OK, I can give that a try. I had assumed that the ZHA automatic mode would choose the best channel considering my wifi and my neighbour but I’ll give it a shot once I get my new routers.
Results seem to be all over the board. It has to be some kind of hardware or software issue because one person is fine, while the next like myself has to constantly re-pair P1’s and even my FP1E’s every once in a while.
I think I want to go all in on Zigbee 3.0 and swap these out
I’ve had good luck with the exact same approach. The farther I’ve gotten from the problematic devices and more towards 3.0, the better my zigbee mesh behaves.
I have almost a perfect circle of plugs and nightlights that mesh most of the house around a ZBT-2.
Now I just need to figure out how to ensure a device is Zigbee 3.0 
Before blaming an end device, it’s brand, it’s advisable to have a reliable zigbee mesh, which can be a PITA, depending on a few criteria.
It might help to have a look at this from a fellow HA user: Zigbee network optimization: a how-to guide for avoiding radio frequency interference + adding Zigbee Router devices (repeaters/extenders) to get a stable Zigbee network mesh with best possible range and coverage by fully utilizing Zigbee mesh networking
I didn’t say I would move away from Aqara. I said I would be moving towards the 3.0 specification. From what I am seeing there are a lot of Zigbee3.0 devices made by Aqara and people seem to have fewer problems with those ones.
I’ve had nothing but good results with Aqara products with ZHA and Z2M (though battery reporting leaves something to be desired) but having said that…
If you migrated to the ZBT-2 from another coordinator and are using the same IEEE as the old one, you’ll have nothing but problems. I spent the last month dealing with this and finally wrote the original IEEE to the ZBT-2 and repaired everything. After that, everything has been amazing.
Well I removed my Peanut plugs and so far things have been rock solid. Now I just need more stuff to play with. 
I am just about to return a 4 pack of Aqara bulbs, I was hoping that they would work on my existing Zigbee network (Connect ZBT-2 + Zigbee2MQTT), but they won’t pair.
The Aqara website says “Must use Aqara Zigbee Hub”, if that’s true why advertise them as Zigbee - if you can only use their hub.
Posting here in case I have missed something, if not I am still in the 30 day Amazon return window…
It’s amazing what different people have with the same devices. I’ve been using Aqara sensors with the original hub without issue since 2018, and I still add sensors every once in a while.
Doesn’t help, but I thought I’d mention
Hi, have you checked the Z2M supported devices list and the notes about pairing?
Thank you for the suggestion.
I believe the bulbs I have are this one: Aqara T2_E26 control via MQTT | Zigbee2MQTT
I don’t see any notes specifically about pairing.
EDIT: I needed to install an app on my phone and use Bluetooth to switch the mode of the bulb (Uses bluetooth to connect and push new firmware).
After doing that I got a bunch of errors in the App saying it needed a Hub, but Zigbee2MQTT did see the bulb and was able to pair it.
So your problem is solved?
Of course they want you to use the app…
Now that you have them in Z2M: can’t you install the new FW from the Z2M webUI?
I am able to use the basic functions of the bulbs: Turn on/off + set color.
Z2M shows effects for the bulbs, but that doesn’t appear to work - I can live with that.
Initializing the bulbs was a catch 22:
- You can’t push any firmware until the bulb is on Zigbee.
- You can get the bulb on Zigbee without pushing firmware.
So, I will have to use the app for each new bulb (since you can push the firmware via bluetooth from a phone).
With the Aqara original hub? I would expect them to work well with that as Aqara controls both sides. I’m using ZHA and from what I read the older Aqara devices don’t fully conform to the generic Zigbee specifications which can cause issues.
Does Z2M support OTA on Aqara devices?
I used the built in ZHA migration to move from one hub to another and so far it’s been really solid now that I’ve pulled the peanut plugs out.
My mesh appears much stronger in ZHA and I haven’t had any sensors drop out yet. Even the older, problematic Aqara sensors have been solid for some time.
I’m going to leave things be for a bit and see how stable they are.
Most recent Aqara devices are dual protocol (Thread & Zigbee, with Thread being the default out of the box).
The instructions manual which comes with the device explains this clearly & tells you only the app is needed to switch protocols.
Did you not RTFM?
You can download the the manual from here:
Please find any mention in the manual that it is possible to use the App without an Aqara Hub to switch protocols …
It is possible (because of Bluetooth) but thats not documented…
BTW The manual online is actually much better than the one in the box that just has pictures - no real text.