA.
I’m interested in the others but I want to ask before moving since it is such a pain to swap things around to see if everything works.
I do not know about alertme or Iris
But I run Deconz and it supports the 5 button remote without problem. And you can put lights and switches in groups in the Phoscon app. I do not think ZHA supports Zigbee groups yet.
1 Like
I use deconz for most things as that is what I started with and have never had any issues. But also the Xiaomi hub for some items that wouldn’t pair properly in deconz app like smoke alarms. The xioami gateway also provide more variables on some devices. Once first set up you can remove any cloud connection but needs to be in your router. I just block its IP from all internet access.
1 Like
I have used the Conbee stick and Deconz for several years, only to change this fall 2019 to contrib-zigbee (which includes zigbee-herdsman which again is also the core of Zigbee2mqtt) running in Node-RED and the new fast CC2652R1 (zigbee 3.0, 200+ devices) board from TI which only z2m/zigbee-herdsman supports.
I got fed up with how selective and late new devices were added to the Deconz REST API, plus it’s not that easy to contribute to for me in C++ (and Deconz core is closed source). Also devices are either lights (routers) or sensors (Endpoints) in the REST API which is a bit oldschool and limiting. But it was stable software.
With zigbee-herdsman/contrib-zigbee/Zigbee2mqtt I can hack around with the javascript source and add or change support as I want to, and contribute.
2 Likes
Smoke Alarms from xiaomi work perfectly fine with deCONZ, however it is not available in the phoscon app itself. It will show up in HA however.
I’m feeling the more I read the less I understand…
I read that ZHA (ZigBee Home Assistant) intégration works with Conbee II.
I’m using the Conbee II without ZHA on Home Assistant 103.5, do I need to install ZHA ? What advantage gives ZHA ? Is it replacing the Deconz software ?
It is an alternative to the deCONZ software yes.
Is it better to use ZHA or Phoscon do the same ?
I don’t follow ZHA development closely, using deCONZ myself. So I can’t give an answer to that.
Currently I prefer deCONZ because the ZHA integrations doesn’t (yet) support creating ZigBee groups.
I’m using the Deconz addon for 6 month now. The addon now works very well but I (we) had few problems in the past with updates and lost zigbee devices (see github or HA forum). The entire setup process is okay and usable for non stupid people. But I have concerns, what happens after 1-2 years if few zigbee devices will die or if the wife wants to change a bulb because I’m on vacation or something else. Then the entire setup process is very complex (go to hassio addons -> deconz -> type password in -> go to bulbs -> delete old one -> add new -> … -> rename device in deconz -> rename device in HA). So I think ZHA is lot easier for that but I test it yet.
1 Like
I certainly will not explain to my wife how to delete or add ZigBee devices, otherwise she’d probably tell me to remove this whole “automation stuff” 
. I just tell her to replace it with a normal light bulb and use the standard switch instead of the ZigBee remote until I’m back. In my opinion basic functionality needs to work even if HA, the router or whatever goes down. Just my two cents…
14 Likes
Today I tried out ZHA (been using deCONZ) to see if I could get my ecosmart remotes to pair (I haven’t been able to pair them with Home Assistant using a Conbee II and deCONZ). It worked! BUT, I couldn’t get my Xiaomi PIR sensor to pair with ZHA. Do you think one of these systems will eventually win out over the other?
No, zigbee2mqtt will win, im leaning towards it, it supports nearly everything
2 Likes
Thanks for the detailed comparison. It helped a lot for new beginners like me. I’m planning to go with Deconz with xiaomi zigbee sensors/buttons.
What brands/models kind of lights/switches/remotes/sensors are you using?
Thanks!
Henry
The way Zigbee works - almost any bulb or smartplug works in Deconz. The reason is that lights are implemented in a pretty standard way. I have bulbs from Philips Hue and Ikea. I have smartplugs from Osram, Philips Hue, and IKEA, and I have dimmer from a China company. They all just work.
It is remotes and sensors that you need to be careful about. If you only choose remotes and sensors that are on the Deconz supported list, you will be good. I personally use Philips 4-button remotes, The Philips tap, IKEA 5 button and IKEA 2 button. They all work great.
For window and vibration sensors I use Xiaomi Aqara. They all work great. I also have some Xiaomi buttons.
One of my favorite automations is a button in the kitchen. When my wife press it, my Amazon Echo announce the question “Would you like a little beer?”.
And then I shout “Yes”. And the sweet little wife brings the beer because she thinks it is funny to press the button. I could not have dreamt up any other training plan that would give a similar result. To my own defense I also have a button that says “Would you like a little glas of wine?” which I use to please the sweet wife 
25 Likes
nice and sweet
thanks
Conbee is OOS at Amazon
What do you like about zigbee2mqtt?