I have 5 Ikea lightbulbs that I have across my house and I currently have them integrated in my smart home using the IKEA TRÅDFRI integration. I also have Z2M installed with around 56 devices varing from Aqara motion sensors, temp sensors, buttons, and Tuya smart plugs with EM.
I’ve been wondering if I should move the Ikea lightbulbs into Z2M. I previously tried it, but was having issues with my network being unstable and so I ended up just sticking with the Ikea gateway.
I have 4 TRADFRI bulb E27 CWS 806lm, and 1 TRADFRI bulb E27 CWS opal 600lm.
My Z2M stick that I’m using is a SONOFF Universal Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus.
The reason I’m thinking of moving the Ikea bulbs into Z2M is so that I could group my motion sensors/buttons with the lights so that they still turn on even if Z2M dies or similar.
Recommend moving all Zigbee devices to the same Zigbee network if possible, but note that since those are Zigbee Router devices you need to make sure that they are always powered. Do not make the mistake of connecting Zigbee Router devices to dumb switches so that they get disconnected as that will make your Zigbee network unstable or at least unreliable.
If you are running two Zigbee networks (one operated by the IKEA TRÅDFRI hub and the other by SONOFF Dongle Plus) ensure they’re not using the same Zigbee channel.
Switch over one light at a time. Observe how the new device makes connections in Z2M’s network map and its LQI value (signal strength). Ensure the network is stable (wait at least a day or three) before switching over the next light. If you encounter instability, remove the latest device that was added and see if stability is restored.
FWIW, although I wasn’t experiencing any network instability, I proactively relocated the coordinator to a more central location (connected via a 16-foot USB cable) and it significantly improved LQI for all devices directly connected to it. I also changed the Zigbee channel to avoid potential interference with my WiFi access point’s 2.4GHz channel.
Performance is also improved by the addition of mains-powered Zigbee devices that act as routers (and, of course, dedicated Zigbee routers) because they build multiple paths (mesh) to the coordinator.
I highly recommend you review Hedda’s excellent community guide.
I like the idea of moving one device at a time, to ensure stability. My network has been a lot stable since introducing my 5ft cable and moved my sonoff stick more central in my living room.
I never thought about how the IKEA hub would also be running a zigbee network and could cause conflicts.
I have successfully moved over my Ikea bulbs to Z2M and completely removed the Ikea hub from operation. Things have been a bit shakey, however, I have also moved my co-ordinator to a central location within my living room, which is more central in the house.
Just waiting on the network to settle down, however, over this past week, I had a really rock solid network which was amazing and I was really happy.
The home I’m in currently is not me and my partner’s long term home so getting to experiment with what works and doesn’t is great, and I appreciate the advice both of you gave.
