Is it possible to use them with any other ZigBee bridge? The one from Xiaomi seems to have quit some overhead to be setup and is still in beta.
Potentially yes. Some French guy has managed to do it and published details. I think some smartthings users have it working.
Practically at the moment no. E.g. No support from ha native zigbee, hue etc
This lack of interoperability is typical of zigbee in general- it’s very frustrating!
I should add also that the “beta” label is really only there now because the originator is unwilling or unable to make a pull request on HA to move support into ha main.
The add on is considered to be good to go. It’s very stable. You’ll see loads of comments to this effect in that thread
I’ve just read is article, pretty impressive reverse engineering he achieved!
So according to that article it should be possible to support xiaomi devices with a bridge compatible with Zigbee ZHA since Xiaomi used the default encryption key. But that would still need time until it’s ported to HA in any manner.
He is also preparing a Kickstarter for a bridge supporting Xiaomi device, Philips Hue and other zigbee device. He plan a price around 40€ and his device would output the data through serial out.
Original article (in french):
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His blog is a fascinating read (even for me via google translate).
I didn’t see his kickstarter, so thanks for the info.
It would be just great to have an open zigbee hub/gateway, but I think it will be a big effort to maintain.
All the ZLL and ZHA manufacturers seem hell-bent on non and partial standards support.
Just look at Hue and Ikea lighting… grrrr
In this article he says he’s preparing a Kickstarter campaign:
But honestly without already having his custom pcb tested and ready for mass production it’s unrealistic to already launch a Kickstarter.
When you need to buy component by 5000 to have a complete reel it’s not the same price as the prototype made at home ^^
On a positive note he already got several protocols supported and he’s going to buy some Ikea bulb to also integrate them.
One to watch, for sure.
Just need patience… 
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the kickstarter for the zigate project is available : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1361563794/zigate-universal-zigbee-gateway-for-smarthome
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Thanks for sharing. It looks promising.
Out of Reward so i can not back it.
Yes, he is not a professional so he doesn’t want to offer more reward than what he will be able to produce.
He said his design will be open-source/open-hardware so you’ll be able to put one together yourself.
I think he might also propose some after he delivered the kickstarter backer (he spoke about improving the assembly process post-campaign).
I’ll try to work on the integration with hass once I receive it
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The design appears to be pretty simple. I’ve asked which zigbee module he has chosen, so I can built the usb / wifi module myself.
Anyone ordered / backed the campaign? Would be great if it would be supported.
Yes I ordered it, the complete one with wifi module (I’ll certainly reprogram it to work through MQTT, depending on how complex the pairing and communication is).
Sure the hardware seems quite straight forward, just a zigbee serial module with a serial to USB or a serial to wifi adapter (an ESP).
I think it’s a JN5168, but he didn’t announce yet which exact module he will be using.
The same as used in the Mesh Bee from seeedstudio
The hardest part for his project was to crack the encryption protocol and to manage the different implementation of the protocol used by different manufacturer (Ikea, Philips, Xiaomi, …).
Thanks for your reply.
I’ve seen they are only about 11 euro’s at Farnell.
Found a nice breakout board for this module as well.
I agree creating a MQTT bridge would be the moest preferable solution, straight forward to intergrate into several automation systems, Node-Red etc.
Lets hope the software / firmware will be shared public by the developer, it would enable me to bypass the ghost motion problem I’m experiencing Xiaomi body sensor gateway maybe wrong motion detection
This is really the problem, ain’t it 
It really should not be this hard.
Zigbee alliance really missed a trick with their certification scheme IMO…
An approach with mandated interoperability for a given profile (light, sensor, etc) should have been a must.
Yes, and there is also a private encryption key of some sort that only the constructor is suppose to know.
Thankfully it seems that most of them use the default key, that’s how he was able to pair/use the different protocol.
Have you guys checked the Dresden stuff? They have a Raspberry Pi module and a USB stick that works with their (open source) software. It has a REST API, and supports Xiaomi sensors (not sure if all of them).
Have seen this. I’m thinking about ordering the usb stick.
The rpi shield won’t allow you to sniff the packages while the usb stick does.
What I like is the activity on github. They appear to develop quickly, their software even allows you through update firmware of ikea bulbs for example.
The French guy with his zigate delivers a module including wireless functionality so no controller software or rpi is needed. I must admit I like that to…
However it would be great if Dresden would be integrated into HA
Dresden seems to work with the HA Philips Hue component! I’m tempted to order one too. I didn’t knew about the sniffing difference.
I bought those things a few days back: https://www.gearbest.com/living-appliances/pp_443553.html
But doesn’t seem to be recognized by RM-Pro 