Let’s move on?
There is a very unique Frient devices, which I have seen at no other vendor: The frient Smart Cable 2, a Zigbee power device with measuring. The special is, that is not just plug, you can put right insight a cable and wiring it to the power cable. Cost’s ~42€.
(Picture taken from Smart Cable 2)
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This device isn’t on the list of supported devices, on the announcement.
If the devices that are listed as compatible don’t even work well, what can we expect from one that isn’t listed at all? 
FYI, by default the ZHA integration just creates entities in Home Assistant for device features and functions that are standard in the official ZCL (Zigbee Cluster Library) specification, and therefor custom ZHA Device Handlers (zha-quirks) are generally only needed if the device firmware have some manufacturer specific functionality (e.g. features and functions) that is not standard in the ZCL specification, or if the device firmware has implemented ZCL specification incorrectly (i.e. poorly written firmware or a bug in the firmware).
You and all users in the community can still help the ZHA developers by reporting specific device bugs and custom device support requests as issues to their zha-device-handlers repo on GitHub:
So by definition all Zigbee devices that do not use manufacturer specific functionality should be compatible with the ZHA integration out-of-the-box without changes, and if they do have manufacturer specific functionality then the ZHA integration should only need a device handler to expose those specific quirks that are unique to that device or manufacturer.
For more detailed explaination also see:
Hence manufacturers needs to provide complete documentation so ZHA developers can add support (and provide firmware updates if needed).
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Yes, I know.
But it’s not listed as compatible, so I’ll not risk to buy another one.
I bought one that is listed as compatible and highlighted that:
“…Works With Home Assistant differs from other certification programs as products are rigorously tested in-house to ensure they work seamlessly out of the box with Home Assistant…”
But, in fact, it’s not as advertised:
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@Miranda-GB are you in communication with the Frient company representatives and clearly expained/expressed the ”give and take” concept of the partnership with an open-source project/communitycso that they understand that they should both reactivly and proactivly try to provide more assistance that benefit a better out-of-the-box experience with WWHA devices than it will if they only supply hardware and do not activly work to help improve the Zigbee device handlers for the ZHA integration to become best-in-class in user-frienlyness?
See these example these where Frient as a company could contribute more now:
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[Device Support Request] Frient KEPZB-110 RFID · Issue #4374 · zigpy/zha-device-handlers · GitHub
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[BUG] Frient KEPZB-110 Battery percentage missing · Issue #4375 · zigpy/zha-device-handlers · GitHub
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[BUG] KEPZB-110 led sync · Issue #4365 · zigpy/zha-device-handlers · GitHub
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Add exit delay support for Alarm Panels · Issue #524 · zigpy/zha · GitHub
And more:
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Hi @Miranda-GB, after 40 days, is there any plan to make it compatible with HA as announced?
Hi Renato, I’ve emailed you but just so everyone else on this thread can also see, we are still actively working on fixes for this device and extra device samples have now been received to an additional team member of ours who has joined us recently and has expanded our zigbee resource. I will update here when I have more news. Thanks!
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Based on these news, I just bought and paired 10 Frient Smoke detectors.
Paired was easily done, but I’m very disappointed to see, that I cannot bind the devices to each other i ZHA - or even create a group with them. Without this, I won’t imagine that the devices trigger each other without automations. This means that if HA is down (or power i gone), then the alarms isn’t interlinked…?
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Is this something the smoke detectors can do if managed somewhere else than in HA? Honest question since I never worked with them.
This is not a feature supported by them in any platform afaik. So not sure if it’s a limitation in the Zigbee spec or the devices themselves.
Z2M and Homey don’t have the option either with smoke Alarms.
I use a mix of Bosch Smart Home Smoke Alarm connected to Z2M and Frient Heat Alarm connected to ZHA. With the Bosch when you pair them with their original Hub this is also handled by the hub, not directly between the devices.
So I just automated it in HA, which is also brand agnostic for the automations. Not that I can’t hear all alarms that are inside my house anywhere inside the house, as they are very loud.
In the UK, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 says that all alarms should be ceiling mounted, and the smoke alarms should be interlinked
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Hi. These devices are not “interconnected”, and this isn’t integration or firmware limitation, it’s the device itself limitation.
The only thing to “interconnect” them is to do that via automations, but of course it won’t work if coordinator is down.
Are you sure that it is a firmware limitation and not a limitation in the zigpy/zha libraries or that need new custom implementation in zha? You should ask Frient if their devices support Zigbee bindings as normally you can just use Zigbee bindings to bind Zigbee devices if they have the same clusters and that support binding, see:
- https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#zigbee-groups-and-binding-devices
And - https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#binding
Suggest open an issue regardless to have that investigated.
I can’t bind my smoke detectors in Zigbee2MQTT either though. I’ve tried the Bosch and the ones from Frient.
The binds I have been able to make have only been remote/light related, so not sure if Zigbee supports binding smoke detectors the way you are suggesting.
FYI, submitted an issue to the zha repository on GitHub with the posted question if Frient smoke detector (and Frient heat detector) Zigbee device firmware is missing “interlinking” feature or if the function is missing in Home Assistant’s ZHA integration and its zha/zigpy dependecies:
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Frient blog says you can interconnect frient heat/smoke alarms if use SmartThings or Homey:
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The Intelligent Heat Alarm now works with SmartThings
- “if you have several frient heat alarms or smoke alarms you can interconnect them for improved safety so when one alarm goes off, the others go off as well”
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All frient devices are now fully compatible with Homey
- “The new drivers allow you to activate and deactivate the sirens of the Intelligent Smoke Alarm, the Intelligent Heat Alarm, and the Water Leak Detector in the Homey app. Use this to set up a flow that if one alarm detects a fire or water leak, all alarms will turn on their sirens for a specific amount of time, and you’ll have all alarms interconnected." "Good news for all Homey users. You can now use all the frients with Homey. New features include support of the Smart Siren and Smart Button, interconnectivity for the frient alarms, and adjustments to the Electricity Meter Interface.](All frient devices are now fully compatible with Homey)”
I believe this type of “interlinking” feature is normally handled via Zigbee IAS (Intruder Alarm System) specification using an IAS Zone (IASZone)? Is that the “interlinking” standard that Zigbee device manufacturers should be using for smoke detectors and heat detectors? I have collected more information here for deep dive discussion on ZHA development:
Frient or anyone else reading this up for the challange of adding this to the ZHA integration?
Would be great if was easy to enable such “interconnect” in Home Assistant’s ZHA integration!
Maybe is better to ask directly to Frient:
[email protected]
Good if their existing customers do that (which I am not so will not do myself), however it would probably be more effective if the question comes from the Open Home Foundation as they are in a partnership program, which is why I reported it as an issue to the zha project repository (which is the part of the Open Home Foundation and where maybe the missing function is if the limitation is in zha).
Feel free to e-mail Frient yourself and try to do research to collect more relevant information to possibly help development moving forwared.
In the examples you have linked with SmartThings and Homey, it looks like they are “interlinking” through automations in their respective platforms. Not using Zigbee specific features.
The same is already possible with HA, for the Frient detectors the manual triggerable alarms are already present and working. So you can trigger all of them if one of them detects smoke/heat. They also have a temp sensor, so you could also base automations on that.
Same with Z2M. Currently I don’t see any bindable parameter in the Frient Smoke/Heat or Bosch Smoke detectors in either.
The Bosch can trigger through a Zigbee Broadcast command as well, but there is no native way in ZHA nor Z2M to trigger that without an external automation.
Even with the original Bosch Smart Home Controller, it is handled by the Controller, not directly by the Smoke Detectors themselves. Through the controller is compliant with different countries laws, as they are sold all over Europe.