Tired of the unreliable connectivity of Wifi when controlling critical stuff like lights, I want to move to Zigbee.
I’m going to move everything to the Hue bulbs, but I want to use something connected directly to HA for the hub. Anyone have some clear advice on a good, available USB dongle for Home Assistant, config/setup/adding Hue lights?
I recently installed the Skyconnect dongle, as it’s promoted by HA and it’s matter ready https://www.home-assistant.io/skyconnect/
I had a lot of trouble getting devices to stay online, they kept disconnecting. After adding more router devices, ie bulbs/plugs, it seems better. I’m using ZHA, so far only one device (an IR remote blaster) wasn’t compatible.
The one biggest thing I did that really improved my reception recently was buying a second dongle (Sonoff, they’re cheap on AliExpress and the newest version is pretty much the same hardware as a SkyConnect) and converting it to a router.
I have a few plugs that work as routers, but having a dedicated device with a legit antenna really stabilized everything.
I had a look at dedicated routers but found them quite expensive. I bought a couple of these zigbee plus, absolutely fantastic. Also very fast delivery. https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtDzhAq
Yep! I’ve got a few Sonoff plugs around the house that work quite well, although flashing a coordinator dongle to router firmware really tied everything together.