Need advice - Which remote Zigbee gateway , something that can be connected using wifi?

[phusio (Bart)]

Hi all,

I am running a HA installation on a small Unraid server in my basement. I used untill today a Aqara gateway somehwere central in the house with Aqara devices/sensors. I want to replace the Aqara gateway with a more generic Zigbee gateway so i can use non-Xiaomi/Aqara Zigbee devices.

Which Zigbee gateway should I use that does not have to be connected with USB to my HA server, so i can place it on a central place in the house for the best Zigbee signal, similar like my Aqara gateway that connects over wifi to my network so my HA can connect to it?

I was thinking of using an older raspberry Pi with a Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 plus USB dongle, but if possible i am looking for a simple single device without relying on the raspberry pi.

Could you help me some advice?

Thanks!

Br,
Bart

[eggman (bertie basset)]

I expect someone will be along soon to answer this. I would just say that my zigbee stick is way up in my attic, plugged in to my NUC. I have lightbulbs where I want them and put a couple extra in strategic spots. The mesh is good all over the house, including the cellar.

Also, for future proofing, whatever you buy, try to make sure it’ll support matter / thread as well.

[checking12 (Sander)]

You shouldn’t want a device having Zigbee and wifi. Same frequency, bound to cause issues.
Have a solar panel monitor device with wifi and Zigbee, had to screw off the wifi antenna to get it work decent.

Look for a USB or ethernet device to prevent issues. Zigbee mesh will not require a central location for your Controller

[phusio (Bart)]

After doing some more research, I think I am going to buy the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge, as shown in this video:

Sonoff Zigbee Bridge with Home Assistant using Tasmota | NO Soldering | Step by Step Guide

Anyone here have good/bad experience with using this as Zigbee Coordinator?

Thanks,

Br,
Bart

[k8gg]

@phusio

Sonoff Zigbee Bridge

Someone here had a strong opinion AGAINST this zbbridge:

IKEA Tradfri - Batteries in the remote controls are quickly discharged

After seeing other positive comments around the Sonoff ZigBee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus stick, it’s worth mentioning that my original Zigbee experiments with HASS used the Sonoff Zigbee ZBridge which has history. The HASS documentation says not recommended however there is a bit more detail behind this comment. Certainly, my experience with the ZBridge and no mains-powered Zigbee devices was poor - lots of replacement batteries (1-2 weeks life for the IKEA 5-button remote), and lots of re-configurati…

IKEA Tradfri - Batteries in the remote controls are quickly discharged

What a good idea - reflash a crap controller into a useful router/repeater. Sadly, I wasn’t kidding about the ZBridge going under the hammer!

I have no firsthand experience myself, but those comments were strong enough to leave an impression.

But, hey, if you do go ahead with sonoff ZB bridge in the end… please report back and let us know how it goes.

[FloatingBoater (James Derrick)]

TL;DR Leave your server in the basement, install a Sonoff 3.0 USB Zigbee coordinator, and get a couple of cheap Zigbee mains plugs to form a reliable mesh network.

Remote controller devices are really not needed - unlike Bluetooth, Zigbee (and Z-Wave) are mesh networks. Remote client devices work perfectly well with low latency as long as you have a few mains-powered devices between them acting as mesh repeaters - they pass messages to neighbours.

Moving the Zigbee coordinator away from HASS means control chatter between the integration and the radio has to travel a long way - rather than low-volume Zigbee control traffic which is designed specifically to operate over a mesh.

The air traffic control tower is next to the airport for a reason!

Cheap switched sockets like the TRADFRI control outlet bridge the gap very well via Zigbee mesh, and combined with the large antenna on the Sonoff USB 3.0, work over long distances.

After several months of issues with a Z-Bridge flashed with Tasmota, engineering experience concluded it needed smashing into small pieces with a large hammer. Not joking.

Smashing the Z-Bridge into small pieces was cathartic after suffering chronic disconnections. This is not due to WLAN interference.

Why buy an aged and unreliable device (complete with a specific warning from HASS developers and a detailed issue report) when the same manufacturer offers a really quite good alternative?

SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus-E - SONOFF Official

Tasmota is a great project, and runs on many devices on my network (Sonoff and others). A Z-Bridge is not one of them.

If this helps, this post!

[phusio (Bart)]

Hi James,

Thanks for sharing your experience! Which Z-Bridge did you use? The Sonoff one like in the youtube video?

As I had no issues with the Aqara Gateway, functioning also as a Zigbee Coordinator via HA, I was thinking the Sonoff Zigbee Bridge via Wifi with Tasmota must give me atleast the same experience, but I guess I will do some more reading on that.

Attaching a USB Zigbee Coordinator on my server will be a waste of money since the basement is under a concrete reinforced floor, far away from my actual devices, so in my opinion it makes more sense to place something central in the house that works over TCP IP.

Thanks,

Br,
Bart

[checking12 (Sander)]

tpc ip over ethernet is just fine, but read the technical background on the wifi bridge that will explain the protocol needs.

[FloatingBoater (James Derrick)]

I use the Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB dongle (as linked in my post above).

Well, I did until a NabuCasa Yellow arrived on Monday, and moved across to a SilLabs device equivalent to a SkyConnect.

[k8gg]

@phusio

it makes more sense to place something central in the house that works over TCP IP.

Maybe not over wifi, but wired? This page outlines a couple of coordinator options using LAN:
Supported Adapters | Zigbee2MQTT

[Hedda]

You can buy Zigbee LAN gateway with Ethernet RJ-45 port for wired network from ex. Tube or Zigstar:

https://github.com/tube0013/tube_gateways

https://github.com/mercenaruss/zigstar_gateways

Don’t get a Wi-Fi variant based on a Silicon Labs EFR32/EZSP as connect is not stable! See warnings:

https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#warning-about-wi-fi-based-zigbee-to-serial-bridgesgateways

https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/advanced/remote-adapter/connect_to_a_remote_adapter.html

https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/advanced/remote-adapter/connect_to_a_remote_sonoff_zbbridge.html#_1-flash-tasmota-zbbridge

[phusio (Bart)]

Really appreciate all the advice given! I will have a look at a LAN Gateway for my setup. This seems the most logic option for me. Thanks again!

[PePeL (Piotr)]

Where did you end up? I don’t have any zigbee device yet but looking around for roller shutter on chain device. Most of them are zigbee so I would need to extend my HA by ZigBee protocol. Also server is far from future devices so looking for a gateway. Thought about WiFi but LAN is also an option.

[Hedda]

Regardless of the solution that you go with be sure to read and follow this → Guide for Zigbee interference avoidance and network range/coverage optimization

Guide for Zigbee interference avoidance and network range/coverage optimization

I have tried to make this guide to be a comprehensive collection of the most basic yet essential tips with a set of actions and best practice steps that should be applicable to all types of Zigbee setups, regardless of what type of Zigbee adapter/gateway/hub/bridge/devices that you are using, however, it has been written with a point-of-view in mind of Zigbee solutions that use a Zigbee Coordinator adapter locally via USB dongle/stick or remotely using a serial server over a local network, e.i. …