Problem:
4 of the zigbee end-devices in the basement were added to HA but now show as disconnected – I assume due to zigbee signal not reaching them.
(Realized my 1st mistake was bringing them to the ZBT on the main floor to connect them, and relocating them to the basement afterwards.)
My Setup:
I’ve got HAOS on a laptop, with ZBT-01 for zigbee (ZHA). My Zigbee mesh network isn’t much since I just got HA.
The only mains I have are 4 Hue bulbs on a Hue Bridge; I don’t think they’re doing much as routers for my non-Hue end-devices.
I’ve got roughly 20 end-devices: wifi TPlink/Kasa outlets, thirdreality sensors and switches (battery powered).
What I’ve Tried:
I bought a SLZB-06M. HAOS has added the integration with no issues. From what I understand, I can use SLZB as a router wirelessly. However, I can’t get it to do so.
I got the instructions from here. The only other changes made to my system is adding the following to the config yaml per SLZB control panel. (Changed it to x’s below for posting safety):
Radio Type: EZSP
socket://192.168.xxx.xxx:xxxx
The SLZB was originally plugged in via PoE and I thought maybe that was causing conflict, so now it’s plugged into USB for power. Still a no-go. I’ve rebooted the device, restarted integration, restarted ZHA – none of it worked.
I must be missing a step, maybe I misunderstood something or did something wrong. Could someone help me get this thing up and running as a router?
If you are running your Hue bulbs with a Hue bridge they are actually forming a separate network and not contributing anything to your ZHA network at all. It sounds as if you’re trying to run Zigbee with no routers, which isn’t going to work.
I would suggest you start again. Disconnect all your end devices and your Hue hub. Pair the Hue bulbs directly with the ZBT-01, positioning them nearby on the main floor. If you want to use the SLZB-06M it will need to be reflashed as a router first, then paired with the ZBT-01. It doesn’t need its own integration.
It will depend entirely on the layout and structure of your house, but by the sound of it, it could take as many as 15-20 routers to build up a solid network, working outwards from the coordinator. Once you’ve done that you can add the end devices.
I don’t knoiw anything about the “wifi TPLink/Kasa outlets”, but they don’t sound like Zigbee devices.
I installed the SLZB-06M earlier and after a few reboots/reflashes & disabling/enabling ZHA, ZBT, & SLZB – I somehow got the SLZB working as a router. LOL It was able to pick up some of the disconnected switches in the basement. yay! So we now have only 2 disconnected switches in the basement.
I agree that we probably will need a good 15-20 routers in this house… both the layout and other factors are definitely blocking signals or causing interference.
As for your suggestion with the hue bulbs… Isn’t the hue bridge required to access the bulb features (like rgb etc)? That was the only reason we got the bridge, was because we wanted access to all the features. But if HA can dim/change rgb & connect to the bulbs without the bridge – then it’s definitely worth a shot to get rid of it and make those bulbs part of the mesh.
No the bridge isn’t required for accessing those features. I run multiple SLZB-06s and a Sonoff ZBDongle-E flashed as a router connected via Z2M.
FYI…Most Hue devices act as routers
There may be few Hue devices that may not work perfectly (haven’t checked recent changes), but I assure you the bulbs work extremely well without the Hue bridge. I am running 75+ Hue bulbs, 10 or so Hue motion sensors and few Hue control devices(Dials, Buttons.)
Hue sells the bridge with the idea that “some Zigbee coordinator or hub” is required to have the more advanced bulb control. In this case, your ZBT-01 would act in lieu of your Philips Hue hub and you’ll still have excellent control of your bulbs. The previous poster is definitely right, if your bulbs are paired to your Hue hub, they are on their own Zigbee network and they are not benefiting your full Zigbee network. That’s 4 more routing devices that you already have that could be improving your network.
Look for Zigbee plugs/outlets, the Third Reality 3-in-1 notification & night light/motion sensor/lux sensor which also acts as a Zigbee router (make sure you get the Zigbee variant not the Thread variant). These will all act as routers while giving you additional functionality over a standalone routing device. And outlets are generally inexpensive, especially when purchased in a 4 pack.
Also, your TP-Link/Kasa outlets you mentioned were WiFi…so they are not connecting to your Zigbee mesh at all. Look for brands like Third Reality, Sonoff, IKEA, etc and make sure you get the Zigbee variant (some brands like Third Realith & Sonoff make outlets for different networks like Thread or WiFi). Any WiFi based outlet will not connect to your Zigbee network.
Well, it’s been chaos the last few days but we do have success in the end!
There was a lot of zigbee interference/blockage within the basement (walls/ceiling?)… And after moving/repositioning the SLZB-06M to try and find a good spot, we ended up putting it into the faraday-cage that is our basement. LOL
The 2 switches that were giving me trouble may have had internal damage, causing the zigbee connection issues. Apparently, the switches had popped off the wall and dropped, then the kids put them back up and assumed everything was good. (…Which leads me to believe this wasn’t the first time it’s happened. LOL) I replaced those 2 switches and we now have working ones in the basement.
Coincidentally, the nightlight in the basement finally died… so I had found yet another excuse to add to our zigbee routers – a mains-powered zigbee nightlight. Gotta start somewhere, right? LOL
As for the Hue bulbs, I’ve tried removing one off the Hue bridge and pairing it with HAOS, but the bulb gave no indication of this working & it didn’t show up in the zigbee mesh. After flipping the light switch (5sec on/2sec off/repeat 5 times) multiple times over the course of an hour – I gave up on pairing the bulb & put it back on the bridge.
Here’s the interesting part. Roughly 24-48 hours later, I noticed a new device on the zigbee mesh… It’s the Hue bulb that I’d been trying to pair! Unfortunately, it shows as unavailable on the mesh because it’s back on the bridge. Grrr! Now that I know the switch-flipping method works, I’ll give it another shot & force those darn bulbs to comply. LOL It just sucks that I won’t know if it’s a success till the next day…
This weekend, I’ll be moving all the routers/end-devices to their final places first, and probably end up re-pairing them from there. It’s frustrating, but it’s a good lesson to learn early on (before I add even more to the mesh). LOL
If you continue to invest in Hue bulbs, I’d suggest investing in the Hue Dimmer Switch. It makes resetting a hue bulb extremely easy.
You can reset the bulb by holding the dimmer switch close to the bulb and press the top and bottom buttons until the bulb flashes then turns to white. It’s a lot easy than the power cycle reset.
I’d also log the hue code on each bulb if you place them in areas that are difficult to reach. You can recover a dormant bulb using that code and the Hue Bridge.
Yep, that was the other lesson I learned when I first got the Hue bulbs – make note of the QR code before putting the bulb in a socket. LOL
I use the dimming and RGB features of the bulbs and it’s good to know those will still work without the bridge. Will I lose access to the Hue scenes? I just got the bulbs and bridge not too long ago so I could probably still return the bridge & see if they have a dimmer switch instead.
Is there any reason to keep the Hue bridge? When going thru HA posts & videos, I see people actively use theirs… I’m wondering if this is going to be one of those “lessons learned” down the road, if I do return the bridge.
Speaking of… is there a compiled list of lessons learned somewhere, for us HA noobs to check out? LOL
Yes, the associated scenes imported from the Hue Hub will be gone. The good news is you can use Automations or Scenes within HA to duplicate the Hue Scenes.
This is a personal decision. I’m probably not the best person to answer this. I struggle to part with most electronic devices and kept my Hue Bridge for the 1% chance of total failure with my Home Automation.
My thought is I still need control of my lights by any method.
I tend to be a tech hoarder so I’m leaning towards keeping the hue bridge, just in case. As if I don’t already have enough bins full of tech, cables, etc taking up real estate! Heck, I still have a working Blackberry Curve, Blackberry Torch, and Toshiba Thrive tablet in the mix. I don’t think anyone’s gonna notice the hue bridge added to my stash. LOL
As for the hue dimmer, couldn’t find one through the local stores… so the next time I buy more Hue bulbs, I’ll add the dimmer switch to my shopping list. It might have to be thru Hue directly, since some of the bulbs I do need are odd sizes/shapes/types that are harder to find as LEDs in stores.
