Before now, I've only been able to find the Conbee ii either internationally with massive postage (€33.57 + €40.00 postage from official dresden site) costs or for $100+ on eBay.
Not sure if this is a limited time deal or if this will be the permanent pricing from now on.
CamelCamelCamel.
What a deal! Bought one even though I'm waiting on my CC2531. The time this saves me will no doubt make up for it!
Probably a good choice - word is the CC2531 struggles a bit with signal strength so a CC2530 with an external antenna is better…. or one of these. I admit to being tempted to pull the trigger on this….. I've had one on my watch list on eBay for some time….
I bought the sniffer with the antenna mod, but I doubt I'll ever find out how good or bad it is. This should arrive well before it does.
I believe you can also create repeaters with z2m architecture off another similar, if not, identical circuitboard. It just needs to be flashed with the repeater's firmware.
what's the advantage of one of these if I already have the Xiaomi and Philips hue zigbee hubs?
In theory it means that you can get rid of the other hubs, and no longer be reliant on the cloud services which by doing so provides potential security and performance improvements. In practise it may be harder than that - you need to setup a local automation server (eg Home Assistant) and some things may be a little tricky to control properly. Basically, if you need to ask then it's probably not for you…. ;-)
How about a semi-novice question then: I have Home assistant but use the xiaomi hub - how hard is it to rip that out and replace it with this in Rpi3? Can HA recognise it and read states easily? It looks like lots of firmware updates and fiddling is required…
You would need to connect the key to your HA server, then slowly remove the Xiaomi devices from the old hub and add them onto the new one. Some info is here: https://www.amalytix.com/en/home-assistant-with-conbee-ii-de…
Just did this this weekend. It takes a few mins to add each device. Then just HA as usual. Have a look here for a good walkthrough: https://youtu.be/LeuHpBdwmag
Hue and xiaomi don't rely on cloud to function
Depends on your needs.
This would mean you have one hub instead of two.
It would also mean in the future, you can purchase Zigbee sensor/actuators from another brand without being locked down by their gateway.
No benefit unless you want to not use native control as well
I just got one for about $80 a few weeks ago.
For me, the range is much better than the CC2530 (even with antenna mod). Network with deconz seems more stable (most likely due to better signal). On the CC2530 my finicky xiaomi end devices would often drop out.
Compared to zigbee2mqtt pairing devices is much easier (assuming the device is supported).
Integration into HA is a painless with deconz for those a little gunshy on mqtt.
z2m looks like it has support for a few more devices, but for the most part all the popular devices are supported by both.
Overall, definitely recommend this at this price. I've got a fair few ikea tradfri bulbs, xiaomi sensors/buttons and plugs all talking together happily.
From a signal persepective just be mindful that zigbee chanells overlap the 2.4ghz band. Make sure your not overlapping with your local setup (be careful of band hopping wifi routers)
Thanks. Have the aforementioned CC and adapter sitting waiting to be flashed.
Prime shipping will likely arrive for this before I bother.
If I hadn't already invested in z2m via CC2531 I would have gone with this. At this stage, my experience with z2m has been a steep learning curve which means I have found it is less practical and more of a hobby. However, Maybe this stick would result in the same outcome?
I use the Philips hue hub and xiaomi gateway integrated into home assistant as it gives you home assistant functions and native functions as well. So you can still use hue app and Google /Alexa to control lights if home assistant unavailable.
And no you can still use hue and xiaomi even if internet is down it doesn't require internet to function unlike tuya
I don't think this is a bargain as much as it is just the product finally being back in stock on amazon.com.au. However, I'm glad you posted it because I've been looking for one and, as you say, the costs are ridiculous trying to get it imported from other sources.
If I wanted a door sensor and a couple of cameras around the place, would I be better off with a xiaomi 5 in 1 home pack?
Xiaomi door sensors are great, no issues, the 5 in 1 gives you a gateway so no need for this, unless you want to manually enter in the settings of the sensor.
How’s the range? I assume you’ve got the kit?
I didn't get the kit. I have 8 aqara door/Window sensors, 5 aqara Motion sensor, 1 xiaomi motion sensor, 2 water leak sensors and 2 temp sensors and can't fault any of their gear. All running via a single xiaomi gateway that is connected to alexa/Google home and home assistant out of box no hacks
@asa79: Specific question I know, but will the basic xiaomi kit door sensors push an app alert for ‘door left open’ after a specified time? Or does that need more specialised software?
Appreciate your help..
@jaypeee: You would need some automation do that what you need, something like the mi home automations, or home assistant, or google home etc
When using this to connect powered zigbee devices like Hue bulbs and Xiaomi power switches, do all those devices extend the same zigbee mesh network with each other?
I have a long house and currently use a Xiaomi hub at each end, with some of their power switches scattered about to help repeat the signal. But I also have plenty of Hue bulbs along the house, so am curious if I would potentially see a more robust single zigbee mesh network using this device.
Thanks
Only mains-powered devices (bulbs/plugs/etc) tend to operate as Zigbee signal repeaters. Anything battery-powere does not extend the mesh. However, the Xiaomi stuff doesn't adhere completely to Zigbee standard, so it's unreliable at meshing.
Also - I would definitely not use the Xiaomi sockets (or anything that you've bought internationally that runs off mains power). Anything mains-powered requires a SAA safety certificate to be sold/used in Australia. If you're using something that doesn't have that approval (Xiaomi power sockets) and they are the cause of a fire, not only does your insurance not cover you, but you will be personally liable for any damages.
I'm aware that certification is necessary for items to be sold in AU, but not that it's necessary to use them.
I've got a number of products bought overseas or online and wasn't aware I was breaking the law. Do you have a reference?
Sure - here you go
Specifically:
Non-declared electrical equipment does not have to have electrical safety approval certification prior to sale but you have a legal obligation to ensure equipment is electrically safe.
Seeing how as a consumer, you have no way to prove that, liability falls on you.
This is even cheaper now - $60.89 - buying!
Good deal! Would grab it if I hadn't just picked up a CC2531.