Zigbee LQI values are not comparable between manufacturers and might not be comparable between different chipsets and firmware versions (as there is no standardized methodology for measuring/calculating them).
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Ok, they could be calculated differently, but it shouldnāt be that much of a difference. They are both on the same 0-255 scale. So if it drops 50% or more, I donāt see how could that be equally good, let alone ā4x betterā like the advertisment claims
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Regardless of LQI measurements, are you actually noticing poorer network performance?
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For me, everything is working as before despite the worse LQI values. I had hoped that a second temperature sensor (not visible in the screenshot above because it is not a direct neighbor of the hub) would maybe get a direct connection with ZBT-2 but that didnāt happen.
On the contrary, according to the network view, one of the lights (Akzentlicht 3) is not connected directly to the hub anymore but is now connected via one of the other lights (I donāt know why it is still listed as a neighbor of the hub, the network view contradicts).
In an other thread on this site I did ask how to install the ZBT-2 in a home-assistant container under Unraid without add-ons.
I do not know how to install an OTBR without add-ons
Any ideas?
I have the exact same problem. Also had to install firmware via Toolbox. Now also missing the status sensor etc. It feels like itās not really working. Does not give me the impression of a finished product. Would love to see status via LED but currently itās off, like dead.
I use a HomeAssistant Green Smart Hub and have also the HA ZWA-2 working without problems.
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This is expected. They will try to enable the LED functionality in the next release or two.
ZBT-2: Missing Entities - LED not functioning Ā· Issue #157195 Ā· home-assistant/core
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Hi folks. I am wondering, for better thread connectivity, if it is feasible to install the ZBT2 far away from the HA instance, and use some form of Ethernet to USB converter on either side?
I purchased 2 of them. Iām using one for zigbee. I wanted to install the other one, but want it in a different room.
Cheers
Matt
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Itās been done with Zigbee and Z-wave serial devices for years. HomeSeer has sold these units for years. They use a Raspberry Pi with ser2net installed to convert serial to TCP/IP. I have 2 of them that have been running Zigbee and Z-wave reliably for years.
More recently there have been ESP32 hardware versions developed.
Note that you donāt need to convert at both sides. Just at the far side. Z-wave and Zigbee software directly support using the TCP/IP address as the controller/coordinator port.
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Yes that is deffinitly wanted for Thread Border Routers.
Aother thing is the ability to have multiple Thread Border Router adapters since OpenThread specifications does supports that, but do not think that Home Assistantās OpenThread Border Router add-on support it yet?
If both of those was possible then that would also help sell a lot more ZBT-2 adapters!
Again, as I posted above in The best gets better - Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 - #59 by Hedda
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Makes senseā¦
Could someone explain, with numbers?
Based on what the ā4x betterā came from?
This is from the product announcement - note how it says nothing about LQI measurements, which as has been pointed out by others here and in other threads (I am absolutely not an authority on this) are not a reliiable indicator of device responsiveness.
Summery from ZHA docs How to interpret RSSI and LQI values section is āBest practice is to ignore LQI valueā ā https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#how-to-interpret-rssi-and-lqi-values
How to interpret RSSI and LQI values
Interpreting RSSI and LQI values can be complex, as metrics of network health and communication quality are provided by the devices themselves, and each device could get to its results in different ways. Unless you are a Zigbee specialist yourself or are guided by one, please ignore those values. They can be misleading. If you delve into this, it is important to understand not to judge RSSI or LQI values on their own. When troubleshooting Zigbee messages that are being dropped, you must interpret the combination of both RSSI and LQI.
RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) values are an indicator value of the raw signal strength between two devices. RSSI values are negative numbers in -dBm format (0 to -100 power ratio in decibels of the measured power referenced to one milliwatt). Lower negative values indicate less interference and a good signal. RSSI information is only between the endpoint device and the first hop from that device. As such, it may not necessarily show signal strength to the Zigbee Coordinator but instead could be showing signal strength to the nearest Zigbee Router device.
- Generally, anything -60 and above (meaning -50, -40, etc.) in RSSI should be considered a strong signal (not losing messages).
- Usually, anything at -80 and below (meaning -85, -90, etc.) in RSSI should be considered a noisy environment and you risk losing messages.
LQI (Link Quality Index) values are shown as positive numbers on a scale but can be very hard to interpret for Zigbee and not as useful for troubleshooting. This is because the Zigbee specifications and the (IEEE 802.15.4 specification) do not standardize how to perform LQI measurements. The LQI value provided by the Zigbee devices is not measured using unified standards from all device manufacturers and Zigbee stacks, and often, LQI is only a measure of the last-hop link quality anyway, which is most of the time not useful information as such the values can not always be trusted.
For example, Zigbee devices based on Silicon Labs EmberZNet stack use positive display numbers for LQI, where higher is better and lower is worse. The Texas Instruments Z-Stack computes LQI for each received packet from the raw āreceived signal strength indexā (RSSI) by linearly scaling it between the minimum and maximum defined RF power levels for the radio that more or less just provides an LQI value that, based on the strength of the received signal. This can be misleading in case you have a noisy environment with interference within the same frequency range (as the RSSI value may be shown as increased even though the true link quality decreases). Other manufacturers and Zigbee stacks measure and calculate LQI values in another way.
In theory, a positive high LQI value is better, and a lower LQI value is worse, but depending on your devices, that might not always be the reality.
- Best practice is to ignore LQI value.
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Hi, I have a question ā¦
I am using Home Assistant Yellow
To use the ZBT-2ā¦ is the only option is to plug it into the Yellow via USB?
Can I communicate with ZBT-2 via WI-FI ?
Yellow <ā ( WI-FI, no USB ) ā> ZBT-2 (USB power-ed)
and then use the ZBT-2 as the primary Zigbee radio
or maybe use it as a booster?
Please kindly help.
Thanks!
If the antenna design is tweaked to the relevant frequencies, and the base of the ZBT-2 also contains antenna related functionality, am I correct in asuming that i canāt turn it upside down? 
As an old school type IT guy, i leaned a long time ago that WiFi APs should be placed as high as possible, so as to get above furniture, people and other obstacles. 
I bring that logic over onto my Zigbee and Z-wave sticks. 
Upgrading to the ZBT-2, i would not want to install a shelf for it under the ceiling, so ceiling mouting it upside down was an idea.
Just seems not so smart to get a new shining coordinator, and then starting out by mounting it wrong and limiting itās performance. 
I know an antenna is much more than just a bigger surface for waves to hit, but what are the facts here?
Upside down or no upside down?
Best regards
Niels
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I havenāt found much on the antennaās design, so Iām just speculating here:
Ground planes, if placed a proper distance from the antenna and large enough, tend to push the signal more away from the ground plane.
A typical dipole antenna used by WiFi routers generally donāt have that much of a ground plane and have a gain of around 2.1dB, with a omini-directional radiation pattern similar to a donut (with the antenna running through the middle of the donut hole). But the specs on the ZBT-2 list a gain of 4.1dB, which leads me to speculate that the ground plane is pushing the donut a bit more away from the ground plane. If Iām somewhat on the right track (and again Iām speculating), then the better location for the ZBT-2 standing up-right would be closer to the floor in the center of the home (radiating predominantly side to side but somewhat upward and less downward), or upside down closer to the ceiling (radiating predominantly side to side but somewhat downward).
BTW, I donāt know if the ZBT-2 has an accelerometer or not but if one mounts it upside down, one may end up with a Red light at the tip of the antenna.
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I donāt have the ZBT-2 but I did try putting the ZWA-2 upside down and the light goes back to blue, suggesting it might be happy in that orientation.
You really should remove the line that states the top lights up like a candle until you actually have that functionality available. The LED does not light in its current configuration, and this could very well lead to false advertising in some countries. I wouldnāt want that for you guys but saying the top lights like a candle when it currently does not, well thatās not great. Add it back when the feature is available
By the way, does the ZBT-2 support hardware flow control, or software flow control, or have no flow support (none)?
The Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 documentation, FAQ, nor any user reports I have seen so far mention any configuration options for serial port RTS/CTS hardware flow control.
This information on serial port flow control and the baud rate serial port speed is needed for manual migration or installation.
All I can say.
(thatās an eye roll)