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.
From here the content no longer fits the topic, so I have created a new topic here.
Off topic stuff...
My goal is that I can turn the light on and off with a switch (zigbee or physical). When itâs 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/repeatersâŚ
WiFi is definitely the winner here. However, there are Zigbee devices that still operate with a relay and no connection to a mesh. Aqara rockers and the T1 I think both operate this way. I know the rockers do (unless configured to be decoupled), but Iâm not sure about the T1. Personally, for my setup, all my switches are either Aqara single/double gang rockers or Shelly Plus 1s. I use the Aqara rockers where I donât have a neutral wire (old house and only some of my switch boxes have neutrals) and the Shellyâs pretty much everywhere else. I do have a couple of Leviton voice dimmers as well (which are also WiFi), but Iâve never tested their disconnected behavior.
Some Zigbee bulbs will retain their last state (router config, last power status, etc). Hue, Ikea, Innr and Innovelli all do for sure. But, the damage has already been done to the mesh and that just takes time to heal (as you stated). Personally, I never recommend people buy Zigbee bulbs for use in places where there is a physical switch connected unless they have upgraded that switch already (smart switch, hard wiring, etc).
Ignoring the fact that no matter the tech smart bulbs are designed to be always powered on unless otherwise specified on the boxâŚ
You CAN Use Zigbee bulbs that are KNOWN not to route. (see next) Or use lighting controls that support âsmart bulb modeâ (do not disconnect the load end of the control)
Sengled made an engineering decision to NOT route any of thier zigbee bulbs for THE EXACT reason stated. Basically - they got tired of answering that question on thier support desk. Sengled, by doing this is basically saying - Smart bulbs should ALWAYS be powered and donât use them as the main routers in your mesh.
That said itâs the exact reason I ONLY use Sengleds when a Zigbee smart bulb is required⌠I treat it like a battery device and make sure the mesh is strong without it. Good on them for that decision.
Indeed. That is also a common user error as most users do not know that you should not power off and on Zigbee Router devices. Zigbee Router devices should really always be always-on, i.e. always have power.
The best options is either to buy Zigbee lightbulbs that are not Zigbee Router devices, (such as the Zigbee lightbulbs from Sengled), or use dumb lightbulbs in combination with a smart switch instead.
In my option the real problem is that manufacturer should not make Zigbee lightbulbs that are Zigbee Router devices, as that way it is not possible for the user to make this mistake. Sengled is for example aware of this and do therefor not sell Zigbee lightbulbs that are Zigbee Router devices â -> Is Sengled's decision to not implement zigbee routing asinine?
No, it is not possible to disable routing.
FYI, there is something called âsource routingâ that does alleviate quirker re-routing a little bit but it usually causes other issues such as long latency/delays and is therefor disabled by default.
I recommend use dumb lightbulbs with smart dimmer switches instead. The smart dimmer switch control the dumb lightbulb and works even when the Zigbee Coordinator is not available.
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:
This! This is exactly what Iâm 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 mindâŚ
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!
Thank you very much for your answer. I will first try to achieve my desired setup using binding (see Heddaâs answer). If I missed something, I might use the Sengled bulbs mentioned.
I assume this is a binding between the switch and the bulb. If I understand binding correctly, a direct connection to the HA coordinator and the bulb can exist at the same time if multiple binding destinations are supported:
From ZHA integration docu:
Also, by default ZHA binds remotes to the coordinator, so the coordinator can receive ZCL commands from the remotes and originate zha_events. However, some remotes, for example, the Philips RWL021 can only be bound to a single destination and it is not possible to make this switch to bind to other destinations like a device or groups unless you first unbind the remote from the coordinator.
You can do it through bindings and/or you can use a loaded relay that will physically toggle the power on/off to the lights. For instance, I have 3 Wiz WiFi lights and a ceiling fan attached to an Aqara single gang double rocker â love this switch.
The rockerâs top switch is left by default in relay control mode. The bottom switch is set to be decoupled (acts as a zigbee button). The top relay will work to turn on and off the fan and lights, even with no connection. The bottom switch is bound to a zigbee light strip and will also work without a connection.
Please start a new separate thread about that as binding and type of switches as those do do have anything directly to do with the original topic as thus this discussion is getting way too off-topic. So not to highjack this thread.
I will however leave you with the tips that you can create a Zigbee group in ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT and then create a binding for that Zigbee group, (but note that all devices in that Zigbee group must support binding, which most light devices do but not all Zigbee devices do).
New Zigbee Router tip; ITead has released a âSONOFF Micro Zigbee USB Smart Adaptorâ (ZBMicro based on EFR32MG21) spec say doubles as a Zigbee Router device when powered via USB-charger:
âBesides, ZBMicro can work as a Zigbee router to help transmit the Zigbee signal to ensure a stable connection when multiple Zigbee devices are used for your home. Elevate your network capabilities with Turbo Mode, featuring advanced technology that boosts signal range and strength but also provides a seamless and stable connection for your devices.â
