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| homeautomation:protocols:zigbee [2025/06/04 08:18] – willy | homeautomation:protocols:zigbee [2025/06/04 08:30] (current) – [Home Assistant] willy | ||
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| ===== Planning ===== | ===== Planning ===== | ||
| - | ZigBee is a low-power network mesh, so a little bit of planning is **mnadatory** unless your entire house is an open space without walls or furniture, no wiring in the walls and no metal whatsoever (or rocks) either... | + | ZigBee is a low-power network mesh, so a little bit of planning is **madatory** unless your entire house is an open space without walls or furniture, no wiring in the walls and no metal whatsoever (or rocks) either... |
| You ZigBee network, again, will **not** be easy to debug when messages starts to get lost. Better plan properly from the start! | You ZigBee network, again, will **not** be easy to debug when messages starts to get lost. Better plan properly from the start! | ||
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| * **not** cross floors (unless pure wooden floors) | * **not** cross floors (unless pure wooden floors) | ||
| * **not** cross stone walls | * **not** cross stone walls | ||
| - | * be shielded by metal rebars (including drywalls structures and concrete with rebars) | + | * be **shielded** by metal rebars (including drywalls structures and concrete with rebars) |
| - | * be distorted by running current or magnetic fields (including your electrical wirings, a boiler starting up, a dryer/ | + | * be **distorted** by running current or magnetic fields (including your electrical wirings, a boiler starting up, a dryer/ |
| + | |||
| + | The //mesh// concept will work around all those issues pretty well, provided that your mesh is solid and well-connected. ZigBee is //not// WiFi, it's mesh. Totally different concept. | ||
| === Channel selection === | === Channel selection === | ||
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| * Gray links **cannot be avoided**, it's perfectly normal to have __lots__ of them. Don't worry. | * Gray links **cannot be avoided**, it's perfectly normal to have __lots__ of them. Don't worry. | ||
| * You only want to **connect the islands**, nothing more. Don't overdo it. | * You only want to **connect the islands**, nothing more. Don't overdo it. | ||
| - | * It's a mesh: it will take care of itself, but you must provide opportunities for good links to become available, and this is on you. | + | |
| - | * Green means **perfect**. Yellow means **more than good enough**. Red means **shitty** and gray means **i know you exist, i don't care**. | + | * Green means **perfect**. Yellow means **more than good enough**. Red means **shitty** and gray means **i know you exist, i don't care at this time**. |
| * Getting a better coordinator is also probably a good idea, but getting more reliable repeaters is 99% the solution. | * Getting a better coordinator is also probably a good idea, but getting more reliable repeaters is 99% the solution. | ||
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| Home Assistant provides at least two different implementations for ZigBee. The main one, which i am using, is called [[https:// | Home Assistant provides at least two different implementations for ZigBee. The main one, which i am using, is called [[https:// | ||
| - | ZHA needs to install it from the add-ons page in your Home Assistent | + | ZHA needs to install it from the add-ons page in your Home Assistant |
| - | === Pairing === | + | === Coordinator Hardware selection === |
| + | |||
| + | At first i bought a cheap chinese coordinator, | ||
| + | |||
| + | So far, the ZBT-1 has proven to be the **best** coordinator i have tried. YMMV. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Naming Convention === | ||
| + | |||
| + | I name my ZigBee devices in Home Assistant with the following scheme: " | ||
| + | * TYPE: two letters code to identify the type of device (like LT for lights, SW for switches, TM for temperature sensors, and so on) | ||
| + | * FLOOR: 0, garden. 1 ground floor. 2 first floor, 3 roof... | ||
| + | * ROOM: 1 to X, where 1 is the leftmost room and N the rightmost room of the floor | ||
| + | * number: when more than one type of device is in the room, identify each one. | ||
| + | * name: human readable name like "main light of bedroom" | ||
| + | |||
| + | With this approach, it's easy to remeber where the devices are located for future maintenance. I also write with a good marker on the device itself, or on a label attached to it, so that when more than one device is closeby located, like mulitple smart-plugs or swiched, it's easy to identify them. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | === Pairing | ||
| Each ZigBee device usually has a way to start pairing, you should refer to each device manual. In my experience the folling solutions will work: | Each ZigBee device usually has a way to start pairing, you should refer to each device manual. In my experience the folling solutions will work: | ||
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| Start pairing one a time and not more than one device simoutaneously or things can get messy. Also, pair your dedicated repeaters first, AC powered devices second, and end-devices last. | Start pairing one a time and not more than one device simoutaneously or things can get messy. Also, pair your dedicated repeaters first, AC powered devices second, and end-devices last. | ||
| + | Occasionally you might have to reset the odd cheapo device, specially after a blackout, in order to get it working again. | ||
| === Grouping === | === Grouping === | ||
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| ZHA provides a nice graph view to visualize your ZigBee Mesh network. From this view, you can appreciate how your ZRs are partecipating in the mesh and you can use it to understand where and how to add ZRs or move devices around for a more logical mesh distribution. | ZHA provides a nice graph view to visualize your ZigBee Mesh network. From this view, you can appreciate how your ZRs are partecipating in the mesh and you can use it to understand where and how to add ZRs or move devices around for a more logical mesh distribution. | ||
| - | |||
| === Usage === | === Usage === | ||