Use binding as a stopgap/backup solution if HA is not available

[dalyan (Dario)]

This topic was moved from here because the discussion no longer fit with the original topic.

@dalyan

original topic stuff...

I think this point is missing from your great post (or I missed it):

An underestimated source of errors are routers/repeaters that are connected to a physical switch. Typically this happens when someone (like me) replaces their non-smart bulbs with zigbee bulbs. When the light switch is on, everything works, the zigbee bulb can be controlled via the home assistant. When the light is turned off at the physical switch, the light goes out. But in the background the Zigbee network loses one (or even several) routers/repeaters.

The only option is to always power the zigbee bulbs (which act as routers/repeaters) and to replace the physical switches with zigbee switches.

Is it possible to configure the Zigbee network so that it does not use Zigbee bulbs as routers/repeaters? As far as I know, no.

My goal is that I can turn the light on and off with a switch (zigbee or physical). When it’s on, it dims depending on activity and sun.

Now my special request:
I would like to be able to turn the lights on and off even when my home assistant rapberry pi is unplugged or not available.

I currently have this setup with wifi bulbs and physical switches. When the WiFi bulbs are turned on with the physical switch, they immediately light up as when they were turned off (or a preconfigured value).
As soon as the WiFi bulb is registered in the WiFi network, this triggers an automation that tells the WiFi bulb how it should light up. I think this is not possible with zigbee bulbs? At least not without disrupting the network by adding and removing routers/repeaters…

All hints and advice are welcome!

I received several replies and in this reply binding was mentioned. I think binding is exactly what I’m looking for:

@dalyan

@Hedda

That can be possible via Zigbee binding, by binding a Zigbee light that support Zigbee binding to a Zigbee remote. Zigbee binding works even when the Zigbee Coordinator is not available:

• https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#binding-and-unbinding
• https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/guide/usage/binding.html

This! This is exactly what I’m looking for! Thank you so much!

I plan the following steps:

• Zigbee switches/dimmers and zigbee bulbs that support multi-destination binding. This way I can bind them to each other and to ZHA at the same time.
• All Zigbee bulbs are wired directly - always powered
• When a light is on, it is controlled by HA depending on activity/sun.
• When a light is off, the startup behavior of the bulb is controlled depending on activity/sun. When I turn on the light, it immediately lights up to match the activity/sun. There is no longer any need to wait for the bulb to come online to adjust to the activity/sun (like in my current wifi bulb setup).

Expected limitations:
I expect that once it is bound to a light I will only be able to use the zigbee switch to turn the light on and off. Changing the scene by pressing several times in a short time or something similar is probably no longer possible because the switch switches the light on and off directly.
I will definitely test how it feels when HA turns the light back on in another scene after a quick on-off (or off-on) at the switch (and the bulb). On the other hand, there may also be manufacturers who recognize a double click or long click in the switch itself.

Lots of new ideas come to mind…

Unfortunately, I have to put this exciting project and the interesting research on hold for the time being because I have to finish another project that actually pays me by the summer… But I now have one more reason to look forward to my summer vacation; ).

Ultimately, I should have read the documentation more carefully from the beginning… In any case, thanks again for the tip about the binding!