Seem like a good option. Have people got any experience with them? I am using a Sonoff USB zigbee 3 Dongle Plus. Do they work well. Would it be better to get the IKEA repeater instead?
Yes - I have several IKEA TRÅDFRI switches (UK 240V) and they work well for both control and to extend the Zigbee mesh.
They are cheap, with the only issue being the lack of a hardware button for local control. I also have a few Sonoff Zigbee sensors on the same mesh.
The TRÅDFRI battery remotes are a different matter, with only the 5-button working reliably with ZHA with updated firmware. The 1-button remotes are basically landfill for ZHA. 
If this helps, 
this post!
1 Like
The smart plugs are decent repeaters (I have 5 of them), but the repeater can handle more routes.
Thanks for this. Real shame there is no button. My reason for prefering them over the repeater is you dont loose a socket. Is there any issue with just setting them on perminently? Ime guessing the repeaters work well also.
I have one of the STYRBAR 4 button remotes (STYRBAR Remote control, smart white - IKEA). Got it paired easily and what i LOVE about it is it used 2 AAA batteries. So ime guessing the bateries will last a few years. I also love the magnetic mounting. It feels well made, its suprisingly heavy. I have rechargable ones in it currently. They are £11 and the five button is £19 so a mutch more budget frendly option. I did some moitoring on the EVENTS and it seemed to work fine. Only thing is the left anf right arrow buttons seemed to vreate exacly the same event. To be continued…
There is also a 2 button Wierless dimmer (TRÅDFRI Wireless dimmer, smart white - IKEA) for £8 whitch seems promisiong.
Thw wierless button (smart button - Search - IKEA) is actualy £13. Guess this is the landfall one. Cant see any point as the 2 button one is cheaper. If it has a doble click command ime even more interested. And a long click would be a killer ;).
I can walk to ikea is 15 mins :).
Think there is a 10A limit, rather than 13A, but I’m sitting next to a plug switch not connected to anything just used as a Zigbee repeater!
There are many threads on this forum about IKEA’s remotes - most are frustrated users saying “this must work”, or finding the kit breaks or dies a day later with a dead CR2032 and looses pairing. Thankfully, the 5-button version now seems to work with for ZHA and a good mesh with a firmware update.
The “monster 5-button thread” contains nuggets such as working firmware versions, and how to enable ZHA firmware updates for IKEA kit - oh, and much fustration sadly.
1 Like
I have many of the on/off IKEA remotes and I have programmed both the on and off to do the same thing (so it can be used blindly as a bedside switch) with the long-hold as a secondary command. Works great.
The plugs are okay repeaters. Mine easily have ~10 network links each. The regular repeaters double as USB chargers and mini night-lights with their white LED, so you don’t fully lose the plug.
The newest 5-button remote is actually excellent if you get the firmware updated, and it uses AAA batteries, so you can use rechargeable batteries.
I’ve found the IKEA plugs to be excellent too, and have over 10 of them.
1 Like
I got to the new RODRET 2 button switch and love it. The blueprint is also great. More flexable than the 4 button switch one.
1 Like
Good to know, thanks.
I can see a RODRET in my future (and a bag of 100x tea lights, and a bag of meatballs…, natch 
)
My Zigbee is mainly based on IKEA TRADFRI plugs that are used as plug and as routers. I was totally satisfied by them up to now. But 2 days ago they have been disconnected from my network and consequently disconnect end users.
My configuration is CONBEE II router, Zigbee2MQTT, implemented on a Raspberry PI4.
I have tried to delete these plugs from Zigbee2MQTT and tried to reconnect them, but it’s unsuccessful. Other devices from AQARA or SONOFF work flawlessly.
Have you encountered such anomaly?
Minor late post - after several attempts to pair an IKEA RODRET 2-button remote to ZHA, it worked and turns out with a selection of blueprints, it’s just as good as you suggest:
Thanks for the tip! 
The magnetic base is ideal for sticking onto an existing switch so analogue guests can control the lights when in bed (magnet to the metal radiator) without HASS apps or MFA dashboard hacks.
I took a leap of faith with a couple of the tradfri 13amp sockets to act as routers primarily. I’ve tried to pair with my zigbee network (based on Skyconnect device) but have failed miserably. I’ve only been able to spend a little time so far but have a question. How do I get it into pairing mode. I tried pushing a paperclip into the hole underneath but that doesnt seem to have worked.
Any thoughts would be appreciated (that lack of on/off button didnt worry me, however it is a bit of a nuisence when trying to pair).
(Zigbee network consists of skyconnect, a dozen SNZB-02s and a couple of dozen Hue devices. The Trafri was to add a few more routes and strengthen my zigbee network.)
The IKEA TRÅDFRI switch instructions are pretty simple (but ignore the direct pairing of a remote to the plug):
- Plug in where it is going to be used (ideally so it calculates the mesh neighbours from the start - if this doesn’t work, try next to the co-ordinator).
- Turn on
- Set your HASS Zigbee automation into
(+ Add New Device). - Use a paper clip to press the reset button
- Fiddle randomly with the reset button trying one press, one long press, three presses, five presses, trying to get the white light to flash.
The hard bit is getting to press the button (hole is a bit small) then the white LED to flash - like the 5-button remotes, random button presses and power cycles sometimes work better than a structured approach.
Once adopted, TRÅDFRI switches just work.
If this helps, 
this post!
3 Likes
Thank you for this. I missed the “fiddle about randomly”. I assume you put the paperclip in the hole when it is plugged in, needless to say I’ve been a bit nervous of sticking a bit of metal in a live socket. Clear message about getting the light flashing, I’ve not achieved that yet.
I can understand that - their main failing is the lack of a proper ON / OFF button like a Sonoff S26, but you can count on IKEA being safe. They do operate as a decent Zigbee repeater and reduce CR2032 battery usage in nearby devices.
Hell, for some devices, I’ve even drilled out the tiny hole to make it possible to use something larger than a gnat’s whisker to press a button (e.g. Sonoff Zigbee door sensor - battery so less of a risk).
The only other hint is to enable OTA auto-firmware updates as several IKEA devices work a lot better with newer more standard updates (e.g. 5-button remotes).
If this helps, this post!
2 Likes
Well, thanks to @FloatingBoater I managed to get a bit further. I got the light flashing and a big click as it started. On HASS Searching for Zigbee I got starting interview pop-up and the light turned to solid on the Tradfri. But then nothing. Did not appear on the list of zigbee devices and no green pop-up saying it was available.
Updated if you read this in last few minutes: Another attempt with a paperclip gets me to the following:
2024-03-07 09:32:46.798 INFO (MainThread) [zigpy.application] Device 0x14a4 (bc:02:6e:ff:fe:cd:09:8b) joined the network
2024-03-07 09:32:46.800 INFO (MainThread) [zigpy.device] [0x14a4] Requesting ‘Node Descriptor’
2024-03-07 09:33:15.072 INFO (MainThread) [zigpy.device] [0x14a4] Requesting ‘Node Descriptor’
2024-03-07 09:33:43.328 INFO (MainThread) [zigpy.device] [0x14a4] Requesting ‘Node Descriptor’
2024-03-07 09:34:11.588 INFO (MainThread) [zigpy.device] [0x14a4] Requesting ‘Node Descriptor’
2024-03-07 09:34:39.846 INFO (MainThread) [zigpy.device] [0x14a4] Requesting ‘Node Descriptor’
Sorry - dunno!
Some of my IKEA TRÅDFRI switches paired instantly, a few did take some “random fiddling” to get to work. Pairing next to the coordinator can help (albeit not good for mesh discovery).
Once paired, the device should appear in the “Everything” dashboard and also under the Add-On device list.
For some odd reason ZHA “re-interviews” rarely work, so deleting a device from the integration and pairing again (not excluding it) might work better. Names, automations, etc are usually retained as the hardware addresses haven’t changed.
There has been a Z-Wave JS Update (0.4.5) but didn’t notice anything in the release notes.
The last “dodgy hack” I know is to turn the coordinator OFF for >60 minutes. The mesh devices time out, and when turned ON, the adjacency gets recalculated. Shouldn’t do much for pairing, but…
1 Like
Thanks for comments @FloatingBoater I’ll keep fiddling. I may try the second one (I bought 2). One was to go quite close to the coordinator, if I can get either to work then I’ll be on the right (random) track.
Will update if I get it going or not. I’ve heard good things about the normal running status so I think it’s only getting through it joining the zigbee network.
After a reboot I finally got around to looking at this again. Lo and behold it worked first time this time. Zigbee network seems to be more responsive now. Thank you for all your help.
Regarding the “dodgy hack”: I had read, and my [limited] experience supports, coordinator off for 20min reconfigures the Zigbee mesh (according to before/after comparisons of the Visualization tab). My routers are Ikea TRADFRI bulbs & sockets; battery devices vary (various IKEA/Tuya buttons & temp sensors).
The battery savings from having routers, and reconfiguring the mesh to connect the battery devices to nearby routers, seems significant (but could be also due to cheesy mfr batteries…).
I’m still trying to understand if these IKEA devices can connect to HA and be bound to remotes connected to HA, for HA server-down fail-safe, but that’s another thread.
(Edit, BTW: The little stabby devices used to extract SIM cards from phones fit the TRADFRI sockets well…once you get past the nervousness of sticking-metal-into-line-voltage-device-hole.)
My experimentation suggests one controlling device, one mesh so an IKEA remote can pair to a HA coordinator OR a local directly paired device.
When happily paired to HASS, I’ve seen a 5-button remote pair to the nearby bulb, not HASS whilst trying to get the remote to pair with HASS. The only fix was to factory reset the bulb and remote, pair the bulb with HASS, isolate it, and try pairing the IKEA remote again.
A Lidi ZigBee lightbulb has no controls, only OFF ON OFF ON OFF quickly to reset and start pairing. It paired with the IKEA remote without any intervention and stopped responding to HASS.
Basically, the IKEA direct pairing additions to ZigBee for remotes to operate bulbs and switches without a full coordinatior are cursed and break other devices, especially non-IKEA kit.
Thankfully, once paired, IKEA kit now gives long battery life with ZHA, and only occasionally gives grief after replacing a battery after 4-6 months.
SIM ejector tools are a PITA as they disappear faster than dropped resistors, so I used a 1mm drill on the IKEA switches (yes, I am an engineer, was careful not to hit the button switch cap) which allows the standard paperclip hack. If only UK IKEA plug switches weren’t glued shut!
1 Like