Sonoff Zigbee USB 3 vs USB 2

Hardware
1

I am using the Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus with my Raspberry pi 4. At the moment, I have it inserted in the USB 2 input because both my USB 3 slots are taken.

I have a network of around 45 devices, mostly Ikea lightbulbs and Philips Hue Dimmers.

I am noticing a lot of latency and problems. Sometimes the lights arent turning on when automated and other times they are not responding to button presses from the dimmer until I have pressed 3-4 times.

I have noticed poorer performance since adding more lightbulbs and wondered if using the USB 3 connection is partly a cause of this problem before I buy a hub to test it out.

What other optimisations or things can I try to improve the network performance?

2

No, that will not be the reason.

More likely you have interference with your or the neighbors 2.4Ghz WiFi signal or your Zigbee coordinator is limited in its reception/transmission.

I hope you are using a USB-extension cable and plug your coordinator in the extension cable and not directly into the Pi. Are you?

3

I am using an extension cable, yes.

The lights I am having the most trouble with are actually nearer the coordinator.

I can try moving the routers 2.4ghz channel.

4

Make sure you are not choosing an overlapping channel and keep in mind that Zigbee channel numbers are different than the WiFi 2.4 channels. (See here: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/should-i-change-my-zigbee-channel/441583/5?u=af360

5

Thanks.

I’ve set the wifi to channel 1 and left the zigbee stick on 11. Will see if it helps.

6

That’s not a good combination. Zigbee 11 directly overlaps with WiFi 1.

7

Channel naming is different between zigbee and wifi, so you need to check web page above to find out great match for your local setup.

My go to source: ZigBee and Wi-Fi Coexistence | MetaGeek

8

I had already posted a link to the channel spectrum and to that article above.
Did not help apparently…

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9

I was in a rush and read "you should be using wifi channels 1, 6 or 11 so just set it to that.

Can someone just tell me what channel to put my wifi on if zigbee is on channel 11? I have set to the wifi now to 13 at least.

Moving the wifi to channel 1 did seem to make an improvement actually but it could also be down to something else.

If I change the zigbee channel do I have to setup all my devices again?

10

WiFi 13 should be good.

13’s not at option for me here in the US… Really anything channel 6 or higher will be well outside the “Zigbee 11” band, so in the US I would normally say use WiFi 6 or 11.

But…

Also do a scan for your neighbors to see if/how they are interfering.

Changing Zigbee channels will require re-pairing, so changing WiFi is usually easiest.

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