I’m currently using HA on a raspberry pi 3 b+ and I want to switch to a Synology NAS. I would need, however, a zigbee solution for the NAS.
Right now, I’m using the conbee II stick with the raspberry but I’ve read an older topic that there are compatibility issues between conbee and Synology DS218+.
Is there a difference between Synology NAS models when it comes to zigbee sticks? I’m looking for a Synology DS218+ but would also get a different one if it would work better with HA.
That’s a good idea, also Deconz is going to support ZigBee2MQTT soon. Anyway with Deconz you don’t need ZigBee2MQTT, you can put the stick on any device and then just connect to it through the IP, the stick doesn’t need to be on the same machine.
@nickrout, @Burningstone - but are you not then making your zigbee solution dependant upon two machines up and running ?
Not sure what running HA on a NAS brings you.
I have a synology 418 and would never dream on reducing its availability by running something else on it. Nor would I want to compromise my HA by requiring additional and unnecessary hardware
Yes you are, but you don’t have a single point of failure anymore. I just prefer MQTT in general because this way I can easily use data/control devices from multiple systems without exposing devices from on system to the other system.
Could be too greedy to buy an additional Pi, I don’t know, I’d also never put my Home automation on the same NAS that provides me with all my important data.
Your English is so good, I sometimes forget it’s not your first language, I wouldn’t say greedy, I’d say too ‘mean’ or stingy, (I know this is another case where one word ‘means’ multiple things based on context) mean == convey OR mean == emotionally disinclined to pay out when they can avoid it (this does NOT mean poor, as this enforced frugality is necessary and not from philosophy)
Sorry if that was a bit long winded but I noticed when writing it how often I had to avoid the word ‘mean’
Greedy : implies you always want more, but you might spend lots of money buying more ‘Roast Beef’ (insert any general regional stereotype dish here, though I’m not implying you are French (I know you’re not ! ))
Not necessarily. The problem I see with USB sticks for ZigBee/W-Wave attached directly to the server is high availability. I’m planning on having a separate Home Assistant machine as a slave when the primary fails. With an MQTT server in the middle or USB-over-ip, I can easily switch to the slave and continue where I left with almost zero downtime, whereas with the USB stick attached directly to the server, I need to physically switch the stick and probably do some other configuration as well. Makes it also easier to test things in my development environment before it goes to production.
In addition it’s also easier to place the stick in a central location for an optimal range, which can be impossible if your server is somewhere in a basement.
I appreciate your point in that you are simplifying the machine with the : -
(what’s a W-Wave ? ) And hence the HA Instances …
And All Three machines can subscribe to the same topics but the two HA instances will have different ip addresses so won’t BOTH be available (without some port mangling) to duckdns (just an observation) And you’d have to remember to switch addresses in your devices (and maybe on the router too)
There is no “Schadenfreude” here, and yes my German friends teach me words too !
(Again, not that you are German but you are pretty close )
So lets count your HA backups again :-
HA No 1
HA No 2
Git-Hub
Your Key Ring
Your Wife’s Key Ring
Your Back Pack
Your PC
How about carving it in stone ? That way it might survive the EMP from a nuclear device (you can never be TOOOOO safe ! But how would you update a stone tablet ? Would Tipex work ? )
I don’t care so much about remote access from the app, in case I need to do some “serious” work remotely I connect through my VPN server. There are probably already other solutions for this, I didn’t do a lot of research about high availability Home Assistant yet.
You forgot the NAS Jokes aside, I had a major data loss in the past with pictures, movies and documents (incl. an almost finished Bachelor Thesis, which I fortunately saved on Dropbox as well) that were really important for me. I had two harddrives and used one as a backup of the other and both of them failed me at the same time Maybe I’m too paranoid since then, but the whole backup process became pretty easy and doesn’t take me a lot of time, maybe 1 hour a month and it makes me feel safe and comfortable.
is there any specific instruction that you have to follow in order for it to work? I have read that after a reboot, you have to manually reconnect. is this is also the case for you or does the conbee II stick automatically work after you restart your diskstation?
I don’t use a diskstation, however when I restart my server, the stick connects automatically.
What guide to you want?
Using the ConBee from another machine works something like this:
Attach the ConBee to any device like a Pi, install deconz on it, use the stick from another machine running Home Assistant by specifying the ip of the pi in the integration config and that should be it.
ok, but I don’t want to use another device like a raspberry for the conbee II stick. I want to directly use it on a NAS by plugging it into its usb port.
You can extend the Conbee2 to your desired location with an USBextender cable. There is even an option to use a cable with separate power injection if you need to extend it further then the 5m USB supports.
Im using a 5m cable, to get my Conbee2 5 meters away from my DS218+, and it works like a charm
I have a DS1813+ and just ordered a Conbee2, I’m curious what’s the reasons for using the USB extender cable? I’m guessing moving it higher to get better reception/broadcast?
Yes, moving it into a better position for one thnig, but alot of people (including me) have had problems finding the conbee2 stick in system when it is plugged directly into the NAS. I even read in the deCONZ software installation guide over at Phoscon that a usb extender was recommended.
Maybe I’m too paranoid since then, but the whole backup process became pretty easy and doesn’t take me a lot of time, maybe 1 hour a month and it makes me feel safe and comfortable.
