this post was submitted on 27 Jan 2024
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Home Assistant is open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server. Available for free at home-assistant.io

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I'd like to add a smart button to my HA setup. I don't have zigbee signal nearby, so I'm wondering what the best way to do this would be.

I'm using a Skyconnect dongle. There's wifi nearby. I want to control a smart switch nearby, which would also have zigbee but that also wouldn't reach the distance I need.

Is Matter a solution here? With a hub connected to wifi that bridges to the button?

Any suggestions on hardware?

Or any other suggestions?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (11 children)

There’s a couple of ways you can do this.

  • You can build out your Zigbee network with relays (anything mains powered usually works as a router) to reach the area.
  • If the area is too far away (say in another building), you could setup a Zigbee to MQTT router nearby and route the messages via another network back to Home Assistant.
  • or your could use WiFi devices if you have enough spare capacity on your network and are well within signal range.

I’ve so far not had much luck with Matter, so for me, that is an unnecessary complication to avoid. Trying to get Matter working, I mean.

In my case I would probably use either the first or second choice, depending, but your situation may be different. My WiFi already has too many devices on it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (10 children)

If the area is too far away (say in another building), you could setup a Zigbee to MQTT router nearby and route the messages via another network back to Home Assistant.

Can you tell me more about this? Wifi is available in the area, which seems a better option than a chain of zigbee extenders.

Can I just get a zigbee to MQTT router and that bridges between a zigbee button and HA?

[–] throw4w4y5 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

have a look at Shelley smart devices. They have a wifi button that’s fully compatible with Home Assistant. Not the cheapest in the world but the quality is excellent. No Zigbee needed.

https://www.shelly.com/en

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

Thanks, someone else mentioned these and it seems like the best option so far.

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