Using SMLight SLZB06 Zigbee Coordinator Over VPN – Stability Issues and Auto-Reboot Strategies?

robert97 · February 5, 2025, 5:19pm

Hey everyone,

I have an SMLight SLZB06 Zigbee coordinator set up in a remote location, and I’m connecting to it via a WireGuard VPN from my main Home Assistant instance (using Zigbee2MQTT). Whenever the VPN drops or Zigbee2MQTT hangs, the coordinator seems to become unresponsive, so the entire Zigbee network goes down.

Right now, I’m dealing with it by power-cycling the coordinator using a smart plug whenever the network stays down for too long—but I’m looking for a more graceful or automated solution. It’s vital for me to be able to handle this remotely without on-site intervention.

I’ve seen some hints about using a firmware (on the SLZB06) that might allow an HTTP reboot endpoint or even running Z2M locally on the coordinator’s ESP32 chip and forwarding data over MQTT. Has anyone gone that route or done something similar for a robust remote setup?

Is there a better way to detect a hung coordinator or a broken VPN tunnel and auto-restart it without physically cutting power?
Would running Zigbee2MQTT locally on the coordinator (or on a device at the remote site) and sending sensor data over MQTT to my main HA instance be simpler in the long run?
Any best practices for maintaining stability over WireGuard, like keepalive settings or specific Z2M config tweaks?

I’d really appreciate any insights or experiences. Thanks in advance!

francisp · February 5, 2025, 5:26pm

This ^

You can’t run Zigbee2MQTT on an ESP32, however, you can run Zigbee2Tasmota on an ESP32. But unless you know what you are doing, I would run Zigbee2MQTT on a separate remote device.

user141 · February 5, 2025, 10:32pm

You can tun a script on SLZB-OS that reboots coordinator if socher connection is lost: see example by this link:

github.com

smlight-tech/slzb-os-scripts/blob/74d9bf8144776d4eb12d3c00e825f4d31cf77ee8/examlpes/basic/zb reboot on drop.be

import ZB # import zb module
var lastSocketClients = 0 # variable to remember the number of connected clients

#An infinite loop is needed to keep the script running forever.
#If execution reaches the end of the file, the script will terminate.
while true
  var curClients = ZB.getZbClients() # store current clients

  if curClients == 0 && lastSocketClients > 0 # if there are no current clients and there were in the last cycle, it means that the clients has disconnected
    SLZB.log("socket client dissconnected!" ) # log some text
    ZB.reboot() # reboot zigbee chip
  end

  lastSocketClients = curClients # store current clients
  SLZB.delay(500); # sleep for 500ms
end

robert97 · February 6, 2025, 9:13am

That’s what we’re doing right now (running Z2M on a separate remote device), but sometimes the connectivity is unstable and the zigbee network falls. In most cases, the only way to solve this is by powering off and on the coordinator using the wi-fi smart plug, but I’m looking for a more stable and robust solution

GeorgeBark · February 6, 2025, 10:42am

And how do you load that script into the SLZB-06? I don’t seem to find anything on the docs or anywhere in the UI to load scripts… Thanks!

robert97 · February 6, 2025, 10:45am

So this script can be saved on the coordinator? How do I do this? I can’t find any information online

robert97 · February 7, 2025, 9:32am

I asked SMLight’s support about this and they sent me the following link: How to load a script on SLZB-OS.
It’s actually super easy to do it.