Perhaps, but probably not. Xiaomi/Aqara devices are known to not follow Zigbee standard specifications so have issues connecting through routers that are not from Xiaomi/Aqara, also note that devices that are not Xiaomi/Aqara are known to have issues when using mains-powered Xiaomi/Aqara as Zigbee routers.
Maybe the external antenna that this dongle will help a little, but first, highly recommend buy and add a few known good Zigbee Router devices (which act as Zigbee repeaters), like the “IKEA TRÅDFRI Signal Repeater”, which Xiaomi/Aqara works a little better with, and make sure to follow tips in this PR:
https://github.com/home-assistant/home-assistant.io/pull/18864
Especially be sure you upgrade Zigbee Coordinator firmware and use a very long USB extension cable connected via USB 2.0 port (or via a powered USB 2.0 hub if the computer only has USB 3.0 ports) as USB 3.x ports/devices and cables to those devices are known to cause serious EMF interference. See:
Improving Zigbee network range
Both poor signal quality or signal interference can lead to transmission errors and related issues. This section contains fundamental troubleshooting tips on how to improve signal quality plus optimize range and coverage. Improving signal quality and removing sources of signal interference can in most cases maximize range and resolves problems related to transmission errors. Please try to follow at least some of these recommendations before posting on the community forums or reporting issues to developers.
- Adding more Zigbee routers between devices far away and the next closest router or your Zigbee coordinator. Zigbee network topology uses a “mesh network” design which means that each device that acts as a Zigbee router will extend the total range and coverage of your Zigbee network as a whole. The solution is to distribute more Zigbee routers in areas with poor reception. Note that while there are exceptions, understand that almost all permanently powered devices will serve as a Zigbee router. Thus adding more permanently powered Zigbee devices will allow greater range better coverage. There are also dedicated Zigbee routers which you can find by doing a community search for “Zigbee signal repeater” or “Zigbee range extender”) (an example being IKEA Tradfri Signal Repeater). Devices that can not act as routers are typically battery-operated and known as “end devices”. There are some exceptions as some end devices (e.g. Xiaomi/Aqara devices) have issues connecting through routers that are not from the same manufacturer.
- Use a long USB extension cable with your Zigbee coordinator adapter. This not only enables you to position the Zigbee coordinator adapter for better signal quality, but it also allows you to locate the Zigbee coordinator further away from Wi-Fi access-points/routers or other sources of 2.4GHz signals to avoid signal interference. Optimally in the best area in your home depending on your building’s floorplan. Ideally, you want to place the Zigbee coordinator somewhere in the middle of your house/apartment. Building materials influence signal quality, for example, dense/thick concrete, bricks, masonry, etc. dampen all wireless signals. Place the Zigbee coordinator with some distance from walls, ceilings and floors. Also, try different orientations of your Zigbee antenna (or your whole Zigbee coordinator adapter if it has an internal antenna). Some Antennas have a stronger signal in a certain direction. Simply changing orientation can improve signal quality already. Note: A bad USB extension cable may lead to connection issues between the system and the Zigbee coordinator adapter, symptoms of this are disconnection messages.
- Zigbee and Wi-Fi can operate on various channels in the 2.4GHz spectrum. A busy Wi-Fi access-points/routers that are operating in the same frequency range (overlapping channels) as your Zigbee coordinator will drown out the Zigbee traffic, especially if they are located close to each other. To avoid interference between Zigbee and Wi-Fi try to choose channels without overlap. Check the channel your Wi-Fi access-points/routers are using (either by checking on the router’s web interface or using a Wi-Fi analyzer app). The Zigbee channel is currently not shown in the Home Assistant front-end but you can find the channel in the logs (watch out for Network parameters log entry with the channel number, e.g.,
radioChannel=15). Changing the channel of the Zigbee network needs recreating it and re-join/re-pair all of your Zigbee devices. Typically it’s a lot easier to change the channel used by your Wi-Fi. See this article for Wi-Fi and Zigbee channels coexistance to avoid using overlapping frequency ranges. - Check if updating the firmware on your Zigbee coordinator adapter and your Zigbee end devices is possible. Note that depending on your hardware the latest Zigbee coordinator firmware might not always be the one recommended by the community so it is advised to ask before upgrading.
- If your Zigbee coordinator adapter has a removable antenna (e.g., with an SMA-connector) then you have the option of replacing it with a high-gain antenna. Note that antennas with higher gain usually have directionality: You might have better reception on the same floor, but reception across floors might suffer. In addition, you also have the option to use an antenna extension cable if needed (usually using just a USB extension cable for your Zigbee coordinator adapter is the better alternative). This should really only be needed if you are trying to cover a long distance, like to another building or very dense/thick walls, ceilings and floors.
- Buy more powerful Zigbee radio hardware with a better radio range, preferably with an external antenna and based on a newer chip that offers up-to-date firmware. If you are not only experimenting with Zigbee but want a permanently stable and healthy Zigbee mesh network with potentially many devices then you should consider upgrading to a more powerful and newer Zigbee coordinator USB adapter or Ethernet to serial gateway/bridge. Generally, Zigbee adapters with an external antenna will have a better range and offer you more flexibility, therefore you will also want to avoid buying an internal Zigbee adapter unless it has a port for an external antenna.
Note that some Zigbee devices are not fully compatible with all brands of Zigbee router devices. Xiaomi/Aqara devices are for example known not to work with Zigbee router devices from Centralite, General Electrics, Iris, Ledvance/OSRAM/ LIGHTIFY/Sylvania, Orvibo, PEQ, Securifi, and SmartThings/Samsung. Better results can usually be achieved by using mains-powered devices IKEA and Nue/3A Home or dedicated DIY routing devices based on Texas Instruments CC253x/CC26x2 and XBee Series 2/3 Zigbee radios.
If possible always aim to start out with many mains-powered devices before adding any battery-operated devices as a “weak” Zigbee network mesh (e.g., the device is too far from the Zigbee coordinator or a Zigbee router) may prevent some devices from being paired or experience dropped connections and unstable operations. Adding Zigbee router devices are also needed to increase the maximum of devices that can be connected to your Zigbee mesh network.
