What's The Best Zigbee Hub That Can Work without The Cloud?

SAU on 04/05/2021 - 21:52
Last edited 04/05/2021 - 21:52

What's the best Home automation hub that:
- works with Google assist
- can run locally without a cloud
- not locked in to the brand of devices
- needs to have zigbee support but bluetooth le would be a bonus

Don't have many devices at the moment. Just a zigbee lock, some lights and power points. All different brands and different tech. Planning to add some sensors for security

I guess HomeAssistant is the best choice, but I don't need to setup complex patterns and wouldn't mind something simple as long as it fits the requirements

Electrical & Electronics Zigbee

Comments

  • websterp on 04/05/2021 - 22:08

    Have a look at Hubitat. This is a product aimed at users who want the power of HA without the complexity and I think this would meet your needs perfectly.

    • SAU on 04/05/2021 - 23:05

      I did look at it but from what I have seen in the review it's not really developed all this much and for not cheap

    • BigLeviathan on 05/05/2021 - 00:02

      Agree, been using hubitat myself and managed to connect multiple zwave, ZigBee and wifi devices with it.

      I also created a custom driver/app that capture the data from amber electrics to inform the current electricity rate so that I can switch off certain power plugs.

      Their conmunity forum is great too

  • impoze on 04/05/2021 - 22:32
    +1

    i use a CC2531 with HA and node-red

    alternatively check out the tasmota flashed sonoff wifi zigbee bridge which I also have

    • JimmyF on 04/05/2021 - 23:32

      alternatively check out the tasmota flashed sonoff wifi zigbee bridge which I also have

      I've got one there to flash….. Have you done yours? Hows it work with HA? Better than the CC2531 for range etc?

      • impoze on 05/05/2021 - 08:39
        +1

        Range wise you will be able to put it anywhere

        I'm waiting for it to spidery zigbee2mqtt as not all my devices are compatible with zha

        • JimmyF on 05/05/2021 - 09:14

          Thanks! The CC2531 is ok for range, a couple are a bit so so. I need to find a mains device to put in the middle to act as a repeater or flash the sonoff bridge. Might be this weekends job!

  • Fuzzy Toaster on 04/05/2021 - 22:37

    I'm using a Conbee II stick with Home Assistant, using the ZHA integration. It's been super easy, effortless to setup and add devices. Compatible with all the cheap Aqara sensors from AliExpress.

    The CC2531 also has a good reputation and is much cheaper, but you need to do everything through zigbee2mqtt - which I'm sure is fine but I'm lazy.

    • SAU on 04/05/2021 - 23:06

      I did look at Home Assistant but for limited devices that I have/need, it's an overkill to run something as complex and dedicated as HA.

      Are there any zigbee bridges that work without internet?

      • websterp on 04/05/2021 - 23:17
        +1

        Your Zigbee devices will connect to the hub without the need of internet but the hub will always need an internet connection to integrate Alexa/GA

        • SAU on 04/05/2021 - 23:22

          not so much interested in integration but I want to be able to open my lock when internet is down =)

  • boomramada on 04/05/2021 - 23:28
    -1

    OP , what is the purpose of not having internet?

    works with Google assist

    Need internet

    One major advantage of having internet would be able to control your automation remotely.

    • SAU on 04/05/2021 - 23:34
      +1

      I don't want it to be solely reliant on the internet. Like if we have a drop out, I still want to be able to open my door, my garage, turn on the lights while I am staning within range of my wifi network.

      • boomramada on 05/05/2021 - 09:54

        You already know the answer, HA :(

  • Chandler on 05/05/2021 - 07:39

    I guess HomeAssistant is the best choice, but I don't need to setup complex patterns and wouldn't mind something simple as long as it fits the requirements

    What do you mean by "setup complex patterns"? I consider Home Assistant to be relatively user friendly these days.

    • SAU on 05/05/2021 - 09:11

      what I mean is that I don't want to have a dedicated Pi etc running for it. HA blue is probably nice but too expensive. As I said, I don't have anything complex to control (like 100s of lights etc etc). Just wanted a hub from a decent brand that would take other brands devices. Thinking of things like Xiaomi, Sonoff etc, but they natively don't seem to support 3rd party devices to control

      • Chandler on 05/05/2021 - 09:23

        what I mean is that I don't want to have a dedicated Pi etc running for it. HA blue is probably nice but too expensive.

        Willing to have the HA Blue (except for expense) but don't want a dedicated (and cheap) Pi? Why not?

        I've been running Hass OS for quite some time on my Pi 3B with pretty much no issues.

        As I said, I don't have anything complex to control (like 100s of lights etc etc). Just wanted a hub from a decent brand that would take other brands devices. Thinking of things like Xiaomi, Sonoff etc, but they natively don't seem to support 3rd party devices to control

        Why not just use a Pi running Home Assistant with a Conbee stick (or similar) as your "hub"?

        It seems to me that Home Assistant will do exactly what you want but your reluctant to use it? Why?

        Pretty much any alternative either involves cloud, cost or complexity.

        • SAU on 05/05/2021 - 10:07

          Time and effort required to set it up and maintain. I have a family of 5 and don't want to be the only one that know how it all works

          • Chandler on 05/05/2021 - 12:26

            @SAU: Yeah I can understand that. Family sysadmin…

            To be honest, especially if you're not looking to do a large or complicated setup, initial setup and maintenance of Home Assistant shouldn't be too much. Once you got things setup, it all should just work.

            Flash SD card, setup pi, connect to HA and run through wizard. Connect and configure Zigbee hardware. Setup automations (which with Blueprints these days could be already done for you).

            The only things I've had to change were tweaks to my automations, but you could say that was because they weren't setup correctly in the first place.

            • SAU on 05/05/2021 - 13:20

              @Chandler: is there a decent app nowadays for HA or still have to do it via browser?

              • Chandler on 05/05/2021 - 13:38

                @SAU: Both iOS and Android have Companion Apps available.

                The Home Assistant Companion App provides a convenient way to view and control your Home Assistant instance however it also extends the power of your instance by allowing your device to act as a data source. The Home Assistant Companion App adds numerous sensors (such as battery and network status among others), creates a device_tracker entity to allow location updates to be sent from the device and also provides action shortcuts to trigger scripts or automations

                • lgacb08 on 05/05/2021 - 18:09
                  +1

                  @Chandler: The app will work fine but there's a catch on that. Unless you want to pay a monthly fee on nabu casa you'll need to know how to do ddns and port forwarding to get the app working properly, so you'll need to make sure your router is capable, especially no CG-NAT.

  • trankillity on 05/05/2021 - 08:34

    As with most others, my recommendation is Conbee II with Home Assistant, however if you want something more user friendly (though also MUCH more restrictive/crippled), you could look at Samsung SmartThings. Some aspects will continue to work without internet, though some others will not.

    HA is really one of the only solutions if you want to be truly disconnected.

    • SAU on 05/05/2021 - 09:12

      thank you. I dont mind be connected, I just want to be able to connect and control things in case of internet issues

      • lgacb08 on 05/05/2021 - 18:14

        If you keep stressing on the internet issue then home assistant is the only way. Smartthings is buggy and overly reliant on internet and the cloud. Not to mention its range of accessories use unpopular batteries like 2450 and cr2 which you will soon realise your annual budget to power them soon exceed initial capital outlay. The xiaomi gateway beats smartthings in many ways.

        • SAU on 05/05/2021 - 19:42

          just wish xiaomi and the likes allowed 3rd party sensors. I know its a software thing and HA can use them as gateways once some firmware changes are done. But nothing out of the box =(

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