I’m looking for someone here to confirm that Xiaomi sensors can connect to the VeraPlus without the need for any additional hardware.
I have some Aqara Xiaomi sensors but I don’t have the Xiaomi hub. Since they both support ZigBee I’m hoping that’s all I will need.
From what I have read it seems like the Vera makes Z-Wave integration really easy too so that’s why I would prefer it over the Xiaomi hub.
If you feel like offering up additional information about the process of connect Z-Wave and Xiaomi devices to the VeraPlus, it would be much appreciated.
Right now it looks like I just need to add something like this to my config and after a restart I’ll see the entities in the < > list?
I can confirm that using the vera component that your devices z-wave or zigbee will be visable and usable in HA.
As for teh Xiaomi, I’m not sure. I don’t have any of those devices. I do have other Zigbee devices that I know work, centralite lamp module and NYCE motion sensors
I can now answer my own question. No, Xiaomi will not work with Vera Plus at this time.
While I was researching this the unit went on sale so I bought it for the Z-Wave integration since that looked like it worked quite well.
It did make adding Z-Wave devices pretty easy and once I added the the Vera line to my config and restarted HA, it showed up and worked just fine.
Another plus that I read about but didn’t see advertised anywhere is that after the firmware update the Vera Plus no longer needed to be hard wired to my LAN and WiFI is working great so far.
I was able to pair a Xiaomi device but that’s as far as it gets. It won’t configure the device for use. I submitted a support question and they confirmed it’s not supported at this time.
Still it’s a nice product for using with HA and it seems to have a good range.
Bummer about the Xiaomi devices. On the flip side you now have a nice z-wave controller that supports a good amount of Zigbee devices. Honestly I still haven’t found a system that supports a ton of Zigbee other than SmartThings and that’s only because it’s drivers are cloud based.
I don’t regret the purchase and there is still a chance that some day they may extend it to include Xiaomi.
For now I just need to find small, battery powered zwave motion sensors with a very short recycle time. If you have a suggestion I’d appreciate hearing about it.
Zooz ZSE09 - small, fast response, fast reset, lots of options for customizing also has Lux sensor (own, use)
Dome Motion Sensor - basically the same as Zooz ZSE09 with some minor differences (reference from someone known on Hubitat forum)
Neo Motion Sensor - basically the same as Zooz and Dome above (reference from someone on Hubitat forum)
– See a trend?
Zooz ZSE02 - fast response/reset no options can be usb powered. Large sensor like almost the size of an echo dot. (own, use)
Fibaro - lots of sensors, options can be tuned. Not as fast as the above but good for most things other than Light control where you want the light on NOW. (own, use)
Zooz ZSE40 MultiSensor v1 has good sensors but motion is slow to respond and reset the V2 is improved and better batteries. (own use v1)
BeSense Ceiling motion sensor - some what fast… fast enough I suppose. Not super sensitive which is ok. No options other than the dip switches. I have mine on the “test” mode which is supposed to be the fastest. Still slower than anything listed except for the ZSE40.
By far the BEST motion sensor or I should say my FAVORITE is the NYCE Ceiling Motion sensor. This is a Zigbee sensor… but it does work very well with Vera Plus. This is the only reason why I keep my Vera Plus online. I use these sensors in my bathroom for the lights and Family Room.
Kinda a plug but oh well. I buy 99% of my stuff through www.thesmartesthouse.com they have good prices, but their customer support is the best. They do sell through Amazon as well which is were I do order most of my stuff. But their CS is the best, I write to them all the time asking about devices, what’s new and upcoming and how well does something REALLY work and they give honest answers. Proof is determined if I buy the product and it sucks and they told me it was good… that hasn’t happened. They have been very helpful with all of my questions and with device support whether it was configuring, tuning/adjusting or returns for warranty or defects.
Wow thanks @jeubanks
I’m saving that info and will definitely look into that in detail this weekend!
I’ve ordered from www.thesmartesthouse.com before and I agree they have good prices and were quick to respond when I asked a question.
I bought a Zooz ZSE40 but the battery life report is terrible and overall not very pleased with it. Not sure how to tell which version I have but based on your comments I’m guessing it’s the V1.
For the ZSE40 - Does your sensor use AAA batteries? If so then it’s V1. The new V2 users other batteries like other automation sensors… can’t remember off the top of my head the battery size.
For the NYCE sensor. Yes that’s the amazon listing for it. Mind you again this is Zigbee but it works great with Vera Plus MINUS the temp/humidity. You can get the temp to report but not humidity through standard Vera means. However there is a MQTT app for Vera which does send out the temp/humidity info which is how I access it. Again this is Zigbee… so if you have a primary Z-wave network and then you add in zigbee you may have range issues because of limited zigbee devices to route messages. Personally I’m on the hunt to find a replacement for this sensor. Not because I don’t like the sensor because I do. But it is the only reason I’m keeping my Vera Plus box online.
Ya it uses the AAA batteries so that answers that question.
Any idea how to stop the annoying blinking light in Vera? It still works fine as a temp/humidity/lux sensor just not good for lighting.
Didn’t realize the NYCE wouldn’t easily report the temp and humidity which I need for where I was planning to locate the sensor. I’ll look at the others you listed and see which one suits me needs best. Thanks for the heads up.
Having the Vera I don’t think I care if its zwave or zigbee anymore and since so far all my sensors are battery powered range is always an issue but my place is small and so far hasn’t been a problem.
I don’t have that sensor in vera anymore, but download the manual so you can verify the parameter number. Then in vera go into the device select advanced look at I think it was device config or parameters and then depending on the device the “supported” setting swill be listed or it will just have an empty set parameter option. This is where the manual comes in. Set the parameter number, the value and the byte size and click submit. You will need the sensor and a paper clip handy to wake the device before you hit submit and then wake it until you get an OK or other indicator that the settings have took. Sometimes with Vera you have to click the back back to the main devices front page and then go back to the device… it’s kinda a hassle for battery devices with Vera.
Of the other sensors listed the only one that has temp is the Fibaro. The ZSE09, Dome, Neo have motion and Lux the ZSE02 and BeSense are pure motion.
The aeotec gen 6 multi-sensor has mixed reviews if you need motion/light/temp/humidity… I’ve seen good reports and bad for motion. The rest of the sensor as ok
It’s a mixed bag to get all sensors in one device and the options are limited.
I think I’m finally figuring out that I’ll have to separate the senors if I want fast motion detection…
I just ordered a Zooz ZSE09 to try it out for motion detection and lux. I’ll just put the 4in1 out of site somewhere and use it for temp and humidity since I already own it.
Tune Lux reporting otherwise it seems like it doesn’t work
Tune Motion Sensitivity 1 - 255 options… BIG range. It takes patience and testing what what works for you. If I remember the default is like 12… or something and a ghost will set it off.
I acquired some of the Xiaomi sensors and I am trying to get them working with Vera. The sensor seems to pair after repeated use of a paperclip to wake the device. After pairing, for a short period of time the sensor does update correctly its status in Vera. However, afterwards the sensor a “Can’t Detect Device” error message in Vera.
I found this post while searching for my problem. The manual that came with my device is not in English and I am unable to find a version of the manual in English with the details that you mention - “This is where the manual comes in. Set the parameter number, the value and the byte size and click submit.”
Can you or someone else point me to a copy of the manual or any other necessary information?
Vera wants to poll devices. If it doesn’t get a signal it will report the error “can’t detect device”. It makes sense for a door sensor to go into sleep mode to conserve battery, and there become unresponsive to status pool requests.
I don’t have any zigbee or xiaomi sensors, but several other devices I have connected have a polling setting (default set to 60) and when set to 0 no polling is done.
Hope this helps. I might be able to provide more detailed answer once I get my hands on some xiaomi aqara sensors.
I received a Xiaomi Aqara sensor today and succesfully connected it to VeraPlus and then to Home Assistant (through VeraPlus plugin)
Pairing Instructions
Press button on Aqara for 3-5 seconds to ‘reset’ it
Start generic ZigBee discovery on VeraPlus through add device UI
Press and release button on Aqara every few seconds until it pairs.
Complete the wizard in Vera (name device and select room)
I checked the polling value and found PollEnabled instead and this was set to 0. (PollEnabled value can be found in device -> advanced -> variables). So far I haven’t received any “Can’t detect device” messages.
After what time do you start seeing these messages?
I have connected a Xiaomi zigbee push button without problem (MI Wireless Switch). The automatic research of Vera Plus is not working well, but the device will be in the list of unknown devices, so working in scenes very well.
I have the Aqara Wireless Mini Switch. I’ve been able to add it to my Vera Plus as a generic zigbee device however it isn’t showing up in Home Assistant. Anyone had any luck with this device?
I actually managed to add this zigbee sensor but unfortunately, I could not find a way to report its state to HA. I switched to reliable zwave sensors instead.