When I first started setting up my home automation, I decided on Zigbee, and I very much dove in head-first. I set up dozens of Zigbee devices, and some worked a lot better than others. I have a fairly stable Zigbee network with well over 100 devices, but many of those have been replaced over time. To save others the wasted time and money, I wanted to give a short breakdown of what I’ve noticed across brands.
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SONOFF: My Zigbee controller is made by SONOFF, and it works well. As far as their motion sensors, not so much (I even made a post about how bad they were about a year ago). Their motion sensors give such unreliable results that they’re borderline useless. Their plugs work generally okay, although they do drop off my network occasionally. Overall, they really wouldn’t be my first choice.
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Aquara: They make some very slick-looking devices, but they’re horrible. Magnetic door sensors frequently just get stuck in an open or closed state, or just drop off the network completely. I used two of their leak sensors. One is still working well; the other just spontaneously decided to stop responding completely. I have a few of their pushbuttons; it took me at least a dozen tries to pair them, but they seem to work well after that. Overall, Aquara devices either quit responding or drop off the network more frequently than any other brand; I will never buy another Aquara device.
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DOGAIN: I bought several of their plugs. So far, not a single issue. I assume they’re a white-label brand, so I don’t know who actually makes the hardware, but I have no complaints so far.
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MHCOZY: Another white-label brand. I’ve purchased several of their relay switches. I haven’t had a single problem with any of them, and I’m using quite a few.
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Haozee: Probably another white-label brand. I have several of their mmWave sensors. Occasionally they get stuck in a “detected” state, but rarely. They have never dropped off my network. I’d buy more.
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Phillips (Hue): They’re exceptionally expensive, but for a reason. I have a lot of their smart bulbs, and a few outdoor motion sensors. They all work flawlessly. Don’t use the Hue app or a Hue bridge, though, unless you want to be locked into their app; just pair your device with a third-party Zigbee controller.
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Leviton: I have replaced every single in-wall switch in my home with a Leviton smart switch or smart dimmer. They’re a well-known brand, so I would expect their products to work well, and they do. My only complaint is that occasionally one of the switches will drop and refuse to communicate unless I power it off (with a breaker); this is rare, though, and normally corresponds with a power outage.
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Thirdreality: I saved Thirdreality for last because I have absolutely no complaints at all. They are my go-to for Zigbee devices. I have many of their temperature sensors, plugs, magnetic door sensors, motion sensors, soil moisture sensors, etc. I have never had a device drop off my network or stop working correctly. I have dozens of their devices, and my only issue was a climate sensor that got stuck at 99% humidity after I accidentally sprayed water into the case. That’s my fault.
So, in general, if I was to re-build my Zigbee network from the ground up, I’d go for Thirdreality devices first. If they didn’t make what I need, I’d go for Phillips Hue, and if I still couldn’t find what I need, then that’s what the list above is for.
I’m hoping to see some replies to this; what are your experiences with different Zigbee devices? Any brands you either trust or would never buy from?
Edit: As others have mentioned, your Zigbee integration (also also possibly your controller) may make a difference in reliability. I am using ZHA and a SONOFF controller. Your experience may be different.
I use one for the same thing! I have a pellet stove, and I set the knob to “on,” then installed a relay in line with the knob. HA monitors temperature with another sensor and switches the pellet stove as needed.
I’ve got another two connected to solenoid valves, and another in a custom lighting system. They’ve been rock solid for a year or two.
The wide input power range is really convenient, too. Depending on what you’re controlling, you can probably either just power it off the same supply, or grab any random adapter and hack off the barrel plug.
We should start a “home automation pellet stove” community, now that there are at least two of us.
Mine has all electronic controls. I use a power monitoring plug to detect if it’s running and turn on a nearby ceiling fan if so. It also counts how long it has been running to let me know when to clean it (~150 hours of run time). I have a Shelly 1 connected to the thermostat wires, and a temperature sensor elsewhere the room tied together in HA to make a thermostat to control the stove. I have a fairly complex script that sets the pellet stove’s temperature based on various factors like time of day, outdoor temperature, etc. If the thermostat doesn’t call for heat for half an hour, the pellet stove automatically shuts down and will restart if heat is called for (this functionality is built into the stove).
I’d like to monitor the level of pellets, and I’d like to have control of the level - it can run on levels 1-5, controlled by a push button. I normally keep it on 2, but on a really cold morning, jacking it up to 4 or 5 would be helpful - and make it even more critical I monitor the level of pellets.
My pellet stove is a bit different. It has a built-in thermostat, and a combination rotary switch/potentiometer to control the temperature. This switch has a single wire that tells the controller to shut off the stove (wire is shorted) or control the on/off set points based on the resistance. I just leave it at “fully-on” and use a normally-closed relay to control it. When HA wants to turn on the stove, it just switches the relay to open, which tells the stove to start up and continue running until the relay is closed. The built-in thermostat just switches the stove on/off, so I’m essentially just disabling that and offloading it to HomeAssistant.
I also have a fairly complex automation for my stove. I’m using it to heat a large workshop, but I generally only use my shop on days I’m not going to work. On my off days, HA checks my location (from my phone), and if I’m home, it’ll heat up my shop in the early morning so it’s already comfortable when I wake up. It’s tied into my occupancy sensors, so if the ambient temperature is below a set point and somebody is in the shop, it’ll maintain the temperature even if my schedule doesn’t mandate it. It also takes into account outdoor temperature, and it overrides everything and heats up my shop anyway if it’s at risk of freezing (frozen wood glue doesn’t work very well). I also monitor run time, and it’ll send me a notification when it needs to be cleaned. I use 18 hours, though; with my stove, I think if I let it go to 150 like yours, it’d be a fire hazard.
I hadn’t thought of monitoring pellet level, but I really like your idea. I think a beam sensor at the bottom of the hopper might do the trick. It wouldn’t give a level, but it work to let you know when it’s empty. I’m also wondering of you could install an IR emitter and photodiode on the hopper door facing downward and calculate a fill level based on how much light is reflected back. Maybe a series of contact switches from top to bottom. It’d definitely be a fun project.
I have two thoughts on the pellet level - both measuring from the top. I have a few OpenGarage devices and a SaltSentry. Both essentially do the same thing, measure the distance between the sensor and the next object it encounters, but they are different methods - the SaltSentry uses a time of flight sensor, and from what I can tell from the pictures, it’s just that small little thing at the point of the device. The OpenGarage uses a larger ultrasonic sensor.
Look how small and cheap those time of flight sensors are on a small breadboard (I literally just found those). Mount that on the underside of the top of the hopper, run some wires to an esp32 or similar, config it, and boom, I think.
Our detached garage has a propane furnace (one of those that hangs in the corner of the room). I just recently put a Shelly 1 into the thermostat circuit to control it, then I tried to attach a temperature sensor to it, so it can act as a thermostat…then I found that you need the Shelly Add-on to actually attach a sensor to it… So I got the Shelly Plus Add-On…but that’s for a later generation of Shelly 1 than I currently have…so my next purchase will be a newer generation Shelly 1 to replace the Shelly 1 I already…yeah, this has been a frustrating experience. And I’m not a huge fan of Shelly after they took an order and my money and never delivered the product in 2023. So, if I buy Shelly, it’s only via Amazon now.