Hello, I am new to HA and currently awaiting an HA Green w/SkyConnect from EST. The HA Green has two USB ports. I am wondering what is the best way to add Z-wave to the hub…
Is the dual Zigbee/Z-wave combo units any good? Should I just get a separate Z-wave USB dongle? Can you run the dongles off a USB hub connected to one of the USB ports on the HA (in case I need more than 2 USB ports)?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
I would avoid combo sticks, just to have the flexibility to change one without the other.
Yes, they should work through a hub.
This is actually recommended to get the sticks away from any potential sources of interference
I know Green isn’t a Pi but you should know its almost impossible to get a Zigbee coordinator stick working on a pi plugged directly into the port. (and why Skyconnect ships with a short usb extension cable. - there’s a video on YouTube showing how had interference can impact your setup…)
Reccommended - use a USB 2 port (read: not the blue or orange ports) and/or hub (yes, 2, not 3) because usb 3 runs at approximately 3Ghz and creates even more interference adjacent to the 2.4Ghz band and don’t plug a USB connect SSD into the same hub.
I personally run a tiny USB2 powered hub to also keep the extra current load off the Pi.
Finally when you get it and set it up. Instead of using the USB virtual shortname (looks something like /TTYACM0) for best practice - look through the forum on how to identify the long by-id path to the stick and use that instead. If your usb ports ever move around on you (it can using the shortname) the stick still works because you’re addressing it specifically by its port name not the port you think it’s plugged into…
Also +1 on avoid combo sticks.
Thank you for the advice and recommendations… much appreciated.
For this HA Green, what is a good compatible Z-Wave USB dongle to get and should it be plugged into a USB extension cable to minimize interference as well?
I have been looking around and did find this
but I don’t think it applies to the HA Green…
Yes it applies to the green as well.
Use the dongle reccommended by your chosen integration.
For ZWave - that’s ZWaveJS (the link you found)
For zigbee that can be ZHA (the built-in), Zigbee2MQTT or even deconz.
Each integration has its own recommendations.
Oh… okay. So, I do see there a note recommending 700 series. So I guess I will just find any one of those 700 series and buy that… thanks!
My only other question is, would I plug it into a USB extension cable as well and keep it far away from the hub?
Nope the point is to get the stick away from the pc/pi/green/nuc/host and sequestered from the usb3 bus once you’re on the hub you’re good.
I am planning to buy a USB 2.0 4-port hub and an extension cable for the hub. Was gonna plug the extension into the HA Green and then to the hub. I will then plug this Z-wave stick AND the SkyConnect into a port on the USB2 hub… is that a good plan?
Exactly.
(the small one is a usb Bluetooth, the cable is my ups, and the other two are zigbee and ZWave.)
What do you use that USB Bluetooth for? Looks like one of those BT dongles for a mouse. Is it for communicating with BT home automation devices?
Yes however I reccommend you don’t go that route for BT - instead look up making your own EspHome Esp32 Bluetooth proxy device.
Its an easy low cost project to understand esp32 and esphome
Its a much better way to implement Bluetooth connectivity.
I have plans of decommissioning that BT dongle as soon as I can ensure everything I’m connecting to with Bluetooth is using esp32 BT proxies instead.
And one last. Powered USB hub is preferred.
Thank you for the BT tip. I did not order the hub yet, thankfully, but it was in my cart.
I am struggling to find a “USB 2.0” powered hub. They all seem to be 3.0. Good catch… a powered USB hub would put less stress on the HA Green I suppose.
Powered will probably be less important on the green if you can’t find one. On a pi power injection becomes more important
Ahh… ok. Well I will order this one then
