How to add Sonoff ZBDongle-E as router when using ZBT-2 as coordinator?

Configuration Zigbee
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1

Hi everyone,

I’m currently using the ZBT-2 as my Zigbee coordinator in Home Assistant, and I’m trying to add a Sonoff ZBDongle-E as a router to improve mesh coverage.

I have already flashed the ZBDongle-E with router firmware using the official Sonoff web flasher:

However, I’m unable to get the device detected or added to my existing Zigbee network with the ZBT-2 coordinator.

Could someone please help clarify:

  • What is the correct process to join the ZBDongle-E (router firmware) to an existing Zigbee network?
  • Does it require any specific pairing procedure or reset sequence after flashing?
  • Are there any known compatibility issues between the ZBT-2 and the Sonoff ZBDongle-E acting as a router?
  • Are there additional steps required in ZHA?

Any guidance or documentation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

2

AFAIK it should pair like any other zigbee device. Do whatever is the button sequence to start pairing mode on the device and ZHA and it should pair, assuming it was flashed successfully.

3

Thanks for the reply.

I have already tried pairing it like a normal Zigbee device, but unfortunately the ZBT-2 never detects the dongle.

I flashed the ZBDongle-E using the official Sonoff web flasher (https://dongle.sonoff.tech/sonoff-dongle-flasher/) and tested the following Zigbee Router firmware versions:

• Zigbee Router – 8.0.2
• Zigbee Router – 7.4.3
• Zigbee Router – 6.10.3

After flashing each Zigbee Router firmware, I reset the dongle and attempted to join it to my existing Zigbee network in ZHA, but the ZBT-2 coordinator never finds the device.

So at this point it seems the issue is not related to the pairing procedure itself, as none of the Zigbee Router firmware versions are detected.

Has anyone successfully used a Sonoff ZBDongle-E as a router with the ZBT-2 coordinator in ZHA?
Are there any known compatibility issues or additional steps required?

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4

Thanks everyone — I managed to solve it.

The issue was not the router firmware version or the normal pairing procedure.

In my case, the Sonoff ZBDongle-E had previously been the old coordinator for this Zigbee network, before I migrated to the ZBT-2. Because of that, the old Sonoff dongle and the new ZBT-2 ended up with the same IEEE address, so the router was never detected correctly when trying to join the network.

What fixed it

  1. I temporarily flashed the Sonoff ZBDongle-E back to normal Zigbee coordinator firmware.
  2. I used universal_silabs_flasher to assign it a new unique IEEE address.
  3. Then I flashed Zigbee Router firmware again.
  4. After that, I paired it in ZHA like a normal Zigbee device.

Once the IEEE was changed, the dongle joined successfully and is now working with the ZBT-2 as coordinator.

Important note

If your ZBDongle-E was previously the coordinator of the same Zigbee network, this is very likely the cause.

Command used

py -m universal_silabs_flasher -v --device COM6 --probe-methods ezsp:115200 write-ieee --ieee <NEW_UNIQUE_IEEE> --force

Then I reflashed Zigbee Router firmware and paired it in ZHA.

So yes — a Sonoff ZBDongle-E can work as a router with the ZBT-2 coordinator in ZHA, but if it was the old coordinator first, you may need to assign it a new IEEE address before it can join properly.