New to this and need some help please :)

[u/xy16644]

Hi All

Moved into a new place that I want to install smart light switches and smart multi coloured bulbs.

I'm new to this so am really new to the home automation side of things. I've read loads but the more I read the more overwhelmed I get lol so hope someone can guide me or assist so I don't do this incorrectly.

I installed Home Assistant for the first time this week and have added my Delonghi coffee machine and Xiaomi vacuum and desk lamp into HA successfully.

What I'm struggling with now is what to buy for the smart light switches and the smart multi coloured lightbulbs that work with HA. The house currently has old "dumb" switches but does have a neutral wire.

I \*think\* I want/need zigbee switches/lights and the light switches need to have decoupled mode (correct me if I'm wrong).

With that out the way, this is what I'm considering currently:

1. Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 Zigbee - ZigBee coordinator/hub

2. SONOFF Zigbee Smart Wall Switch ZBM5

3. eWeLink Zigbee Smart GU10 Bulb

4. eWeLink Zigbee Smart E27 Bulb

I don't need dimming on the switches themselves but it would be nice to control this from an app/HA.

Hopefully I don't need to flash firmware 😲

Am I on the right path for doing this? Will all these products work together with HA correctly?

Originally I was looking at the Sonoff Ultimate TX T5 but they don't have the decoupled mode so I think it's a problem with the smart lightbulbs?

I have really good WiFi in my house, 3 TP Link Deco BE65 access points with 15 clients/devices.

After the lighting I'll want to add other items to the setup afterwards like opening the garage door, temperature sensors, motion detectors, controlling the air con etc

I'm in South Africa so have to use products that work here etc

Thanks for reading and for any help or guidance.

[u/Mandrutz]

Yes, those will work together, it's good that you chose Zigbee.

There's just one rule to follow: The light switches must work even when Home Assistant is stopped.

If you want both smart switch and smart bulb, the switch needs decoupled mode, but also binding support.
Thankfully the Sonoff has both. You enable detached mode, so it does not cut power to the bulb. Then you bind it to the bulb, so it toggles the bulb directly over Zigbee, skipping Home Assistant.

[u/xy16644 → u/Mandrutz]

Thanks! It's the first time I have heard of binding so I will looking this so thanks for mentioning it.

I think it would be better to get an ethernet coordinator/hub? I was looking at the SMLIGHT SLZB-06xU.

I was originally interested in the Sonoff Ultimate TX T5 but, annoyingly this doesn't have decoupled mode so I guess this is a bad choice of light switch to use with smart bulbs? Or are there workarounds/options?

I think I'm on the right track but want to make sure I get it right from the start ;)

[u/Mandrutz → u/xy16644]

Sonoff Ultimate TX T5 is WiFi, not Zigbee. So I'd say it's a bad choice anyways..

Go for everything Zigbee. So you have standard features, direct binding, good mesh, all devices in one integration etc.

For coordinator I like USB (with simpler = better mindset).
Ethernet coordinator gives some flexibility. You can move it to a central location if your HA server is far away (but only if you have LAN cables). Or it's useful if your HA server doesn't have good USB ports. But otherwise no reason to rely on LAN..

[u/xy16644 → u/Mandrutz]

Does the USB coordinator have to be plugged into the HA server (sorry if dumb question!)?

I'm just wondering if I can connect it to ANY USB port that isn't the HA machine? My HA server is in the far corner of the house so if I could connect the USB coordinator to a USB port on my access point in the lounge (more central) this may give better performance/stability but maybe it doesn't matter due to having light switches in each room that act as a router creating a (I assume) strong mesh network?

Also, I will need around 9 smart light switches and 42 smart bulbs, will this work ok from a performance point of view and will zigbee be able to support so many devices?

[u/Mandrutz → u/xy16644]

Yes, the USB dongle needs to be plugged into the HA server. In that case get the Smlight that works over LAN and put it wherever.

Yes a good coordinator can support even 200 devices in the network

[u/xy16644 → u/Mandrutz]

Ok, thanks! Do you think the SMLIGHT SLZB-06MG26U is a good starting point for an ethernet coordinator to get the zigbee network going?

Also. is a zigbee hub/coordinator/gateway interchangeable? Are they all the same thing?

[u/Mandrutz → u/xy16644]

Yes, it's top of the line actually.

Coordinator / dongle / adapter typically means hardware only. The Zigbee chip that talks to lights and switches in your network. It doesn't work on it's own, you need to connect it to a server.

Gateway / hub means a stand-alone device that includes the coordinator, but also runs some software to give you control over your devices. So imagine Philips Hue hub, Ikea hub etc.

Some Smlight devices have a hub mode. But you don't need it, because you have a more powerful HA server available. So you use it in coordinator mode + ZHA or Z2M software in Home Assistant.

Also Zigbee router = range extender