¶ Zigbee Details
The Settings > Zigbee Details page described here provides a way for advanced users to see more details, including the Zigbee channel and paired devices.
The various pieces of this page are described below:
¶ Zigbee Logging
- The Zigbee Logging button opens live Zigbee logs; see: Zigbee Logging.
¶ Zigbee Network State
- Enable Zigbee radio: Enable this option (enabled by default) to turn on the hub's Zigbee radio, allowing you to pair and use Zigbee devices with this hub. If you do not plan on using Zigbee devices on this hub, it may be disabled.
- Update: Select the Update button to save any changes made to any of the above Zigbee Network State options.
¶ Additional Zigbee Network State Options
Model C-8 users have additional options for rebuilding the Zigbee network on demand or every hub reboot or to reboot the Zigbee radio without the need to fully reboot the hub. These can help with troubleshooting specific Zigbee network problems and will be done automatically by the hub when specific problems are detected but are not necessary to perform manually for most users.
Model C-8 users also have the following option:
- Ping inactive devices every 3 hours: if enabled (this is enabled by default), the hub will attempt to "ping" all devices every three hours where the "Last Message" timestamp is more than three hours in the past. This may help certain devices prone to "falling off" the network to stay on, but it can be disabled if it causes problems. This toggle enables/disables the feature for the entire network. If enabled, it can also be disabled on a per-device basis (see below).
Select Update to apply any changes to these settings.
¶ Zigbee Channel and Power
- Channel: Your hub will automatically select a Zigbee channel during initial setup. In most cases, it is not necessary to change this. Users with multiple hubs in the same location or other Zigbee networks should choose different channels for each if possible, and also consider avoiding frequencies that overlap with those in use by 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks or other uses of this spectrum in your area. If you do need to change your Zigbee channel, please be patient, as it may take 24 hours or more for some devices to update to the new channel (re-pairing such devices manually will speed up the process). Note that some devices may not work on all Zigbee channels; consult the device manufacturer's documentation for details.
- Power Level (model C-8 only): Allows changing the power level of the Zigbee radio. The default value is 16. Selecting a lower value may help lessen interference with other Zigbee networks, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other uses of this frequency in your area.
- Scan channels: Launches Zigbee channel scanning tool, which will display a table of results containing:
- Channel: The Zigbee channel, 1-25
- RSSI: Received signal strength (measure of raw power from any source); closer to 0 is generally better
- LQI: Link quality indication (an assessment of link/hop quality); higher is better (255 is best)
- PAN ID: The PAN ID of the Zigbee network found on the channel
- Extended PAN ID: The extended PAN ID (sometimes also called the extended or MAC address) of the Zigbee network found on the channel
- Note: Channels may be listed multiple times in the table if multiple networks are found on that channel.
Select Update channel/power level (or Update channel on older models) to apply any changes to these settings.
¶ Zigbee Reset
- Reset Zigbee Radio - All values will be reset, and you will have to re-join every Zigbee device to your hub in order for them to function again. Use with caution!
¶ Zigbee Radio Devices Table
The Zigbee Radio Devices table at the bottom of the page lists Zigbee devices that have been paired to your hub, along with the following information for each:
- 16-bit address: the "short," hub-assigned address
- 64-bit address: the "long," factory-assigned address
- ID: numeric identifier uniquely representing the driver being used (previously labeled "Device Type ID")
- Label (Name): the device label, if any, and device name, in parentheses; this is a link to the corresponding device detail page, where these value can also be set.
- Last Message: date and time the hub last received a Zigbee message from the device
- Messages: count of messages received from the device since hub boot
- Ping (model C-8 only): if network-wide ping is enabled (see above), this toggle allows you to disable the feature for specific devices while leaving it on for others.
¶ Zigbee Best Practices
¶ Location
It's a good idea to have the hub centrally located in your home during setup, and daily operation. If this is not possible, and the hub must be installed far from devices at the opposite end of your home, it may be necessary in some large homes to add an AC powered Zigbee device such as a wall outlet to repeat the signal. Do not rely on Zigbee lightbulbs to repeat signals, since they typically perform poorly as Zigbee repeaters, and some simply do not repeat signals at all. Zigbee performance may be influenced by interference from devices operating at 2.4 GHz such as baby monitors and some wireless speakers, adversely effecting operation. Additionally, building materials may contribute to signal deterioration, dampening the ability of Zigbee devices to maintain communication with the hub.
¶ Zigbee Mesh
Hubitat Elevation supports up to 32 Zigbee end devices, in other words, devices paired directly to the hub, without a repeater (router, in Zigbee terminology) in place. However, there is no limit to the number of Zigbee devices that may be added where enough repeaters are used.
¶ More Information
For more information on best practices, see: How to Build a Solid Zigbee Mesh.