ZBT-2 Excitement thread

[loud pulsar]

I'll be upgrading from HUSBZB-1 to the ZBT-2, Excited to see a difference in network speed and device handling..

[vital valley]

I'd be interessted in hearing your thoughts. I currently have a Sonoff Dongle and am also thinking of switching! Do you know how "easy" migration should be? I have 50+ devices and don't really want to repair all of them manually 🙂

[shrewd trellis]

For Thread networks, the migration should be super straightforward. For Zigbee, it depends on which implementation you're using (ZHA should be as straightforward as using the official migration steps, Z2M might be a bit more finicky).

I do wonder though, since the USB-serial adapter in the ZBT-2 is an ESP32-S3, maybe that's hinting at a potential future update where the adapter works over WiFi? Would definitely help my network, putting the "bridge" at a more optimal location, away from my HA node...

[lapis sequoia]

Anybody from HA team know - now that the ZBT-2 has been released, are there also plans to update Openthread Border Router add-on to support Thread 1.4 (maybe as a separate "Openthread Border Router 1.4" add-on in case there are concerns about going from 1.3 to 1.4").

[mystic horizon]

its in theory a possibility but the issue is that wifi is also on 2.4ghz. so switching on the esp32 wifi will mean there are 2 active 2.4 ghz antennas on top of each other and this will likely cause problems with both. and the big zigbee antenna might just drown out the little one on the esp32 and make it not really function. (I am probably over simplifying but radio physics is hard).

its more likely that adding ethernet via an adaptor would be a practicality.

[shrewd trellis]

Technically the ESP32-S3 can run in USB-Host mode so a USB-ethernet adapter (with a separate power adapter - maybe even PoE) is definitely a possibility.

I wouldn't write off the WiFi capabilities of the ESP32 though, especially since IIRC both Thread and ZigBee support some level of WiFi coexistence. It might not be the best connection but it should work for the minimal data transmissions needed.

[torn tree]

Hi all! just got my zbt-2. I tried multiple times now to switch from an old zstack stick with Z2M. After all tries all devices where gone. Anybody tried this and able to share what they did?

[mystic horizon]

you should probably start a separate thread for this type of support question.

[mystic horizon]

yeah ethernet/poe in the same way as the (currently experimental) portable zwave on the ZWA-2 is definitely a practical possibility but in order to do it right there needs to be some work done.

portable zwave works on wifi better because zwave is a a sub-ghz frequency/antenna. so doesnt have issues with a little 2.4ghz antenna sitting under it.

its not just a matter of coexisence. its a physics problem of 2 antennas of the same type being so close to each other. ideally you would want them at least 2 wavelengths apart (this would be ~25cm for 2.4ghz).

its possible it might "work" but it would most likely cause issues of some sort.

[torn tree]

Actually did it a 4th time now with success. Probably missed something that i did this time correctly

[loud pulsar]

Yeah, I've been using ZHA, never tried moving to Z2Z, so my migration should indeed be super straightforward.

[mystic horizon]

The only issue I am aware of is that some people have had issues flashing it with the native flash tool. I think there was already a for this and the web flasher tool worked in the interim for those people. is that what you are talking about?

got mine today and personally i have had no problems. its been great thus far.

if your gunna come and shit on a product people are excited about then bring some information to back it up...

[mystic horizon]

I get that your upset.. if you don't like the device then return it. the majority of people have had no issues thus far but it doesn't mean there are no issues. if you do want support then start a thread in the correct place. there's no need to come crashing in ranting about it being junk and insulting the work of the project team.

if you have submitted a ticket then you will get a response just as soon as the team is able.

[night moss]

Nah I’m giving a balanced view and making sure people are aware issues exist. 48 hours and it’ll be returned. I like the thought of the product but for me it’s junk. Fact!! It should be an absolute priority to make sure a product is fit for purpose before releasing it. Simple as that.

FOLKS IM A GENUINE PURCHASER.

Avoid the item until they’ve ironed out their issues with it. 👍🏻

[brittle flare]

Had no issues with mine so far, maybe its a bad unit. Contact your seller and ask for a replacement or a return if you cant get it to work otherwise.

[round wing]

Rule 7
Use the correct channels or threads for your messages. If there's a better place for the current conversation then use it, and don't post or link to the same thing in multiple places. Also check the description in each channel before posting, as extended rules may exist for that channel.

If you're having issues, please post your own thread. People are in here sharing their excitement, this isn't the place to drop your concerns. You are more than welcome to open a new support thread if you'd like help from others, but it sounds like you're just here to be disruptive instead of getting help.

[spiral prairie]

If you submitted the ticket on a friday, just be a aware that it's the weekend and you won't get a response until Monday

[night moss]

Guess I just expected an auto reply with a ticket number. Submitted and considering you’ve got an issue you’d just want confirmation it’s in a queue so to speak rather than it feeling like it’s fallen into a hole 🕳️

Sorted now. The web flasher has been updated by the looks.

Back to your excitement and feel free to delete my incorrectly placed frustration.

[tropic jackal]

It’s working wonderfully for me and it looks a heck of a lot nicer than any of the dongles I had prior.

I’ll also say that setup/migration was smooth

[cinder kiln]

Ubiquiti sells this really nice PoE to USB-C adapter which brings power and fast ethernet over the USB-C connector. This would be ideal to use with the ZB/WT-2 https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/uacc-adapter-poe-usbc

[mystic horizon]

no
you could power the device up with that adaptor but data would not work.
so on a zwa-2 you could power up with it and then run portable z-wave over wifi
for the zbt-2 the device would power up but you would have no way to communicate with it so it would be functionally useless.
if you instead use the waveshare board set up as described in thee portable z-wave announcement then you could run portable zwave over ethernet as well as power it by poe.
however this is not currently an option for the zbt-2

[round wing]

*we're hopeful that we can make it work, though.

-# just no promises

[sharp flame]

Got my Seeed shipment today (arrived before tracking updated), so I was super excited to finally set up the ZBT-2… No issues with setup, but then it hit me: is anyone else realizing this thing is Zigbee OR Thread, not both?

The product page wording made it sound like a multiprotocol stick, but the docs are very clearly OR-only — depending on which firmware you flash.

Curious if others had the same expectation or if I’m totally alone on this?

[mystic horizon]

I never expected it to be. it says "or" on the main product page and its specifically covered in one of the FAQ's.
you could use 2 of them though (spaced >25cm apart).

[lapis sequoia]

I think Silicon Labs had problems getting multiprotocol Zigbee + Openthread to work right. Not 100% sure about this, but I think I had read a Silicon Labs SDK release note that indicated the multiprotocol stack had been deprecated.

[kind sparrow]

from what ive heard, multipan is just too unstable

doesnt really work on any offering with the capability of doing both

[mystic horizon]

yeah basically it is unstable. to be fair sonoff managed to get a custom version working pretty well on one of their coordinators in a lab setting a few months ago FURTHER READING. but in real world applications is is not really stable enough for practical usage. you really don't want it to occasionally fall over.
most people would rather have 2 adaptors and have stable networks rather then 1 and it fall over randomly from time to time.

[slow flare]

Hey all, also just recieved my TBT-2 and would love to migrate from my ethernet based tubesZB coordinator.

I knew that the devices does not feature ethernet natively but I would have hoped that based on the experience with the ZWA-2 there is a similar solution available fast. Does anyone know if this is in active development? My HA is physically burried deep down in my cellar so no chance to put the ZBT-2 there via USB easily

[round wing]

We're working on it, but there's no guarantee.

The team is very hopeful, though!

I'd be surprised if you couldn't use it in your cellar, though. The signal strength is pretty wild.

[slow flare]

sure, but to be honest my zigbee network has about 150 devices. so I rely do not want to do to many migrations as a screwup on my end means a LOT of manual work 🙂

so then 🎶 "...all I want for christmas is You... PoE for ZBT-2"🎶

[round wing]

The ZBT migration was built into ZHA, so any migration now is much smoother.

And we've had people migrate with over 200 devices with this thing. 😉

[slow flare]

yes but im not on ZHA but Z2M

I know it should not be an issue either

[round wing]

Ah, we have instructions for that!

We worked close with koen on that. 🙂

[lapis sequoia]

For openthread, I've seen a big improvement in network connection stability (far fewer disconnects and recalculations) as well as improved recovery speed when devices drop off by replacing ZBT-1 with ZBT-2.

[kind sparrow]

just curious about that improved recovery speed point, on average what was it before and what is it now

i have this annoying problem where restarting HA / my thread RCP makes all my devices drop off for 30 minutes

[round wing]

Oh, interesting! I both a) don't know and b) didn't know this is an issue for anyone!

[lapis sequoia]

I have about 150 thread devices, with multiple OTBRs, a full restart of HA could result in an hour or more before all the devices rejoined. Now I'm seeing about 20 minutes.
I do have a mix of Apple TVs and Home Assistant OTBRs, so its hard to be sure how much is the change to ZBT-2, or maybe other factors, but it certainly seems that things have improved since swapping out the ZBT-1s.

[kind sparrow]

Interesting, I’m currently using a single slzb-mr1

And only like 4 thread devices

Thinking of adding an Apple TV since I’ve heard they tolerate restarts better

[slow flare]

I flashed the ieee adress of my old zStack adapter over to the ZBT-2 and tried to get it working with Z2M however i somehow cannot get z2m work It always gives the error
zh:ember:uart:ash: Failed to init port with error Error: Error: No such file or directory, cannot open /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Nabu_Casa_ZBT-2_XXXXXXXXXXXX-if00-port0

I made sure to copy the path from System-->Hardware. but still no luck. Also I noticed that the LEDs on the ZBT-2 are constantly OFF. Reflashing via the nabu case web flasher workses successfull but no change

[tropic jackal]

Please make a new thread for your issue.

[spiral prairie]

but what if i'm excited because I have an issue with the zbt-2?

[round wing]

[bold radish]

Mine arrives tomorrow!

Anyone using one placed far away from the machine itself with a super long USB-C cable ran through the attic?

[mystic horizon]

define "super long"

USB standard puts max at 4m for most (5m for some older specs)... does longer work sometimes. yeah it does but its not recommended. and if you are thinking significantly longer then you are likely to see problems.

[bold radish]

shit yeah I figured, I was thinking like 15m so probably a no go

server rack in the living room will also probably not fly with the wife. hopefully the range on this thing is pretty solid

[spiral prairie]

You can't keep it in the basement or attic?

I wouldn't ever put a server room in an attic btw. Just my 2c

too hot

[mystic horizon]

yeah... absolutely not...

[bold radish]

Unfortunately basement had some flooding last year that has me terrified to put anything down there. Attic is crazy though I'd be too worried about it falling through haha

It's in my office currently

[mystic horizon]

building out a nice mesh helps with most positioning concerns.

when i recently set up zigbee i added a bunch of smart plugs around the house (mostly replacing wifi ones) to help build out a solid mesh.

[bold radish]

i am also just debating between zigbee and thread hard

my locks will be thread, which makes me think i should full send thread for now. but so many nice zigbee devices

i know I will do both at some point, but only one ZBT-2 for now lol

[mystic horizon]

yeah a 2nd zbt-2 solves this issue nicely 😛

[tropic jackal]

I would go zigbee over thread and it's really not even close.

[bold radish]

The main reason I'm not is my lock - thread only and will be decently far from the thread radio

Need that to be reliable so gotta build my network

[bold radish]

any thoughts on running two ZBT-2s and a ZWA 2?

too congested to have them all close to eachother? or just fine

[tropic jackal]

Zbt and a zwa shouldn’t be an issue. But 2x zwa’s and a 2.4 ghz WiFi might be pushing it potentially— they all use the same spectrum.

[bold radish]

right, I was worried about that. only getting Z-wave at all for the honeywell T6 Pro so considering getting something much smaller/simpler than the ZWA

[kind sparrow]

I would personally say for a lock I’d want thread

Bc then you can pair it to your Apple home directly

Or some other smart home platform

Giving you a backup control even if your HA is down for example

For everything else I think zigbee js both cheaper and more reliable though

[mystic horizon]

so as long as the zbt-2's are 25cm from each other it shouldnt be an issue. the zwa-2 does also have a small 2.4ghz antenna but its disableed with stock firmware. so this shouldnt be an issue. its main antenna is sub ghz. technically any antenna can be an issue if its too close to another even if its different frequency but it should bee just fine sat inbetween the 2 zbt-2's that are correctly spaced from each other.

[slow flare]

I saw that the 2025.12 release of ESPhome had a virtual USB serial port feature. does that mean that the ZBT-2 PoE solution is getting closer?

[mystic horizon]

if your referring to the usb_cdc_acm component then I don't think that is (at least directly) related.
This component enables virtual serial port functionality over USB, allowing these devices to communicate with host computers via USB. SOURCE
The USB CDC-ACM (Communications Device Class - Abstract Control Model) component enables supported devices to function as USB virtual serial ports. When connected to a host computer, the microcontroller will appear as one or more serial/COM ports, allowing serial communication with the application running on the microcontroller. SOURCE

its worth noting that zbt-2 PoE functionality is not guaranteed. Whilst it is something that is being worked on to see if it can be done reliably. it may not actually appear.

[slow flare]

ah ok, thanks for the clarification 🙂

[digital otter]

esp-idf has a usb-ecm driver (an old usb ethernet protocol)
with this a ethernet(maybe poe) solution without another esp32 is possible they tested this with this usb ethenert ic https://www.wch-ic.com/products/CH397.html . modules using this ic are cheaply available on aliexpress
https://components.espressif.com/components/espressif/iot_usbh_ecm/versions/0.1.0/readme?utm_source=copilot.com

also there exist a rndis driver too
https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-iot-solution/en/latest/usb/usb_host/usb_rndis.html#_CPPv423iot_usbh_rndis_config_t

[lapis sequoia]

Just pick your channels carefully, and you should be fine.
In the U.S., if your 2.4 G WiFi uses channels 1, 6, 11 (typically recommended for interference avoidance) it is generally safe to use Zigbee/Thread 802.15.4 channels 15 or 25 . These sit outside the main channel spectrum for the WiFi channels (they can be subject to some side-lobe interference from WiFi, but its relatively low). I'd suggest you do something like Channel 15 for Zigbee, and Channel 25 for Thread so that your Zigbee / Thread radios are not overlapping.

Also, for those unaware, all these technologies use carrier sensing so the radio units don't simply blast out a message whenever they want - they try to listen to determine if another device is transmitting and wait to send, which greatly mitigates the channel interference issue.

[slow flare]

Hey all, just wanted to check in if anyone knows if there is meanwhile more clarity on the PoE topic for the ZBT-2 and if this is still under investigation?

[round wing]

It's still under investigation as far as I know.

Good to check in with us, though! 😁

[slow flare]

Dear all, I just wondered if the PoE solution for the ZBT-2 is still in scope. I‘d love to move over using the ZBT-2 but PoE is unfortunately a crucial feature in my usecase.

[round wing]

I haven't seen any recent talks about this. @valid flare - is there any update on PoE for the ZBT-2 that can be shared?

[valid flare]

We have a prototype of running zigbee via a PoE device with esphome

[slow flare]

COOOL realy apprechiate that this is still in progress!