That’s great! Can you try binding the zbmini with the newer firmware to multiple groups? If that works, it will certainly be worth investigating how to upgrade the firmware on older units.
I am not sure if you can update it yourself. It might be possible using a Sonoff totally friendly gateway, which I do not have anyway, using a ZHA integration for all my stuff here.
I just found out about the various firmware versions that are present in the ZBMINI’s that are sold.
Sorry that I am not able to help.
You could consider re-flashing them with Tasmota and take the zigbee2mqtt route. I know the ZBMINI’s can be used for this but that did not work out for me because of my Docker / Core based Home Assistent version and my limited knowledge of Docker.
1 Like
Hello guys,
I am doing the same research as @cweinhofer because I am also renovating the house and I will have to do the completely new electrical system.
I wanted to base all the lights in the house and the switches for the heating on the Sonoff ZBMINI but I have some doubts.
My Home Assistant server is installed on a Raspberry and I have configured the Zigbee devices via the SONOFF ZigBee USB Dongle Plus and everything seems to work.
But I can’t figure out how to access the ZBMini configuration. In particular, if used through their application it is possible to configure the type of external switch (button or switch), which is fundamental for me to be able to control the same ZBMini from several buttons together.
Do you know how to do this?
Thank you! 
Are you using ZHA or zigbee2mqtt? Both have options for forcing the device type, and neither exposes it through the UI. You have to do it through the configuration files. I’ve successfully done it under both systems, changing a ZBMINI to a light entity.
If you’re not too far deep into your reno, I’d suggest going with something like Enbrighten-Zigbee-In-Wall-Smart-Dimmer-with-QuickFit™-and-SimpleWire™-White-Almond instead of a ZBMINI. They are way easier to install, and they can be put into pairing mode without having to take off the face plate.
I did it via ZHA. Do you have an example to customize it with teh config file?
I can’t find any example online 
But for example I can’t understand why the entities to check the LQI and RSSI of the devices are not enabled.
Do you think that through zigbee2mqtt everything works better? I use the Sonoff temperature and humidity sensors and the ZBMINI to control my heating system divided for each room in the house.
Docs here on modifying the ZHA device type:
What’s “best” isn’t a simple question, but I’ve been posting notes since May over here:
Ok, thank you.
I have Home Assistant installed in the 8GB RAM RASPBERRY PI 4, and as a coordinator I use the SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus.
I read that maybe I should also update the firmware since sometimes it also happens to me that the commands are lost and not executed, but I did not understand if I have to flash the router or coordinator firmware.
What do you think?
Has anyone every connected two ZBMINIs to the same switch? If so, did you do it in parallel (left) or series (right)?
I have a situation (bathroom light / fan) where I want to control the power of two devices based on the action of one switch. Each device will do something different (one will turn on/off, one will stay on for an extended time).
And FYI, I’m not considering using a zigbee-only relay for the second device, because I really like the fact that the ZBMINI provides a hardwire control backup in case the server is down.
1 Like
I did a test of the “series” wiring option (from switch to mini A to mini B back to switch) and it seemed to work fine. Each mini had its own independent power (wyed from a common source) both to and from the device. It will be a while before I set up the part in HA for the extended timer, but I’ll try to report back when I do.
2 Likes
I am considering putting some of these in to make my ceiling fans smart (just the light kit). My concern is that my circuit is the standard 15A and this zbmini is only rated for 10A. What if we plug some things into the outlet, down circuit from this device, and draw 12A (for example)? Are there concerns that this device might fail or… idk… catch fire, explode, etc?
A maintenance guy at work recommended having the Lin come from the switch (maybe even embedding this at the fan box rather than the switch box). That way, you can easily hit the switch off if something happens with the zbmini, or even if the mini needs a reset, rather than having to go to the breaker.
I see 2 wiring options here smart - Connecting S1 and S2 on SONOFF Mini to 230V - Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange. I assume the standard setup is the one on the right with the switch using the SW ports. I also assume the maintenance guy’s suggestion would use the left diagram with the Lin coming from the switch, essentially making this a wedge between the switch and light/fan.
I already know that I have a space heater on this circuit that’s 900w which automatically puts me at 7.5A. That doesn’t leave much wiggle room but I don’t fully understand electrical circuitry to know how this would affect the ZBmini.
What’s the best/safest way to wire this? Does having it downline from the switch alleviate any of the amperage concerns?
I use a couple of ZBMini’s, and like them because they are small and operate very stable in my Zigbee network. And you can pair them with a Philips Hue hub, which is not the case for many other cheap Zigbee products. But there are some remarks.
- The maximum pulse duration, when used with a pulse switch, is rather short. So if you hold the pulse button for > 1/2 second, the light switches on and directly off again when you release the button. You get used to it, though, but it affects the W.A.F.
- To pair them again, for example when you switch to another Zigbee hub of change the wireless channel of your network, you have to physically access the ZBMini to reset it. There is no way like holding the button for 5 seconds or something like that. [correction: I read it should be possible by powering off the mains group it is connected to, for > 10 seconds, then it should start re-pairing.]
- There is no ‘regular’ switch input. Normally, wiring in a home connects the manual switch between L and the light, or in case of home-automation switches, between L and the smart switch. However, the ZBMini is designed to make a contact between S1 and S2, so if you have a multi-gang configuration that you cannot change, and you only have a wire available that is connecting to L when the buttons are pressed, you can officially not use the ZBMini. However, you can connect L to S1, and then the switch (connected on the other end to L) to S2. (see Sonoff ZBMINI Review | Blakadder's Smarthome Shenanigans) This works, I can tell by experience.
Would it be possible to configure the ZBMINI to not actually trigger the relay but instead ‘send’ a zigbee command. And then if that command fails only then to trigger the relay.
I have smart Zigbee bulbs and I want to use my usual light switches to toggle them without de-powering them. However if the zigbee controller goes down I want the light switches to work as normal dumb switches.
Before anyone suggests transitioning to dumb bulbs - I like having the smart bulbs for brightness and colour temperature control.
Happy to flash with Tasmota/ESP home if it still works with ZHA
1 Like
The zbmini doesn’t support direct binding, at least with their firmware. What you’re looking for is totally possible, but I’ve found hardware support is hit and miss. The Philips remotes work great as a source, as do Philips bulbs and the zbmini as a target. My sengled bulbs only work well for on and brightness, but won’t turn off. I was never able to get binding to work with zha, and have since switched to zigbee2mqtt.
I’m looking to set up my traditional switches with smart bulbs this way, too. I initially planned to use the ZBMINIs for that purpose, but suddenly realised it might not work. That’s how I ended up on this thread. Hoping there would be a way to send a switch toggle zigbee event from the ZBMINI without triggering / toggling the relay.
1 Like
I did something similar with an Enbrighten / Jasco switch, so something may be possible with the ZBMini relays too. I wanted to automate the fan on my fireplace, which has a toggle switch through to a outlet:
| Power from the panel | -> | Traditional toggle switch | -> | 3-Prong Outlet | -> | Fireplace Fan |
I wired it up so the load wasn’t connected to the switch. I then bypassed the switch in the box through to the device I was powering. The Jasco Switch has line and neutral but not load connected. Then, I put a Zigbee power switch on the outlet, and set up an automation to trigger it based on the switch. The Jasco switches also have a status light, so I also set it up to keep the switch status in sync.
| Power from the panel | -> | Zigbee Switch |
| -> | 3-Prong Outlet | -> | Zigbee Smart Plug | -> | Fireplace Fan |
The downside for a light bulb is then you have no way to truly turn it off without unscrewing it. If you have a bulb that requires flipping power to reset, you won’t be able to.
Hi, I recently had a freak event on my network that set all my devices offline and I had to re-pair them all. All that is except my zbmini, which is embedded above a heavy pendant light. So I cannot get to it without a friend and two ladders. I thought that in the event of going offline, the zbmini would simply pass power through it when the wall switch is on. Have I misunderstood or simply misconfigured the device?
Your wall switch goes to the zbmini, right? In which case, I would try flipping the power at the breaker to reset it. Perhaps the firmware crashed during your outage.
I’ve only installed 2 out of the 4 zbminis I have. I’d originally purchased them for a case like yours, to go up in the ceiling where a neutral wasn’t wired to a switch. To test, I installed two of them in light switch boxes. However, one of them has been flakey. It seems like it changes its zigbee NWK ID (the short one) and requires re-pairing every few months. Since it requires pressing a physical button, it can’t be easily reset without access. If it supported something like a “flip the switch 10 times quickly to reset”, I’d feel more confident about a permanent install.
I have quite the same issue and started another thread here How to set ZBMINI01 to rocker switch mode? before i found this one.
I’m using an genuine Sonoff 3.0 USB-Dongle together with ZHA and some Zigbee repeaters to build the ZB network in my home. Multiple Sonoff devices, also ZBMINI switches are part of that network. Some of the switches are connected to rocker switches for a stairwell illumination. As the ZBMINI is set to “autodetect” switch mode by default, the rocker switch like turn on/off is uncomfortable. If you press the switch too long (>250ms) it turns off the light after releasing the switch.
So i investigate the cluster settings, but there is none to select a switch-mode. Maybe this information is simply missing in the Cluster-Library of that device? I’ve also tried around with the other settings. Most of the information attributes like Version, Firmware, Hardware-ID, etc. do not return a value other than “None”, so i even don’t know how to get that information.
Somebody elsewhere told that he could set the WiFi-version of the MINI to a dedicated mode, using the ewlink app. The app seems not to be able to communicate with Zigbee, or i can’t get it to work.
If you have a Sonoff ZbBridge, you can pair the ZbMini to that bridge and use the Sonoff app, but I doubt you can change the switch type there.
I doubt that too. I do not have a Sonoff Bridge, only a Sonoff USB-Dongle.