Nortek HUSBZB-1 has been discontinued; let's find zha radio alternatives

Yes, sadly, its reign is over. It’s only a matter of time now for stores to sell the last of their stock and secondhand prices to rise sharply. Time to find a new go-to.

Obviously, anything that gets the serial interface of an EZSP based chip connected to the standard USB serial interface will fly no problem. We also have

What SHOULD work, from what I’m reading:

If anyone knows of other EZSP USB sticks or a cleaner XBee setup, do post!

I’ve heard others say Vera is a good choice since you can run it all locally, although its really a hub and the price is a lot higher.

Wouldn’t the Zigate be a good solution? https://zigate.fr/
Of course you may have to add an Aotech Gen 5 stick to control z-wave as well.

It looks like the ZiGate isn’t EZSP based and instead has its own special serial interface. That wouldn’t work with zha, which is what we’re concerned about in this thread at least.

That said, would be a good idea to make a feature request to add ZiGate support here: https://github.com/zigpy/zigpy/issues

Sorry to ressurect this old thread - wondering if there’s been any new developments on the USB ZigBee adapter front?

From the compatibility list, the Elelabs USB stick seems like the most straightforward option, but I can’t source it locally. The Elelabs shield is interesting, but requires disabling the Bluetooth UART (not great), and also can’t be sourced locally. HUSBZB-1 is dead (as per this thread), and XBee 2C setup still looks messy (but i’m willing to go that way if that’s proven to be a solid setup).
Are there any other adapters that people use that aren’t on the above list?

I guess i’m just wondering if there’s some current recommended setup from the community. I’m just starting to learn about this universe, so any advice would be super appreciated.

HUSBZB-1 still shows as available on Amazon prime in a search I just did.

Not in my country, unfortunately. Only 3rd party sellers, and fairly pricey.
Also, if it’s a discontinued device, i’m not sure it’s worth building a new system around it.

Not sure how you build a system around it. I just plug it in. Doesn’t appear to be discontinued since they keep getting more.

I just bought one from Amazon US stock, so I’m not sure they really were discontinued – Amazon doesn’t have a reputation for stockpiling items

Amazon US says 4 in stock and “More on the way” also the Nortek and GoControl site’s still list them so I don’t think they are going away soon.

I have a HUSBZB-1 which has been rock solid for some time but I chose to rebuild with an Aeotec and ConBee USB for what I hope to better future proofing and to separate Z-Wave and Zigbee USB devices.

Would this be an alternative ?
https://www.digi.com/products/models/xb3-24z8st
If so, what USB board would be ideal and what would the XCTU settings be set to?

I have a HUSBZB-1 for 6 months but have had nothing but end devices disconnecting or reporting false readings. If I remove the HUSBZB-1 and re-implement the WINK2 hub, the disconnect issues are no longer occurring.

Im trying to keep everything in-house, not rely on devices to connect to the internet, like Wink.

I would go for a Conbee II if anything… I have the older version and though it has had some issues depending on what you are connecting with it it has been good. It is fairly new so they are still working some kinks out but personally I think it has a great future. I’m using it with HA Native ZHA and I have found it does not appear to like Cree Connected bulbs but does work with them using deCONZ.

just my 2 cents… :slightly_smiling_face:

One thing you may want to look at is WiFi interference if you are having a lot of disconnects too…

I just went through this and it is true of any Zigbee radio… check out the write up I did.

Must be a lot of stock, I just bought one brand new in June (almost July) 2019.

Could be a extra stock, I got mine off Amazon about 10 days ago. Much better than Wink.

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We keep coming back to this theory that these have been discontinued. But people keep buying new ones.

Can anyone point to a site which actually states the facts?

I got mine, and it works great, so I really shouldn’t care. But it seems we’re doing a disservice by scaring others away from buying one because of what may be just an unfounded rumor.

Such rumors can affect their current value, even if they are not true. Until supply actually dwindles, the reality is what it is. I bought mine about 2 months ago, and they are still available at Amazon today. Use whatever device suits you… husbzb-1 works great for me so far. Almost went all zwave with an aeotech stick, but glad I didn’t with the xiaomi and visonic sensors (mostly zwave otherwise, but still nice to have smaller options).

The downside, there’s no support and no firmware updates. Would be interesting to see if it’s the same firmware on the recently purchased sticks. The ones from 2018 are running EmberZnet protocol version 4 and current EmberZnet protocol version is something like 7 or 8.

Support? Firmware updates? Do you ever get those from these generic Chinese-made components? I’d never even think to check. Especially since mine has been working great for over six months now.

I’m still seeing them for sale.
https://www.amazon.com/GoControl-CECOMINOD016164-HUSBZB-1-USB-Hub/dp/B01GJ826F8

https://www.ebay.com/p/1578788447

I wish someone could confirm or disprove this rumor that they’ve been discontinued.

Yeah, but Nortek is not cheap nor Chinese. It would work as long as Zigbee 3.0 devices use back-compatibility, but who knows for how long. So if you wan’t something future proof, then get ConBee from Dresden Electronics.
Alternatively, you could buy SDK from Siilicon labs and upgrade your Nortek Zigbee radio.