Home Assistant SkyConnect (Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1) - official Zigbee and/or Thread USB radio dongle from Nabu Casa

Hardware
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I understand the SkyConnect configuration / integration is temporarily disabled.
Is there any ETA on when the SkyConnect integration will be ready for deployment?

Thanks

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Integration works. Only multipanning is not supported at the moment.

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Will skyconnect be detected if it connected on a USB to IP dongle? I am in Hyper-V so am stuck for a connection!

Edit: ‘be detected’ as in can i configure a connection, not necessarily auto detected!

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It should work over TCP/IP using wired Ethernet LAN, (in ZHA connect socket://[IP]:[PORT] for example socket://192.168.1.10:9999) but note that it is not recommended to use a Zigbee serial bridge over WiFi, see → https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#warning-about-wi-fi-based-zigbee-to-serial-bridgesgateways (and for Zigbee2MQTT see https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/advanced/remote-adapter/connect_to_a_remote_sonoff_zbbridge.html).

FYI, for how-to do it with Ser2net software see → https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/advanced/remote-adapter/connect_to_a_remote_adapter.html

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I was coming to conclusion that this is a problem of my own making and I should just get an ethernet co-ordinator like Tubez instead - but…

Z2MQTT then - am i understanding this correctly:

  1. I install the ‘windows’ version on the actual machine, plug the skyconnect in
  2. configure it and it spits out MQTT onto my network
  3. Add the integration into HA in hyper V and it then interfaces with the devices via Network- MQTT-W11 ‘real machine’-MQTT component on W11-skyconnect and then to device?

If so that looks like the workaround? Although the future Matter function is lost…

I really should just return the skyconnect and get a Tubez or similar shouldn’t I?!

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To summarize what I mentioned above, personally, I like recommend these type of setups in general:

  • If want to use Home Assistant’s ZHA integration then it is today highly recommended to use a Zigbee Coordinator USB adapter based Silicon Labs EFR32MG21/EFR32MG13, Texas Instruments CC2652/CC1352, or ConBee II (dresden-elektronik), in that specific order if stability is your highest requirement. ZHA also support other Zigbee Coordinator adapters but they are either older or not supported as well. See https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#recommended-zigbee-radio-adapters-and-modules

  • If want to use Zigbee2MQTT instead then it is today highly recommended to use a Zigbee Coordinator USB adapter based on Texas Instruments CC2652P/CC1352P or ConBee 2 if stability is your highest requirement. Zigbee2MQTT also support other Zigbee Coordinator adapters but they are either older or not supported as well (e.g. “experimental”). See https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/guide/adapters/#recommended

  • I personally recommend using a single dedicated radio USB adapter for each separate wireless protocol as it both decreases complexity and at least on paper should offer better performance.

    • So a tip is to use a single dedicated Home Assistant SkyConnect USB dongle for Thread (and Matter over Thread) and then buy another separate single dedicated Home Assistant SkyConnect USB dongle (or other Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 based USB adapter) with ZHA or alternatively a separate single dedicated Texas Instruments CC2652P USB adapter instead if using Zigbee2MQTT.

  • If not absolutely necessary try to avoid internally connected Zigbee Coordinator adapters that are mounted inside the computer case since that will increase interference and decrease reception.

  • If not absolutely necessary try to avoid network-attached Zigbee Coordinator adapters today because they will add unnecessary complexity. Instead recommend just using a Zigbee USB adapter with very long USB extension cable if possible, read → Zigbee networks: how to guide for avoiding interference and optimize for getting better range + coverage - #3 by Hedda

Regardless of Zigbee solution read/follow all of these generic guidelines → Zigbee networks: how to guide for avoiding interference and optimize for getting better range + coverage

I would not personally install Z2M on Windows OS but otherwise think you got the gist of Zigbee2MQTT, though there is also an (easier) option to Zigbee2MQTT via the addon if want to run it on the same machine as your Home Assistant OS or a Supervised Home Assistant instance, but then you loose your wanted feature of running it as stand-alone on a other machines on the your local network.

Better would be to buy and use a single-board computer (SBC) with Linux OS to run Zigbee2MQTT, such as example an Raspberry Pi or Hardkernel ODROID and use that as a dedicated appliance for just for that purpose. You should then also be able to squeeze in for example ZWaveJSMQTT (ZWave JS MQTT) on the same computer with a Z-Wave 700 USB dongle like the Aeotec Z-Stick 7.

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Thanks Hedda - a lot of those are what i would like to do but (for my current arrangement) can’t because hyperv wont take a USB pass through. In theory i can’t plug any USB’s into my machine.

I think the Z2MQTT solution is an option though if it comes to it - thanks for the input, i am looking at a few options and that is defintitely one i hadn’t though of.

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Since discussing different Zigbee2MQTT setups any further and deeper here would be way too much off-topic for this thread I recommend that you ask for advice in Zigbee2MQTT support channnels (https://github.com/Koenkk/zigbee2mqtt/discussions, though a quick suggestion would again be for you to consider looking more into if a better setup option for Zigbee2MQTT might be to instead buy and use a single-board computer (SBC) with Linux OS to run Zigbee2MQTT (such as example a Raspberry Pi or Hardkernel ODROID) and use that as a dedicated appliance for Zigbee2MQTT (and maybe also other smaller IoT applications such as the Mosquitto MQTT Broker). Anyway, Zigbee2MQTT has a very small footprint so it would really be overkill to run it on a PC with Windows OS. And if you want to run several different application that all have small footprints on the same single-board computer with Linux, then suggest run either the Zigbee2MQTT image in a Docker container with Docker Compose or in a virtual machine on Pimox/Proxmox (Pimox V7) virtualization hypervisor (virtual machine manager) or even a combination of the two (with the Zigbee2MQTT image for Docker on Linux running inside a virtual machine under Pimox/Proxmox):

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Although that seems the logical choice, I’m not so sure.

ZHA is my test network and I’ve moved it between adapters several times.

The re-pairing process always goes easier with the TI stick, and distant devices seem better behaved.

Take this for what it is - anecdotal and subjective.

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Today I recived my SkyConnect!

My current setup was using Phoscon+Conbee II, so I took a backup of my conbee II with zigpy tool to get Open ZigBee Coordinator Backup Format since I did not want to repair every zigbee device I own.
Added ZHA choose my new SkyConnect and restored my backup, found lots of devices and renamed them as my old entities from Phoscon, eveything looking fine. So I thought.

Now to my problem :smiley: I cant add any Ikea light bulbs or TRÅDFRI Control outlets, my first time using ZHA is there anything that I need to know? I can pair Hue bulbs and other Aqara smart plugs without problem, even several meters away from the SkyConnect. My old Conbee II is unplugged so that one does not interfere. Does not matter if I am 1 cm from the SkyConnect, tried multiple USB ports and currently using usb2.0. Anyone got any tips? :slight_smile:

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Some Zigbee Coordinator dongles do have better range than others when distant devices communicate diretctly to the Zigbee Coordinator and not going through the closest Zigbee Router device, but that should not matter as is not how Zigbee it meant to work, instead you are suppose to extend your Zigbee network by adding many Zigbee Router devices that that use mesh networking that take care of the total coverage. That is, the actual range between the Zigbee Coordinator and devices that connect to it directly should not matter as it should rwally only need to talk to the closest Zigbee Router devices, as all you should need to do is add more Zigbee Router devices (and maybe re-pair devices that have range issues if they do not automatically connect to a closer Zigbee Router device).

So if distant devices connect directly with the Zigbee Coordinator then something is wrong and you should probably try re-pairing that device to a closer Zigbee Router, but first add more Zigbee Router devices if needed. Personally I recommend buying a few IKEA Trådfri Signal Router devices (or reflash Sonoff Zigbee dongles with Zigbee Router firmware) and add them spread out in your house to act as the backbone of your Zigbee network with them creating the core of the mesh network.

I also mention that in this other best practice guidelines thread → https://community.home-assistant.io/t/guide-for-zigbee-interference-avoidance-and-network-range-coverage-optimization/515752

Zigbee technology uses mesh networking (a type of network topology/architecture), which means that most mains-powered devices are a “Zigbee Router” that can act as a signal repeater and range extended by transmitting data over long distances by passing data messages through the Zigbee network mesh of intermediate devices to reach more distant Zigbee devices. Thus the key to a great and healthy Zigbee network is to add/have many “Zigbee Router” devices relatively close to each other in order to achieve good coverage and range. So you more or less just need to add/have several mains-powered Zigbee devices in the network that act as “Zigbee Router” devices.

  • Add more and decrease the distance between Zigbee devices in Zigbee network mesh to get better range and coverage:
    • Zigbee uses mesh networking and depends on having many “Zigbee Router” devices to extend range and coverage:
      • Recommendation is to add additional mains-powered Zigbee devices known to be good Zigbee Router devices.
        • Add more Zigbee Router devices and reduce their distances to extend network mesh coverage and range.
          • Note that not all mains-powered devices have firmware that makes them act as a Zigbee Router device.
          • Some brands/models of Zigbee Router devices are known to only work well with the same brand of devices.
      • Buy a few known good dedicated Zigbee Router products (for example the “IKEA Tradfri Signal Repeater ”).
        • Search community forums for more “Zigbee signal repeater” or “Zigbee range extender” Zigbee Router tips.
      • Buy a few additional new Zigbee USB adapters to use after re-flashing them with Zigbee Router firmware.
        • Reflash/reuse modern Zigbee USB adapters to act as Zigbee Router devices by changing Zigbee firmware.
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General tips → https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#best-practices-to-avoid-pairingconnection-difficulties

The only specific other tip I have for that is to make sure do a factory reset of the devices, but if does not help then it is probably best if you open an new issue for the ZHA integration in the Home Assistant’s core repository and provide diagnostics / debug logs in that issue.

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I have the same issue after migrating from zha (conbee ii) to skyconnect. I will open an issue.

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Very strange! I successfully added all my IKEA stuff if I searched for it this way:
zha > devices > SkyConnect > Add devices via this device

Can you try if that works for you too? “Add device” from the default ZHA landing page does not find my IKEA stuff.

Can anyone confirm if there is a difference while adding devices that way, or did I just get lucky :slight_smile:

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I will try that as well. I have opened an issue and provided data to devs. :grin:

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Running latest HA on a VM in Virtualbox running on windows 11 host on an 8th gen NUC.

Only have wifi devices but looking to go down zigbee path. Don’t have any zigbee sensors yet.

Will SkyConnect have any limitations with my setup? I put off buying a conbee stick as wanted to see how matter adoption progresses.

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I am not aware of any current limitations related to computer hardware, no matter if running it in a virtual machine or not, though it is recommended to run in a Home Assistant Operation System installation to easily be able to use the Silicon Labs multiprotocol add-on for firmware updates in the future and such. Regardless of which adapter you buy be sure to use a USB extension cable and follow these guidelines-> Guide for Zigbee interference avoidance and network range/coverage optimization

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@agners I just updated to 7.1.4.0 (I have a notification on the nabucasa silabs fw repo). In general, after a scan of the release notes, I am guessing these updates are somewhat safe to do (or atleast as safe as any firmware update) now that things seem to be stabilizing a bit?

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I reverted to Conbee II and now everything works as before. I assume it is a firmware issue with the Skyconnect unit.

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I just received the skyconnect , I hope that I can migrate the Zigbee devices that are already connect to Sonoff-usb-dongle E version, which have been working fine.

My HA session is running on UTM on my M1 Mac Mini, again, it has been working fine.

Once I have the skyconnect, I plugged that into the same USB external cable with the Sonoff dongle removed.

However, I cannot get the integration to work as the Skyconnect device is not detected

Just wondering anyone here has detection issue or is it more relateed to UTM issue?