Sure, HA ignored the changes I made directly in the config files (I assume they are only read when HA boots), so I also updated them in Settings → Add-ons → Zigbee2MQTT → configuration → serial.
A million thanks to you buddy!
I had the same setup with the Dongle-P and I saw the Dongle-Max by accident while browsing for an additional zigbee plug. 
Bad part of my story:
I followed the guide on the Sonoff Page - I mean it’s the vendor so they should know how to migate, huh? - well… for me it did not work at all and it took a lot of time ~2-3h. After that I reverted everything and made sure the old network would work as before.
Good part of my experience:
Then I got back to your post and I can 100% confirm that the steps 1-6 did work flawlessly for me and the experience was the same - I sucessfully migrated a network of 116 Zigbee devices (65 Routers, 51 End Devices) within minutes.
I had to repair ONE device, for the rest it was just running in front of a motion sensor, opening a door, power off and on etc. - I couldn’t be happier and I truely regret not ditching the Dongle-P before.
My lowest LQI is now 88, before I migrated I had ~100 devices lower than 80 LQI and now the average is ~110-120. One device got from LQI 12 before to 116 now - frankly said this is insane 
The whole network is snappier than ever and I am so happy I came accross this post when I saw the dongle-max because you convinced me to actually give it a try and buy it - so again a million thanks to you @MarVin!!!
That being said: As also mentioned above this is my experience, yours could differ so make sure to understand what your doing and probably there will be another/easier way to do a migration in the future or the migration method published by SONOFF might work better for you.
Sure, HA ignored the changes I made directly in the config files […] so I also updated them in Settings → Add-ons → Zigbee2MQTT → configuration → serial.
I had the same problem and I can confirm if you EVER changed something in the addon UI (as described above) it does not take the configuration.yaml file and overwrites it with whatever is in the UI Settings. I had to deinstall the addon, leave “serial” empty in the Addon Settings and changed the yaml file - that way it did took the yaml instead of the UI settings. However it does work also the other way around - change it in the UI instead of the configuration file will overwrite it to the config - I just prefer changing files instead of UI (especially when they are not connected - see below).
[…] (I assume they are only read when HA boots) […]
I had the same assumption, too but I checked it on my end by changing the yaml and rebooting the whole HA host, just to find out that it is burned into the UI and yaml changes are ignored when the UI is set.
@Uncr34tive I’m glad this helped you and hopefully will help any others who need it. I think for some the documented Sonoff migration page has been working and for some of us not so much.
That being said once you have migrated I have found my system is rock solid and highly responsive. My devices all have strong connections and nothing has dropped off the network, it just works period.
I have had one issue that I am positive is a Z2M problem not the Dongle or network because of the fix. I had a few light groups setup in Z2M and occasionally one light in the group would not respond first time. As example if I turn off a group one light stays on but if I turn it off again it responds. I have deleted the groups in Z2M and recreated them in HA using the Helpers on the Devices & Services page and they work perfectly. I’ve noticed this started a Z2M upgrade or two ago so I’m convinced the problem is there. Fix was easy though and all is well now.
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I’ve just done this migration, all went well except the new dongle-Max keeps disconnecting from my Ikea bulbs. I’ve tried re-adding etc. but in the end I had to add them to my old Hue hub for them to work reliable. Anyone else had issue with Ikea bulbs? I’ve had them for years with no issues using the Sonoff USB stick.
I can’t confirm that on my end - I have 20 IKEA bulbs (various models) all work well after the migration. Is it one specific model or do all IKEA bulbs not work on your end?
I have a mixture of GU10 and E27 bulbs all gave me issues. The E27 bulbs refused to connect, the GU10s worked for about an hour then all dropped offline and wouldn’t reconnect. All my Hue bulbs worked perfectly along with my Aqara stuff
Wish I could help but major of my bulbs are indeed E27 and E14 and they are working totally fine within today. Do you have also some IKEA Plugs? When I heard that IKEA bulbs tend to refuse /have bad connections to other brand routers I bought a bunch of plugs as well when I got my bulbs.
My coordinator only keeps connections with routers, not with end devices. Maybe bulbs aren‘t reliable routers due to them being cut from power occasionally, so the dongle prefers more stable router connections instead?
I don’t have any IKEA plugs but a do have a battery keypad that’s working fine. My Hue bulbs are all working as routers and never lose power (unless there’s a power cut)
It’s a strange one, I may contact Sonoff support and see what they say
That’s a no-no if you want a stable Zigbee network anyway.
That’s not what I meant - all my bulbs are working like a charm and are reliable routers. What I indeed meant: When I started my IKEA bulb journey (replacing a bunch of old Sonoff Basic Setup) I read that these bulbs doesn’t like other brands routers, thats why I bought a bunch of TRADFRI Plugs back then to not have issues in first place.
Hey Everyone!
I’m trying to migrate from a Sonoff Dongle Plus to the new Dongle Max. I’ve been following the instructions, but whenever I click the “Add” button in HA, I am greeted with this error:
Configuring manually gives this error:
However, the Dongle Max seems to be working fine when I connect to it directly via browser:
What could be the issue here and how would I fix it?
Thanks for your help!!
Looking at your sonoff webgui, something is already connected to it via tcp.
Ahh, that was it. I had it connected to my testing box and hadn’t disconnected it when moving the adapter to my prod box.
Which brings up a related question… I am in the process of creating a completely fresh install to replace my existing 4-year-running instance of Home Assistant (I just feel it’s a good time for a clean slate).
Is there a way to temporarily migrate the ZHA network from my prod box to my testing box so that I can rewrite automations before retiring my prod instance and promoting the test box to prod? Or, is there a way for both HA instances to use the Sonoff Dongle Max at the same time?
Thanks again for the help!!
So this chip should be capable of running at 460800 baud, have you tried that instead of the 115200 baud?
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I haven’t tried, don’t see it as necessary myself.
I migrated from the Sonoff Dongle P to the Sonoff Dongle M today using ZHA and the standard migration tool. Plugged in the Dongle M via USB and my laptop (Windows 11 with VMWARE HA) locked up and then blue screened. Rebooted ok and then I simply enabled the Dongle M to be exposed to my VM over USB and ran the migration wizard via ZHA. UX wording could be a little clearer and tell you to have both the old and new dongles plugged in during migration but it worked for me relatively seamlessly. I had to power cycle a few lights and open and close a few doors but for the 100+ devices I have, it was fairly painless.
There is a HUGE improvement in LQI and time will tell whether my network improves in stability. I recently added about 4 dedicated routers in addition to the 6 I already had to try fix flakey behaviours but it was still causing me grief.
Update: Sadly it wasn’t the magic bullet for me. Devices dropped off overnight 
. Need to spend more time debugging and seeing if there’s something else I can do to fix things