How to fully wipe / deauthenticate a Zigbee device

Configuration Zigbee
1

Hi, I am currently thinking about replacing some Zigbee devices with newer models. Ideally, I could sell the old ones.

Before I sell any devices, I would like to make sure that they

  1. do not contain any of my data, and
  2. especially cannot connect anymore to my Zigbee network.

How can I fully wipe / deauthenticate a Zigbee device?

  • Depending on the device, there might be some kind of reset button, but I cannot be sure what it does since the devices are proprietary.
  • Hence, at least for (2), I am hoping that HA provides some functionality to deauthenticate devices in a secure way.

In my private network I am using Zigbee2MQTT, but I also manage a network in my family using ZHA. Is there a difference in the approach?

2

To my knowledge, all Zigbee devices contain a reset mechanism. Resetting the device completely takes it off your Zigbee network. AFAIK, you can’t do this from the Zigbee controller.

Resetting the device is different on different devices. Some have a reset button. Some require you to hold the button down while inserting the batteries. Some require you to hold the button for 5 seconds. Some have a hole you can poke a paperclip into; holding for some amount of time will reset the device. Some devices (like bulbs) require you to power them on-off 5 times in a row.

The best thing to do is to web search the device and find the manual for it, and look up the reset process.

I highly suggest to everyone to search for and download the manual of any device when you first buy it. Keep them in a well known location. That way, when you need the manual years later, you’ll have it. I found this out after using SmartThings for 4 years and then needed to reset all my devices to take them off to another platform.

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