SkyConnect as a router?

[theScudd]

I got a SkyConnect bundled with my HA Green. I’ve since added a few Zigbee devices and am finding that my network is spread a little wide. I get tenuous connections at the geographical extremes. I have a few Sonoff T31 outlets on the way and Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 dongle just arrived.

Can I use the SkyConnect as a router or do I need to leave it plugged into the HA Green as a coordinator? If it can perform as a router, I might plug the Sonoff into the Green and put the SkyConnect at the outer reaches of the house to pick up those devices.

[Stiltjack]

You can use either one of them as the co-ordinator, but you can’t have both. Only one co-ordinator allowed per network - the other can’t double as a router without re-flashing.

You can use two co-ordinators to run two separate networks, one with the ZHA integration and the other with Z2M. There can’t be any crossover between them, though.

Sounds as if you need more routers.

Zigbee networks: how to guide for avoiding interference and optimize for getting better range + coverage

Who is this guide for? 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 ove…

[theScudd]

Thanks for the info. I ordered the T31s to act as routers and then either the SkyConnect or the Sonoff dongle will also help.

I’ll read the article you posted.

[samuelthng]

I have both the SkyConnect and Sonoff Dongle-E.

I used the SkyConnect as coordinator, and flash the Sonoff Dongle-E with a router firmware. The SkyConnect was more reliable as a coordinator for me than the Sonoff.

Hope this could save you a couple of bucks.

I have since migrated to a HA Yellow with the Sonoff still sitting in a cupboard somewhere as a repeater.

[jerrm]

If you migrate the coordinator from the SkyConnect to the Sonoff, the Sonoff ieee address will be overwritten with the SkyConnect ieee address.

If you then try to flash router firmware to the SkyConnect, it won’t work by default because the SkyConnect router and the Sonoff coordinator will now have the same ieee and conflict.

So…

You will need to change the ieee address on the SkyConnect when you flash the router firmware.

But, Caution…

Historically changing the ieee on an EZSP stick was a one time, irreversible change. The HA devs have worked around that restriction for SkyConnect, at least for coordinators. I’m not clear if any of the HA ieee changes have made it into the SkyConnect router firmware or other EZSP firmware builds and/or tools.

[theScudd]

I flashed the firmware on the Sonoff dongle so it will function as a router and left the SkyConnect as my coordinator. This was not a trivial task on a Mac but the instructions posted here were perfect. The dongle was recognized by HA and the network started automatically adjusting after about 15 mins.

Thanks to all that took the time to reply to my post.