Zigbee speed and range

Hardware
1

Hello people,

I am reading you and learn (famous last word) enought to start my onw.

I have house 1 level, 1 basement. My office is in the basement and countain my dream machine pro and all my stuff that i need to distribute data through the entire house.

i want to add light switch that will always work physicaly and that i can automate from home assistant. (dhu), also some motion detector and contact sensor and some water based heater (this is Quebec, it’s cold af most of the year)

I am liking the zigbee protocol but i cannot find definitive information on the reaction speed of the zigbee protocol and if i get the SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus and install in my office with the rest, how far will the range let my device work.

I am affraid that longuer distance will meet more lag between order and execution.

All in all my house is about 31 * 50 feet.

So, were can i find hard data on zigbee speed and range ?
Or can the collective wisdom teach me what i need ?

tanxs

2

I have never really seen any speed issues with Zigbee. Most of the messages sent are very small, so even if the bitrate isn’t that high, the message gets through quickly. Most everything looks close enough to instant to my eyes.

Zigbee is a mesh network, so most mains powered devices act as routers and extend the total range. I used to have my hub on one side of my house, and I could activate devices 50-60 feet away on the other side of the house because I have smart plugs that act as routers. Add a few inexpensive Zigbee smart plugs, or use some Zigbee light switches, and you’ll probably have no problem covering your house.

1 Like
3

Radio waves travel at the speed of light, so … fast!

Like @DaveBoring I have no problems with speed. Reach may be harder, but the secret to that is your mesh. Have devices that double as routers at strategic points in the house.

Most mains powered devices act as routers. But not all! (I think Sengled bulbs fall down on this).

Most end devices connect to any router on the mesh. But not all! (Aqara I think can be bad at this).

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4

First hand experience is usualy the best. Tanxs.

I will add some sonoff plug, but the switch and the light should round up everything then.

Buying from amazon has it’s drawback : there is alot of company that no one (youtube, here, other forum) ever mention, such as treatlife. Not easy to figure out a perfect combo.

I beleive that i will replace the light bulb with KASA or if i decide to sell one of my kids, phillips.

The switch i have no idea. What would be your go to for a switch that my 7 heavy fisted kid can open and close like mad yet still work with my system ?

Tanxs again!

5

i do not need smart bulb if i am using smart switch.

6

Be careful, you said you want zigbee. But then, neither KASA nor TreatLife uses zigbee.

For switches, I start my search from here. There are different styles to replace your switches, and there are in-wall style that you can hide behind whatever heavy-duty switches you already have:
Zigbee2MQTT - Device Search: switch

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7

tanxs, i just notice that about KASA.

I didnt think of your solution. it would be cheaper to get all SONOFF ZBMINI-L ZigBee Mini Smart Switch added to my curent switch then buy new switch.

I will be able to use them as dumb switchm it will mesh the zigbee network and no one can see them.

Do i miss anything ?

8

If the switch you’re looking for is the one discussed here, it will not function as a Zigbee router and therefore not help with meshing the network.

1 Like
9

sometime, life is hard.

I might have to add this SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus, TI CC2652P + CP2102N Zigbee USB Stick for every floor.

2 per floor might be overkill but that should make a solide mesh.

10

The other place to look is here: https://zigbee.blakadder.com/

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11

Adding another usb stick as a router will mean you have to flash it as a router. Or buy a tubes router which is set up and ready to go. https://www.tubeszb.com/

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12

As stated, the zbmini-L is the no-neutral version and does not act a router.

If you have a neutral, use the standard zbmini (no “-L”).

Alternatively, I tucked a couple zbminis behind outlets without a switch or any switched load attached - basically acting strictly as hidden router only devices.

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13

Having just two routers does not make a solid mesh :stuck_out_tongue:

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14

Perhaps, but its a good starting point. Logically placed in a 31x50 ft space, an end device should be no more than 15-20ft away from router ot coordinator, considerably less if thinking/planning three dimensionally.

He’d be starting out better than the average new user. The rest could grow and fill in organically.

1 Like
15

I just wish wifi device were as fast and as cheap. My wifi network is massive and rock solid. I have ubiquiti everywhere and everything is PoE

16

So as not to limit yourself I would strong recommend getting the Nortek HUSBZB-1 Zigbee & Z-Wave Plus USB Interface
That way you have Zigbee, Zwave Plus, and you can use HomeKit through the HomeKit Controller integration and you are covered on a much larger number of devices.

17

Depending on the device, HomeKit could be quicker through the HomeKit Controller integration. I use it for my Honeywell T9 Thermostat since it doesn’t have Zwave/Zigbee and it works great locally.

18

wifi also travels at the speed of light :slight_smile:

19

The problem with youtube is that they give part of information, and my mind was condition to understand that wifi device lack in reactivity, cost more and cannot work as both dumb and smart switch.

20

Its anecdotal, but for zigbee I’ve been MUCH happier with the Sonoff stick. ALL if the zigbee issues I had with the Nortek stick went away with the Sonoff.