Latest thoughts on USB Zigbee controllers?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Latest thoughts on USB Zigbee controllers?

thecrane

7 posts

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# 248107 10-Mar-2019 18:32

Hi all,

I'm making 'some' progress with my Home Assistant setup, but my purchase of an Elelabs USB Zigbee stick has been a complete and utter fail! As in I can't even count the hours I've spent trying to get the little bugger working - and zero help from the Elelabs people, who now seem to have stopped making them!!!

So that's just great. 🙄

In essence, I was keen to know if anyone else has had any success with a good USB controller that can work with a Raspberry Pi-based home automation setup? I know that if I go with (NZ-compatible) Z-Wave, the Aeotec stick from Fusion or Active Automation is probably my best bet. But I have a couple of zigbee door sensors that I'm keen to get going (if I can), and finding other affordable NZ-frequency Z-wave accessories seems to be challenging.

Smartthings hub would be cool, as would a Wink, but they only come with US-legal Z-wave, and I don't back my hardware skills enough to get in there and disable that.

So, I've really come up with nothing. Anyone out there got a great solution before I give up and just go Z-wave?

Thanks!

richms

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# 2195220 10-Mar-2019 19:47

I have had the parts arrive to do this - http://zteo.com/posts/zigbee2mqtt-step-by-step/ - but am still lacking motivation and effort to see it thru, since I still only have a test MQTT running on a windows PC it would mean doing it twice when I finally get a pi setup for that.

I have a US smart things and have just turned the zwave radio off in the web UI, from a quick look on a cheap spectrum there is nothing coming from it in the cellular band other than when its on and I start a discovery. But all my wemo lamps keep losing their connection to the smartthings and will only come back if I powercycle them 5 times to reset them and re search for devices on smart things. And that gets real old real fast.

If the zigbee2mqtt isnt any better I will be selling off some wemo lamps ;)

Richard rich.ms

danielfaulknor

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# 2195353 10-Mar-2019 22:00

I'm using this with a metric crapton of Xiaomi kit and Hue bulbs. Works a treat!

https://www.dresden-elektronik.de/funktechnik/solutions/wireless-light-control/raspbee/?L=1&cHash=c9c902ccdb43164696acccf81b62b2bd

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thecrane

7 posts

Wannabe Geek
+1 received by user: 3

# 2196541 12-Mar-2019 14:35

I haven't tried the Raspbee shield - might give that a go! Are you using it with an RPi 1, 2 or 3?

gcorgnet

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# 2196543 12-Mar-2019 14:37

I have gone through the DIY zigbee2mqtt route and it was way easier to get going that anticipated. I am using it in hass.io (Home Assistant).

Currently have 5 Xiaomi temp sensors reporting to it and will soon add a door sensor. It's been great, really.

danielfaulknor

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# 2196588 12-Mar-2019 15:30

thecrane:

I haven't tried the Raspbee shield - might give that a go! Are you using it with an RPi 1, 2 or 3?

A 3

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kiwijunglist

2769 posts

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# 2206001 27-Mar-2019 23:08

I use zigbee2mqtt. Works well.

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Ruphus

195 posts

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# 2206008 27-Mar-2019 23:59

thecrane:
Smartthings hub would be cool, as would a Wink, but they only come with US-legal Z-wave, and I don't back my hardware skills enough to get in there and disable that.

Have a look at the Hubitat Elevation hub https://hubitat.com.

It's made by one of the Smartthings devs and supports NZ z-wave as well as zigbee. I use it for my z-wave door lock and light switches with HA and MQTT.