Help to a newbe

Hardware
21

You appear to be searching for excuses to replace your existing Zigbee devices with WiFI devices. :man_shrugging:

So is your WiFi access point.

As long as your new access point uses exactly the same password and IP range.

FWIW, according to Zigbee2MQTT’s documentation, you don’t need to re-pair all devices to a new coordinator as long as the new one is the same kind as the old one.

There are more commercially Home Assistant-compatible Zigbee-based IoT devices available than WiFi-based. Maybe a few WiFi bulbs and switches are all you need now but when the time comes to find remote controls, thermostats, temperature/humidity sensors, light sensors, etc you will be likely be looking at purchasing a Zigbee-based device (unless you construct your ownESP8266-based device).

In my case, I mostly use “smart” wall switches to control non-smart bulbs. The switches are based on an older technology (predating both Zigbee and Zwave) called UPB. It communicates via the powerline (i.e. via the AC wiring) and requires no hub for one device to communicate with another device (I believe UPB-based devices were only made for the North American market).

I also use a few Zigbee-based bulbs (Philips Hue via the Hue Hub). However, they are not connected to any wall switch (so they cannot be accidentally powered off). I have installed wall-mounted Hue Remote Dimmers in each room containing Hue bulbs. When someone walks into the room, they can manually control the lights with the Remote Dimmer.

In one room, the Hue lights are installed in (wall-mounted) sconces that are normally controlled by wall switch. I removed the existing switch from the junction box, connected the wires to be permanently on, then covered the junction box with a metal plate. The Philips Remote Dimmer is mounted directly over the metal plate, thereby hiding the plate and providing a traditional wall-mounted method of manually controlling the sconces.

1 Like
22

I have also found this to be a very reliable and robust architecture. The only difference is that I use Lutron Caseta for all in-wall switches, dimmers, and fan controllers. I also use Philips Hue smart bulbs, connected via the Hue bridge, for table and floor lamps. For manual control of these, I use wall mounted Lutron Pico remotes, as they blend seamlessly with all of the Caseta switches.

For sensors, I use Zigbee motion, contact, and leak sensors. Most of these are Lowes Iris v2 devices, along with the Iris v2 smart outlets to build a solid Zigbee mesh network.

23

If you use Zigbee2MQTT, and have a spare Zigbee stick of the same model, it is indeed a lot of work :
Stop Zigbee2MQTT
Remove broken stick
Plug spare stick in
Start Zigbee2MQTT

At least 1 minute work :slight_smile:

24

Zigbee have a big advantage used in sensors.

Most IOT around lightning technology have access to mains power

25

Okay, maybe I misunderstod something I read. I was beliving that if the cordinator was replaced you needed to pair all devices with the new cordinator.

26

Is the Hue Remote Dimmer connected to HA or directly to Hue Bulbs. ??
I’ve purchased a Hue Remote Dimmer on a local shop in Sweden. It turned out that the version of that are sold locally could not be paired with Samsung Hub. Only the US version worked.

But again, its many years ago since I tried.

27

That is battery powered.

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From https://www.philips-hue.com/en-us/p/hue-dimmer-switch/046677473372#specifications

28

Seems (for me ) that I will end up with something like this

  • HA
  • Zigbee2Mqtt

Then I use a mixture of Zigbee and Wifi devices.

( what happened to Z-Wawe ? )

I have good knowledge about Zigbee devices and there is a “standard” that the devices most often follows.

What about wifi?
In local shops a lot of wifi devices are sold, under different brands. I think all those brands under the hood, is something designed and built in china.
Are someone keeping track of this.

29

You said you have some z-wave devices, so why not keep using them? Many of us run z-wave devices. For me they have been my favourite, none have failed in many years of use.

30

What is the best way to access them from HA?

31

Best way: Aeotec Z-Stick

Since you already have SmartThings… maybe you could try the Integration. I have no idea how good / bad that experience will be but I’m guessing it will still have the SmartThings lag, possibly even worse.

I use the Aeotec Z-Stick and if I turn on a light from the HA GUI it is near enough instant for the light to turn on. Blink of an eye instant.

32

Can you access Aeotec Z-Stick directly from HA without middleware?

33

You can use the zwavejs integration. That basically translates the Z-Wave devices to Home Assistant.

34

Yes, it’s plugged directly into my HA server.

35

My first shot on this is like this

  • Raspberry pi 4, running docker.
  • Conbee 2 usb stick

Doker-compose file:

  • Home assistant
  • Mosquitto broker
  • Zigbee2Mqtt

I am planning to use a Vscode plugin for configuring HA

At the moment it is up and running but not much configuration is done. Reading documentation leavs me to some extent in a confused state :slight_smile:

  • Controlling Z2M how do I do that? Is there a user interface addon for HA or must I talk directly to Z2M. Aparently there is a user interface web application for Z2M but I would prefer not to use it.

  • Are Z2M talking directly to HA or through the broker?

I am trying to take this step by step.

36

I assume you mean Home Assistant Container?

If you install Debian on the Pi 4 you can install Home Assistant Supervised. That will give a better UI for managing things. It will also help you install and configure Zigbee2mqtt & Mosquitto broker. through a web UI.

Here are the installation options for a Pi 4.

37

Raspbian OS is based on debian so what is the advantage to install Debian.
What do you mean by “Home Assistant Supervised”. Add on ?

This is my dockerFile:

version: '3'
services:
  homeassistant:
    container_name: homeassistant
    image: homeassistant/homeassistant:stable
    volumes:
      - /PATH_TO_YOUR_CONFIG:/config
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
    restart: unless-stopped
    network_mode: host
38

It is, but `Home Assistant Supervised is only supported on vanilla Debian. Debian has images for the Pi. I am currently running one on my Pi 3B+.

I thought it was described in the link I posted earlier. It is actually mentione in the Linux portion

This installation method provides the full Home Assistant experience on a regular operating system. This means, all components from the Home Assistant method are used, except for the Home Assistant Operating System. This system will run the Home Assistant Supervisor. The Supervisor is not just an application, it is a full appliance that manages the whole system. It will clean up, repair or reset settings to default if they no longer match expected values.

That would permit you to use Docker for other purposes too.

39

I have a Mosquitto running at home for other purposes. How do I link “HA supervised” to that instance. I managed to do that in HA, but I cant find simular options in HA Supervised intstallation.
I’ve been trying for a while but as alwasys I am blind for the obvious.

40

You use the MQTT integration the same way as in HA.

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