Philips Hue or Zigbee Dongle

Configuration Zigbee
21

Indeed and if your devices work on ZHA (difficult to predict the future I know) then ZHA is fine enough I would say. I chose z2mqtt as I was already using it for other means

22

I will be using Philips Hue and Aqara sensors for now. I guess newer devices are more probable to get supported on both platforms.

If there is no downside to ZHA in terms of performance or capability with these brands I would stick to ZHA. I like that it is integrated. I have to maintain zwavejs2mqtt already, but for that there is no alternative.

I guess the Hue lamps should help to build a mesh and extend the network for the battery powered devices.

23

I have a Conbee2 stick with Zigbee2mqtt and running fine with all sorts of Zigbee products.
A few things to take note of:

  • HUE products will require you to factory reset them for them to be able to join the Zigbee network.
    Best method for that is to get a HUE remote (included with some light) and use that to reset HUE products. After the reset you can add them to the Zigbee network like normal.
    https://hueblog.com/2018/01/11/reset-philips-hue-lamps-quickly-with-the-dimmer-switch/
  • Zigbee works best with alot of devices with a constant supply of power. In the beginning i had some stability issues but soon learned that it was down to signal problems.
    Now i have a decent mix of battery powered and constant powered devices and its rock stable.
  • If you can, set the wifi 2,4GHZ on anything BUT channel 1. By default Zigbee will be on channel 11 and thats right in the middle of channel 1 wifi wise.
  • Always try to make groups if you want to switch multiple lights at once, Zigbee isnt fast and you’ll have a noticable delay if you try to switch 6 light at once by addressing each of them separaat.
  • Check Zigbee2MQTT before you get a device, and if you get one that isnt supported yet then there is a whole section on how to get it working anyway :smiley:

I already did all the stupid stuff, with that 1 big ass advice: BACKUP BEFORE YOU TRY SOMETHING. :stuck_out_tongue:

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24

Thanks for the details.

I luckily have a dimmer remote available. If I still have a bridge, is it enough to just delete it from the app?

Besides of the Hue bulbs and strips I won’t have any powered devices, since I use ZWave primarily. But the Hue bridge has no problems in coverage. All rooms with sensors have at least one Hue device in it or nearby. I hope this will work like that.

I will definitely change the wifi channels to 6 and 11.

Backups are always done :slight_smile:

25

If you have the bridge then you can factory default the devices from the app yes. Just saying that if you ditch the bridge you’ll need to use the remote for new HUE devices (they are just Zigbee devices without the ability to reset with turning them on/off 5 times)

26

That is some valuable information because I will probably sell the bridge but keep the remote.

27

Manage the zigbee channel AND the wifi channel.

ZHA defaults to zigbee channel 15. Z2M defaults to zigbee channel 11.

Zigbee channel 11 is squarely in the middle of WiFi channel 1 and seems like a bad default to me. I don’t think there was any logic in making channel 11 the z2m default other than it is first in order.

Generally zigbee channels 15, 20, 25, and 26 are considered the best options. Zigbee channels 15, 20, 25 are in the sideband areas between WiFi channels 1, 6, and 11. Zigbee channel 26 is the furthest outside the prime WIFI 1,6,11 range and theoretically should see the least interference. The problem with Zigbee 26 is supposedly some devices don’t support it. A lot of folks around the forum seem to use 26, so I’m not sure how big an issue device support is in practice.

All of this assumes 20mhz WiFi channel widths. All bets are off if you or a close neighbor are using 40mhz channel widths, or WiFi channels other than 1, 6 and 11. Get a wifi scanner app and check your environment.

I chose zigbee 25 for my primary zigbee network. My logic, flawed or not, was that I should only see interference from below in the US. The lower zigbee channels could see pressure from both upper and lower ends of the spectrum.

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28

Thanks for that extra info, i was just going off the Zigbee2mqtt default and how i handled my network.
Luckly no neighbors with anything on channel 1 nearby. So it was an easy fix for me.

@davinci , whatever you do: remember that changing Zigbee channels WILL require repairing your devices. So plan ahead.

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