My First Zigbee Sensor | Home Assistant | Page 1

vapid lake Oct 11, 2024, 10:44 AM

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Please treat me like a 5 year old here. I've just bought a Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1, I then bought 2 sensors from Ali Express and registered them, but both are not working for different reasons.

A Motion Sensor (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006246106212.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.29.121e18020oaBIw)

A Light Sensor (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006263790845.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.35.121e18020oaBIw)

The Motion sensors has a motion event but doesn't seem to be firing.

The Light Sensor has no sensors attached to it and is registered but it looks like it's a router, not an end device?

Basically, I thought this stuff would just "work", what am I missing? What should I be doing different?

crystal sparrow Oct 11, 2024, 10:52 AM

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Looks like you have been bitten by the tuya bug. LOTS of the stuff on ailexpress is tuya. Tuya work but don’t really follow the zigbee spec. So they need a quirk to work with ZHA. Search the device handlers repo for existing issues (the random string for the device manufacturer is a good search term) https://github.com/zigpy/zha-device-handlers if nothing there create an issue with the issue template

vapid lake Oct 11, 2024, 11:01 AM

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What brand would you recommend instead so it makes my life easier?

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Also, what do I do with these ZHA-device-handlers?

steel vine Oct 11, 2024, 11:31 AM

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In addition to what Tube suggested, you need to get yourself at least one routing device (smart plug, switch, bulb, etc). Typically a mains powered device is a routing device.

vapid lake Oct 11, 2024, 11:32 AM

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So I think the Light sensor is a routing device. What is the purpose of this?

steel vine Oct 11, 2024, 11:34 AM

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TBH, since it is a Tuya device, it's hard to say if it's a routing device or not and if it even follows the spec.

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Routing devices are what route messages through a Zigbee mesh and what is used to extend a Zigbee mesh far beyond what the coordinator can reach. Basically, the software (ZHA) sends and receives messages from the coordinator (the USB dongle). That then send and receives messages from the routing devices which communicate with the end devices. End devices can communicate with the coordinator directly, but they don't like it and will often cause what you are seeing now.

crystal sparrow Oct 11, 2024, 11:45 AM

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vapid lake Also, what do I do with these ZHA-device-handlers?

There are a lot of customs tuya quirks (zigbee device handlers) in various states with in the issues as people work on them. The releases device handlers are automatically pulled in to HA, so nothing to do there. You can also run custom ones if you find one that someone is testing or hasn’t been released yet.

crystal sparrow Oct 11, 2024, 11:49 AM

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vapid lake What brand would you recommend instead so it makes my life easier?

Newer Aqara sensors are known to work well and have existing quirks. But as code-in-progress said you should look at getting some mains powered (non battery) devices to act as routers/repeaters in the zigbee mesh network. It will make things more robust and generally give a better experience. If US based the third reality smart plugs are good - they also have sensors that work well and actively contribute to the zha-device-handlers

vapid lake Oct 11, 2024, 12:10 PM

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UK Based, so I just need to have a look at that. So one more question, but what do I do with ZHA device Handlers repo?

#My First Zigbee Sensor