# ZigBee Binding

The ZigBee binding supports an interface to a wireless ZigBee home automation network and allows ZigBee devices from numerous manufacturers to be used without a system specific gateway. It should be compatible with a broad range of devices that implement and meet the Zigbee standards including lights, alarms, switches, sensors, etc.

# Supported Things

# Coordinators

A ZigBee Coordinator is the network controller, and is therefore the heart of the ZigBee network. It also acts as the trust centre to control security access to the network.

# Configuring a coordinator

Coordinators need to be installed manually and the serial port (zigbee_port) and baud rate (zigbee_baud) must be set. These are set to match the configuration that the dongle is in. Should you wish to use a different baud rate than the default speed of the device (get default baud rate from the device manual) , you must change the configuration of the dongle using some other, and then configure the binding to match your change. If in doubt, you should leave the settings at their default values which should work in most cases.

If you are running on Linux, then you probably need to add the user 'openhab' to the tty group, and enable EXTRA_JAVA_OPTS for the serial port your coordinator uses (see Linux install guide (opens new window)). Additionally for Docker users, you will need to pass the serial port through Docker to openHAB (see Docker install guide (opens new window))

After you have installed the binding, you can add a coordinator via the UI, by navigating to Settings > Things and clicking on the blue + button in the bottom right corner. Then choose the coordinator that matches your dongle. Make sure you check the Show advanced box, there are some important settings that otherwise stay hidden. Please refer to the sections Serial port Configuration and Coordinator Configuration below for information about the settings for a coordinator.

# Configuration via config file

You can also configure the coordinator via an old style Things file. Things files should be placed in OPENHAB_CONF/things. Here are some examples for a coordinator congiguration in a .things file.

minimal example:

Thing zigbee:coordinator_cc2531:stick1 "Zigbee USB Stick" [zigbee_port="/dev/ttyACM0", zigbee_baud=38400]

extended example:

Thing zigbee:coordinator_ember:stick "Zigbee USB Stick" [zigbee_port="/dev/ttyUSB-Zigbee", zigbee_baud=57600, zigbee_flowcontrol=2, zigbee_childtimeout=864000, zigbee_concentrator=1, zigbee_meshupdateperiod=86400, zigbee_panid=35637, zigbee_extendedpanid="118E309DE90CC829", zigbee_networkkey="14 c6 a2 c7 fb e0 c3 19 8e 7c 36 30 dc ad a5 96", zigbee_powermode=1, zigbee_txpower=8]

NOTE: Do not use the values for zigbee_networkkey, zigbee_panid and zigbee_extendedpanid from this example, create random values for your own Zigbee network.

NOTE: If you are using thing configuration files, you MUST define the following configuration parameters, or the system will not work properly as random values will be used at each restart:

  • zigbee_panid,
  • zigbee_extendedpanid,
  • zigbee_networkkey.

# Serial port Configuration

If you are using a config file, the serial port needs to be configured as shown in the above example. Below is a list of the relevat settings concerning the serial port.

Setting Allowed values
zigbee_baud Ember controllers: 38400, 57600, 115200
Telegesis controllers: 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200
Xbee controllers: 9600, 57600, 115200
CC2531 controllers: 38400, 57600, 115200
zigbee_flowcontrol 0 = None,
1 = Hardware (CTS/RTS),
2 = Software (XOn/XOff)
zigbee_port The name of the serial port, e.g. /dev/ttyUSB1 or /dev/ttyZigbee or whatever the port is named on your system

# Coordinator Configuration

Note that not all configuration parameters are available with all coordinators.

The key is defined as 16 hexadecimal values. If not defined, this will default to the well known ZigBee HA link key which is required for ZigBee HA 1.2 devices. Do not alter this key if using with a ZigBee HA 1.2 network unless you fully understand the impact.

If defined with the word INSTALLCODE: before the key, this will create a link key from an install code which may be shorter than 16 bytes.

e.g. 5A 69 67 42 65 65 41 6C 6C 69 61 6E 63 65 30 39 e.g. INSTALLCODE:00 11 22 33 44 55 66 77

# Network Key (zigbee_networkkey)

The key is defined as 16 hexadecimal values. If not defined, a random key will be created.

# Child Aging (zigbee_childtimeout)

ZigBee routers (and the coordinator) only have room to allow a certain number of devices to join the network via each router - once the child table in a router is full, devices will need to join via another router (assuming the child can communicate via another router). To avoid the child table becoming full of devices that no longer exist, routers will age out children that do not contact them within a specified period of time.

Once a child is removed from the child table of a router, it will be asked to rejoin if it tries to communicate with the parent again. Setting this time too large may mean that the router fills its tables with devices that no longer exist, while setting it too small can mean devices unnecessarily rejoining the network.

Note that ZigBee compliant devices should rejoin the network seamlessly, however some non-compliant devices may not rejoin which may leave them unusable without a manual rejoin.

Values: Timeout time in seconds. The table below lists the options that are shown in the UI and the equivalent values that can be set in a configuration file:

UI Config file
5 Minutes 320
30 Minutes 1800
2 Hours 7200
12 Hours 43200
1 Day 86400
2 Days 172800
5 Days 432000
10 Days 864000
2 Weeks 1209600
4 Weeks 2419200
7 Weeks 4233600

Note that this value should be given as a number in the configuration file, without quotes. Also note that, technically, you are not bound to using the values from the table. But if you use an arbitrary number of seconds, not corresponding to one of the predefined periods, it might not be possible to display the configured value correctly in the UI.

# Concentrator Type (zigbee_concentrator)

The Concentrator is used to improve routing within a ZigBee network, and is especially useful in a network where much of the traffic is sent to or from a central coordinator. If the coordinator has sufficient memory, it can store routing information, thus reducing network traffic.

If supported, the High RAM concentrator should be used.

Values:

Value Meaning
0 Low RAM concentrator
1 High RAM concentrator
# Mesh Update Period (zigbee_meshupdateperiod)

The binding is able to search the network to get a list of what devices can communicate with other devices. This is a useful diagnostic feature as it allows users to see the links between devices, and the quality of these links. However, this can generate considerable traffic, and some battery devices may not poll their parents often enough to provide these updates, and users may consider that it is better to reduce the period, or disable this feature.

Value: the update period in seconds. 0 means "never update". In the UI, a drop down list is shown, the options from that list are shown in te table below, with their equivalent values that can be put in a config file.

UI Config file
Never 0
5 Minutes 300
30 Minutes 1800
1 Hour 3600
6 Hours 21600
1 Day 86400
1 Week 604800

Please note that, technically, you are not bound to using the values from the table. But if you use an arbitrary number of seconds, not corresponding to one of the predefined periods, it might not be possible to display the configured value correctly in the UI.

# Network Size (zigbee_networksize)

Some coordinators may need to allocate memory to handle each node in the network. This is an integer setting, and should be set to the maximum number of nodes expected to be added to the network. It should be noted that this will consume memory on the coordinator which may impact on other services such as packet buffers, so it is not advised to simply set this to the maximum value.

# Trust Centre Join Mode

Sets the Trust Centre join/rejoin mode.

enumeration label explanation
TC_JOIN_DENY Deny all joins.
TC_JOIN_SECURE Allow only secure joining. Devices should join with the TC Link Key or a Device Specific Link Key via an install code.
TC_JOIN_INSECURE Allow all joins.
TC_JOIN_INSTALLCODE Only join with install code. Devices attempting to join with the TC Link Key will be rejected.
# Group Registration (zigbee_groupregistration)

Some devices send commands to a group address (ie using multicast addressing). This configuration allows the user to define a list of groups that the binding will listen for commands. Multiple groups can be defined - groups are separated with a comma and must be defined as a four character hexadecimal value.

Note that this is only available for Ember coordinators.

# Supported Coordinators

The following coordinators are known to be supported.

Name and Link Coordinator Configuration Comment
SLZB-06 (opens new window) Ember based PoE NCP Ember Usable via USB-C or Ethernet. Power over Ethernet supported with web based user interface.
Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus (model “ZBDongle-E”) from ITead (opens new window) Ember 115200bps
Hardware flow control
High RAM
USB dongle based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 MCU. EmberZNet Zigbee NCP (coordinator) firmware image builds from ITead are available here (opens new window).
Aeotec Zi-Stick (opens new window) Ember 115200bps
Hardware flow control
High RAM
USB dongle based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 MCU. Support and EmberZNet Zigbee NCP (coordinator) firmware information available here (opens new window).
SMLIGHT SLZB-07 (opens new window) Ember 115200bps
Hardware flow control
High RAM
USB dongle based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 MCU. Ships with EmberZNet Zigbee NCP (coordinator) firmware.
Home Assistant SkyConnect (opens new window) Ember 115200bps
Hardware flow control
High RAM
USB dongle based on Silicon Labs MGM12P Radio Module with Silabs EFR32MG21 MCU. EmberZNet Zigbee NCP (coordinator) firmware image builds are available here (opens new window).
TubesZB EFR32 MGM21 Ethernet/USB Serial Coordinator (opens new window) Ember 115200bps
Hardware flow control
High RAM
USB dongle or Ethernet network-attached connected using Serial-over-IP) based on Silicon Labs MGM12P Radio Module with Silabs EFR32MG21 MCU. EmberZNet Zigbee NCP (coordinator) firmware image builds from tube0013 are available here (opens new window)).
Easyiot Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle (model "ZB-GW04") (opens new window) Ember 115200bps
Hardware flow control or 115200bps
Software flow control
High RAM
USB dongle based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 MCU. EmberZNet Zigbee NCP (coordinator) firmware image builds are available here (opens new window).
Elelabs Zigbee USB Adapter ELU013 (opens new window) and Elelabs Zigbee Raspberry Pi Shield ELR023 (opens new window) Ember 115200bps
Software flow control
High RAM
Based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG13P MCU. Both the stick and the shield can be upgraded without additional hardware, firmware available here (opens new window).
Elelabs Zigbee USB Adapters ELU012 ((EFR32MG1B) and EZBUSBA (EM357) or Elelabs Zigbee Raspberry Pi Shields ELR022 (EFR32MG1B) and EZBPIS (EM357) Ember 115200bps
Hardware flow control and 57600bps
Software flow control respectivly
Based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG1B and EM357 MCUs respectivly. Both the sticks and the shields can be upgraded without additional hardware, firmware available here (opens new window).
POPP ZB-STICK 701554 (opens new window) and POPP ZB-SHIELD 701561 (opens new window) (rebranded Elelabs ELU013 and ELR023) Ember 115200bps
Hardware flow control
High RAM
Based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG13P MCU. Both the stick and the shield can be upgraded without additional hardware, firmware available here (opens new window).
Bitron Video AV2010/10 Funkstick (also sold as SMaBiT AV2010/10) (opens new window) Ember 57600bps
Software flow control
High RAM
Based on Silicon Labs EM3587.
CEL Cortet MeshConnect USB Sticks (EM358, ZM357S-USB, ZM3588S-USB models) (opens new window) Ember Based on Silicon Labs EM358, EM357, and EM3588 MCUs respectivly. Requires specific drivers that may not work on MacOS Monterey.
Nortek GoControl QuickStick Combo Model HUSBZB-1 (opens new window) Ember 57600bps
Software flow control
High RAM
Based on Silicon Labs EM3581 MCU. Stick contains both Z-Wave and ZigBee.
Telegesis ETRX357USB, ETRX357USB+8M, and ETRX357USB-LRS ZigBee USB Stick (opens new window) Telegesis Based on Silicon Labs EM357 MCU. Not supported for ZigBee 3.0
QIVICON ZigBee-Funkstick (opens new window) Telegesis Only working on Linux devices
Digi XStick (Digi XBee 3 USB Adapter) (opens new window) XBee
Texas Instruments CC2531EMK (opens new window) CC2531 CC2530 are not recommended for more then 15 devices due to its less powerful MCU. Also needs extra hardware and Z-Stack Home 1.2 firmware flashed (opens new window). CC2530 and CC2538 may work too with Z-Stack Home 1.2 compatible firmware.

# Ember Coordinator

The Ember NCP (Network Co-Processor) supports the SiLabs MightyGecko (EFR32MG) and the older EM357/8 chipsets with the standard NCP firmware. The thing type is coordinator_ember. This dongle type is recommended due to its extensive use within both the community, and commercial systems using this dongle.

Note that there are generally two versions of the Ember NCP firmware in use. One operates at a baud rate of 115200 with RTS/CTS flow control (i.e. hardware flow control), the other operates at a baud rate of 57600, and XON/XOFF flow control (i.e. software flow control). If you are programming your own stick (e.g. the CEL stick) then it should be advisable to use the hardware flow control version - many commercial sticks seem to use the lower speed and software flow control (e.g. Bitron and Nortek HUSBZB-1).

Firmware versions higher than 6.4.0.0 may be required to work with some newer devices (i.e. those conforming to the Zigbee 3.0 standard). If your dongle has older firmware then devices may appear to join the network, but will not work as they will leave the network if they do not receive updated security information.

If the USB dongle is not recognized, it might be necessary to make the dongle's device id known to the CP240x driver by Silicon Labs:

  • Find the device id (as listed by the command lsusb). For the Bitron Funkstick that might be 10c4 8b34.
  • Unplug the device
  • Enter the following commands (replace the id 10c4 8b34 with the one listed by lsusb):
    sudo -s
    modprobe cp210x
    echo 10c4 8b34 > /sys/bus/usb-serial/drivers/cp210x/new_id
    
  • Plug in the dongle. It should now be recognized properly as ttyUSBx.
# Upgrading firmware

Dongle firmware can be upgraded using the openHAB console with the zigbee firmware command. The firmware file must be specified next. The dongle will be taken offline, put into firmware upgrade mode and then upgraded. You MUST ensure that you have the correct firmware for your dongle as programming the incorrect firmware can render the device inoperable - requiring a programmer to recover.

# Flashing/Upgrading on Linux

Some Ember EZSP NCP coordinators can be flashed to upgrade the firmware using walthowd/husbzb-firmware (https://github.com/walthowd/husbzb-firmware (opens new window)). It has been tested with the HUSZBZ-1 and Telegesis ETRX357USB and may work with other coordinators. You are responsible to ensure you load the correct firmware for your device - loading the wrong firmware may render your device inoperable.

Review the husbzb-firmware readme for detailed instructions. Using docker to upgrade a HUSZBZ-1 is as follows:

  • Shutdown openHAB
  • docker run --rm --device=/dev/ttyUSB1:/dev/ttyUSB1 -it walthowd/husbzb-firmware bash
  • ./ncp.py scan
  • Verify output shows which version of firmware the coordinator is running.
    {"ports": [{"port": "/dev/ttyUSB1", "vid": "10C4", "pid": "8A2A", "deviceType": "zigbee", "stackVersion": "5.4.1-194"}]}
    
  • ./ncp.py flash -p /dev/ttyUSB1 -f ncp-uart-sw-6.7.8.ebl
  • Wait for the flashing to complete and the coordinator to reboot.
  • ./ncp.py scan
    {"ports": [{"port": "/dev/ttyUSB1", "vid": "10C4", "pid": "8A2A", "deviceType": "zigbee", "stackVersion": "6.7.8-373"}]}
    

# Digi XBee X-Stick

The thing type is coordinator_xbee. Other XBee S2C devices should also be supported.

The XBee must be run with API mode firmware and not the AT firmware.

# Telegesis ETRX3

The thing type is coordinator_telegesis. Note that this dongle may not support all Zigbee 3.0 devices although the firmware may be upgraded to support the standard Ember NCP firmware - see the Ember NCP section above for details.

# CC2531 Coordinator

Not Recommended for new systems

Z-Stack Home 1.2 is the Texas Instruments ZNP stack for Zigbee Home Automation 1.2 networks. The thing type is coordinator_cc2531. While this dongle is cheaply available from shops in China, it is no longer supported by the manufacturer and users may experience problems using this dongle with newer Zigbee 3.0 devices. Official firmware from TI doesn't support the updated security required by Zigbee 3.0 and devices may therefore join the network, and then leave again if the security is insufficient. Users will see this as a device in the inbox, and depending on exact timing for the device to leave, the device may be labled correctly, or as an unknown device. Either way it will not respond. Custom firmware created by users may be available on the Internet to work around this issue to allow this stick to be used, or if users are only using older devices, or cheaper Chinese devices, this may still work ok.

# CC2531 - Firmware

The CC2531 USB dongle must be flashed with Z-Stack Home 1.2 firmware firmware in order to work with this binding. Flashing CC2531 requires extra hardware. Original firmware can be downloaded from TI website archives (http://www.ti.com/tool/z-stack-archive (opens new window)) as part of the Z-STACK-HOME v.1.2.2a package. The file name is CC2531ZNP-Pro-Secure_Standard.hex and its sha256 is 3cc5dc571ef0f49e3f42c6c2ca076d6f8fef33a945c71e6f951b839ba0599d3c.

Custom Z-Stack Home 1.2 firmware from Zigbee2MQTT (opens new window) can also be used, and has been reported working by some users.

# Flashing on Linux

It's possible to flash the dongle using Linux, using cc-tool (https://github.com/dashesy/cc-tool.git (opens new window)). The required dependencies can be installed with sudo apt install build-essential libusb-1.0-0-dev libboost-all-dev, and the binary compiled with ./configure && make. Do not forget to install the udev rules, as described at https://github.com/dashesy/cc-tool/blob/master/README (opens new window) , or the software might not be able to access the USB programmer.

The firmware can be flashed with ./cc-tool -e -w CC2531ZNP-Pro-Secure_Standard.hex -v r. Change the path to the firmware accordingly.

# Flashing on Windows

For flashing the dongle using windows you need the TI Flash Programmer (opens new window) (version 1, not version 2) and the Cebal drivers from this TI site (opens new window) (available in section Software). Extract and install the TI Flash Programmer, connect the CC-Debugger trough USB, and with the dongle using the connector board. In the Windows device manager update the device driver with the Cebal drivers. Now the TI Flash Programmer should show your device. Select the firmware file, flash and verify your dongle firmware.

# Devices

The following devices have been tested by openHAB users with the binding. This list is far from exhaustive, and the absence of a device in this list does not mean it will not work - if the device is a standard ZigBee device similar to ones on this list, then it should work. It should be noted that many "new" devices (approximately newer than 2020) will require coordinators that support ZigBee 3.0. If this is not supported, then devices may briefly join the network, and then leave when they find the network does not support the newer security requirements.

Device Description
Busch-Jaeger 6711 U Relay Insert
Busch-Jaeger 6715 U LED-Dimmer Insert
Busch-Jaeger 6735 Control Element (1-channel)
Busch-Jaeger 6735/01 Control Element (1-channel, battery-operated)
Busch-Jaeger 6736 Control Element (2-channel)
Clipsal Iconic dimmers and switches Wiser switches and dimmers by Schneider
Eurotronic Spirit Thermostat Radiator Thermostat
GE Bulbs
GE Tapt Wall Switch On/Off Switch
GLEDOPTO GL-C-007 GLEDOPTO RGBW Led stripe controller
Hue Bulbs Color LED Bulb
Hue Dimmer Switch Remote RWL021 / RWL022 [2]
Hue Motion Sensor Motion and Luminance sensor
IKEA Fyrtur Blinds Roller blinds. See forum tutorial (opens new window) for further information
IKEA TRÅDFRI Bulbs
IKEA TRÅDFRI Motion Sensor
IKEA TRÅDFRI Outlet
IKEA TRÅDFRI Repeater
IKEA TRÅDFRI Driver 10W and 30W. Dimmer (1 channel, 0 - 100%)
Innr Bulbs [1]
Innr SP 120 Smart Plug [1]
LIVARNO Smart Home Lidl Livarno Smart Home Bulbs [4]
LEDVANCE/Osram Bulbs
Lupus Small Zigbee Temperature Sensor 12314 Lupus-Electronics Temperature and Humidity sensor
Neuhaus Lighting Group - NLG-TW light Dimmer (1 channel, 0 - 100%), Color Temperature (1 channel, 0 (cold) - 100 (warm))
Neuhaus Lighting Group - NLG-RGB-TW light Dimmer (1 channel, 0 - 100%), Color Picker (1 channel)
Osram Flex 3P Multicolor Osram Smart+ LED Strip
Osram Motion Sensor Osram Smart+ Motion Sensor [1]
Osram Smart+ Plug
Securifi Peanut Plug Metered Plug
Shenzhen Ksentry Electronics On Off Controller Relay
Schneider Electric dimmers and swtiches Switches and dimmers
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Magnetic contect AV2010/21 /21A /21B /21C
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Motion Sensor AV2010/22 /22A /22B
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Wall-mount relay AV2010/18 (10A on/off), /16 (2.5A Dimmer)
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Smart Plug AV2010/25 (16A Metering), 28 (16A on/off), /16 (2.5A Dimmer)
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Remote Control AV2010/23
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Wall button AV2010/34
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Smoke Detector AV2010/24 /24A (operation as indoor-siren supported as well)
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Outdoor siren AV2010/29 /29A
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Vibration sensor AV2010/33
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Water leak sensor AV2010/37 (siren cannot be triggered separately)
SMaBiT (Bitron Video) Thermostat w. relay AV2010/32 (only heating mode supported)
SmartThings Plug Metered Plug
SmartThings Motion Sensor CentraLite 3325-S Motion and Temperature sensor
SmartThings Contact Sensor Contact and Temperature sensor
SONOFF SNZB-01 Button (On/Off toggle switch) eWeLink WB01
SONOFF SNZB-02 Sensor (Temperature, Humidity) eWeLink TH01
SONOFF SNZB-03 Sensor (Motion Intrusion, Tamper, Low Battery) eWeLink MS01
SONOFF SNZB-04 Sensor (Contact Portal 1, Tamper, Low Battery) eWeLink DS01
Telkonet EcoInsight Thermostat Intelligent HVAC Thermostat
Trust Bulbs [1]
Ubisys modules D1 Dimmer, S1/S2 Switch modules
Xiaomi Aqara Door and Window Sensor Known issues
Xiaomi Aqara Temperature and Humidity Sensor Known issues
Xiaomi Aqara Human Motion Sensor [3] Known issues
Xiaomi Aqara Wireless Mini Switch WXKG11LM
Xiaomi Aqara Wireless Mini Switch Known issues
Xiaomi Aqara Wired Wall Switch Known issues
Xiaomi Aqara Wireless Remote Switch Double Rocker variant Known issues
Xiaomi Mijia Smart Switch Round Button Known issues

Note 1: Some devices may not work with the Telegesis dongle.

_Note 2: The Hue Dimmer can be integrated but needs additional rule-configuration to work properly. See below for example.

Note 3: The illuminance channel value is being reported incorrectly. Transform by 10000*log10(measuredValue+1) to get the correct illuminance in lux.

Note 4: Lidl LIVARNO Smart Home brand seems to be rebranded Tuya devices.

# Discovery

Discovery is performed by putting the binding into join mode (by starting an thing search), and then putting the device into join mode. Generally, it is best to reset the device to do this. Resetting the device ensures that it is no longer joined to a previous network, will ensure it is awake if it is a battery device, and will restart any channel and network search that the device may perform. Consult the manual of the device at hand to see how to reset it, this differs from device to device.

When the binding is put into discovery mode via the user interface, the network will have join enabled for 60 seconds. You can put it in discovery mode via the Scan button in the user interface. This can be found after you click the blue + button in the bottom right corder of the Things screen and then select the ZigBee Binding.

The binding will store the list of devices that have joined the network locally between restarts to allow them to be found again later. A ZigBee coordinator does not store a list of known devices, so rediscovery of devices following a restart may not be seemless if the dongle is moved to another system.

When a ZigBee device restarts (e.g. a bulb is powered on), it will send an announcement to advise the coordinator that it is on the network and this will allow the binding to rediscover devices that have become lost. Battery devices often have a button that may also perform this function.

# Install Codes

Note: Currently only Ember coordinators support Zigbee 3.0, it does not look like the Telegesis coordinators will receive an update to support it.

ZigBee 3.0 requires that devices use an install code to securely join the network. This must be added to the binding before the discovery starts. Install codes should be printed on the box the device came in, or possibly on the device itself. Note that there is no standard format for how these codes may be displayed on the device or its packaging. You may need to use a QR reader to read the code - again these are not standard in their format, although you should be able to find the address and install code in the displayed text.

The install code must be entered into the coordinator settings before starting the discovery process. The format is IEEE Address:Install Code in the following format -:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA:CCCC-CCCC-CCCC-CCCC-CCCC-CCCC-CCCC-CCCC-DDDD

ZigBee 3.0 requires the install code to be 16 bytes long (8 blocks of characters) but some older systems using this method may use less bytes, but it should still be formatted as 2, 4, or 8 groups of 4 values. Note that the last four characters in the install code are the checksum and may be provided separately.

# Leave

When a thing is deleted, the binding will attempt to remove the device from the network by sending the leave command on the network. The binding will put the Thing into the REMOVING state and once the leave is confirmed it will be finally REMOVED. It is not advised for force remove the Thing as this may cause an incomplete removal, and the device may be immediately added back to the Inbox.

# Thing Configuration

The binding will attempt to automatically detect new devices, giving them a type based on the information they report, and will read their supported clusters to define the supported channels.

# Thing Types

Most ZigBee things have the same thing type of zigbee_device. The binding will automatically discover the device features and provide channels linked to device functionality that it is able to support. A small number of devices that require a manual thing definition may be defined in the binding to support devices that have non-standard functionality, or do not support the autodiscovery functionality provided by ZigBee.

# Channel Types

A set of channels will be created depending on what clusters and endpoints a device supports. Channels are loosely linked to clusters in that for the majority of channels, a single cluster is used. However, some channels may utilise more than one cluster to provide the required functionality.

The following channels are supported -:

Channel UID ZigBee Cluster Type Description
battery-level POWER_CONFIGURATION (0x0001) Number
battery_voltage POWER_CONFIGURATION (0x0001) Number:ElectricPotential
binaryinput BINARY_INPUT__BASIC (0x000F) Switch
color_color COLOR_CONTROL (0x0300) Color
color_temperature COLOR_CONTROL (0x0300) Dimmer
door_state DOOR_LOCK (0x0101) Switch
electrical_activepower ELECTRICAL_MEASUREMENT (0x0B04) Number:Power
electrical_rmscurrent ELECTRICAL_MEASUREMENT (0x0B04) Number:ElectricCurrent
electrical_rmsvoltage ELECTRICAL_MEASUREMENT (0x0B04) Number:ElectricPotential
fancontrol FAN_CONTROL (0x0202) Number
ias_codetector IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_contactportal1 IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_fire IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_motionintrusion IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_motionpresence IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_standard_system IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_water IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_movement IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_vibration IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_tamper IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
ias_tamper IAS_ZONE (0x0500) Switch
measurement_illuminance ILLUMINANCE_MEASUREMENT (0x0400) Number
measurement_pressure PRESSURE_MEASUREMENT (0x0403) Number:Pressure
measurement_relativehumidity RELATIVE_HUMIDITY_MEASUREMENT (0x0405) Number
measurement_temperature TEMPERATURE_MEASUREMENT (0x0402) Number:Temperature
metering_instantdemand METERING (0x0702) Number
metering_sumdelivered METERING (0x0702) Number
metering_sumreceived METERING (0x0702) Number
sensor_occupancy OCCUPANCY_SENSING (0x0406) Switch
switch_dimmer LEVEL_CONTROL (0x0008) Dimmer
switch_onoff ON_OFF (0x0006) Switch
thermostat_localtemp THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number
thermostat_occupiedcooling THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number
thermostat_occupiedheating THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number
thermostat_outdoortemp THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number
thermostat_runningmode THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number
thermostat_systemmode THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number
thermostat_unoccupiedcooling THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number
thermostat_unoccupiedheating THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number
thermostat_heatingdemand THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number:Dimensionless
thermostat_coolingdemand THERMOSTAT (0x0201) Number:Dimensionless
warning_device IAS_WD (0x0502) String
windowcovering_lift WINDOW_COVERING (0x0102) Rollershutter

# Updates

The binding will attempt to configure a connection with the device to receive automatic and instantaneous reports when the device status changes. Should this configuration fail, the binding will resort to using a fast polling (note that "fast" is approximately 30 seconds at this time).

# Warning devices

For devices implementing the cluster IAS_WD (e.g., sirens or, in some cases, smoke detectors), the binding adds a channel of type warning_device. To make the device emit a warning (by siren and/or strobe signal) for a specified time, a command of type String must be sent to the channel, where the command encodes the configuration of the warning. Similarly, to make the device emit a squawk (by siren and/or strobe signal), a command of type String must be sent to the channel, where the command encodes the configuration of the squawk.

Examples:

Command string Effect of the command
type=warning useStrobe=true warningMode=BURGLAR sirenLevel=HIGH duration=PT30S Start a warning using both strobe signal and siren (type 'burglar alarm'), with a duration of 30 seconds.
type=warning useStrobe=false warningMode=FIRE sirenLevel=HIGH duration=PT60S Start a warning using only siren (type 'fire alarm'), with a duration of 60 seconds.
type=warning useStrobe=false warningMode=STOP sirenLevel=HIGH duration=PT30S If the device is currently emitting a warning, this stops the warning.
type=squawk useStrobe=false squawkMode=ARMED squawkLevel=HIGH Makes the device emit a 'squawk' signaling 'armed', with high volume.

The syntax for the command strings is as in the examples above, where the possible values for type, useStrobe, warningMode, squawkMode, sirenLevel, squawkLevel, and duration are as follows:

Command parameter Value range
type warning and squawk
useStrobe true and false
warningMode STOP, BURGLAR, FIRE, EMERGENCY, POLICE_PANIC, FIRE_PANIC, EMERGENCY_PANIC, any integer value (for devices supporting warning modes not specified in the ZCL)
squawkMode ARMED, DISARMED, any integer value (for devices supporting squawk modes not specified in the ZCL)
sirenLevel / squawkLevel LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, VERY_HIGH, any integer value (for devices supporting levels not specified in the ZCL)
duration A duration specified in the ISO-8601 duration format

Note that it is possible to dynamically add command descriptions for specific warning/squawk types to a warning_device channel by configuring the channel configuration property zigbee_iaswd_commandOptions, using String parameters of the form label=>commandString, where label is the label provided to UIs to render, e.g., buttons for the provided command options. Also note that solutions integrating the binding can add implementations of type WarningTypeCommandDescriptionProvider to provide warning/squawk types together with command descriptions for all channels of type warning_device.

# Channels triggered event & rules

Some devices like the Philips Hue Dimmer can be discovered and added to openHAB through this binding but will not allow the Items to be created in the UI. These channels are set as Triggers and will generate output in the events.log that looks similar to this:

2019-03-08 20:51:18.609 [vent.ChannelTriggeredEvent] - zigbee:philips_rwl021:AAAAAAAA:BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB:buttonI triggered SHORT_PRESSED

To utilize these events, no new Item is required, instead a Rule can be used to directly trigger off of this event. The Channel that should be used can be copied directly from the UI under the Channels-section of the Thing or can be read from the events.log See the following example on how to integrate the Channel triggered event for a Hue Dimmer:

rule "Philips Hue ButtonI"
when
    Channel 'zigbee:philips_rwl021:AAAAAAAA:BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB:buttonI' triggered SHORT_PRESSED
then
    //execute your code here
end

# Reporting and Polling

ZigBee has a standard way of configuring how a device sends status reports to the binding - this is called Reporting. Reporting is configured using three pieces of information -:

  • Minimum Reporting Period: This is the minimum time between reports that the device will send updates. So, if data is changing regularly, this will prevent the binding receiving a flood of reports.
  • Maximum Reporting Period: This is the maximum time between reports that the device will send updates. If the data never changes, then the device will still send an update at this rate. This is important so that the binding knows the device has not failed, so it should not be set too long (normally a couple of hours will be fine).
  • Change: This is only applicable for "Analogue" data such as temperature, humidity, power. If the value changes by this amount since the last update, then an update will be sent so long as the minimum reporting period has passed.

In order for a report to be sent to the binding, or to another device, a "binding" must also be configured. Binding and Reporting work together - binding tells the device WHERE to send reports, while reporting tells the device WHAT to send. The binding will set up binding and reporting automatically to get the information that it requires to provide user feedback or update channels, however it may also be desirable to configure a device to automatically send a command to another device without going through openHAB. For example, a wall switch might be configured to directly turn a light On or Off without sending the command from the switch to the openHAB binding, and for the binding to send another command back to the light. Such configuration may be performed through the openHAB command line interface which is described below.

Polling may be used by the binding to request data from the device. Polling is normally only used if reporting doesn't work for some reason. This may happen if the reporting table in a device is full - if the binding detects this, it will increase the polling rate.

## Device Firmware Updates

A Firmware Provider, backed by the Koenkk OTA (opens new window) repository on GitHub can be used to upgrade device firmware. This Firmware Provider provides firmware to the openHAB firmware management system. Since there is no information linking firmware to a device, Zigbee devices must ask for a firmware update, and when this happens, the Firmware Provider will use the information in this request to check to see if there is firmware available, and if there is it will download this to a local file in the Userdata folder. It will also advise the openHAB firmware management system that there is firmware available to upload, and the user can manage this appropriately.

Devices normally request a firmware update at an interval that could be every few minutes, to every few days - depending on the manufacturer. When the provider receives the request from the device, it checks to see if there is a firmware matching the request, and if so it will download the firmware from the net in preparation for the user to approve the upgrade.

Firmware files downloaded from the repository are checked for integrity against the SHA512 hash. an MD5 hash is then generated locally so that the firmware can be checked by the OH core prior to starting the firmware update.

Currently the openHAB main UI doesn't support the firmware management system, so this must be performed using the console.

# When things don't appear to be working

When things don't appear to be working as expected you should check the logs to try and find what is happening. Debug logging can be enabled with the following Karaf commands -:

log:set debug org.openhab.binding.zigbee
log:set debug com.zsmartsystems.zigbee
log:set info com.zsmartsystems.zigbee.dongle.ember.internal.ash

Karaf commands can be issued via the openHAB console. On a typical install, you can start this console via openhab-cli console. This will start the console with the default user openhab, which has habopen as default password.

This will log data into the standard openhab.log file. There is an online log viewer (opens new window) available for viewing the logs.

Note that logs can only show what is happening at a high level - it can't show all data exchanges between the device and the coordinator - just what the coordinator sends to the binding. For this reason it can be difficult to debug issues where devices are not joining the network, or other low level issues need resolving. In such cases a network sniffer log is required, which requires additional hardware and software. Information and software required to use an Ember dongle as a sniffer can be found on the OpenSmartHouse (opens new window) site.

# ZigBee Console Commands

The openHAB command line interface provides a number of commands to interact with the ZigBee framework. These can provide useful options for debugging when things aren't going as planned, and can also provide advanced users a means to make changes that are not possible directly through the binding. This section will provide information on a few common issues that users may come up against, but is not an exhaustive user manual for low level ZigBee commands.

All commands described below must be preceded by the word zigbee on the command line. To keep the documentation concise this is omitted in the examples below.

To list all known nodes, use the nodes command. This will list the nodes and endpoints of the nodes, and is often required as a first step in order to get the node ID or endpoint ID for other commands. Nodes and endpoints are often required as arguments in commands and can typically be entered in decimal or hexadecimal node number with a decimal endpoint - e.g. 0x1234/1, or 4660/1 - both of these describe the same node/endpoint.

# Device Information (Fingerprint)

In some instances a device may not work correctly, or you may wish to see more technical information about the devices' features. This could be because the binding had problems during initialisation, or possibly because the device supports features not implemented in the binding, or possibly the device may implement custom functionality. To understand this, there is a fingerprint command. This command will attempt to poll the device to get a list of all the commands and attributes that the device supports and create a concise list. Note that this may not work on all devices if the device doesn't support the functionality required discovery the commands and attributes supported by the device.

# Binding and Reporting

The binding table is used within ZigBee to configure devices to send reports to the binding when their state changes. The binding will attempt to set the required ZigBee bindings during device initialisation, but sometimes this can fail. Often this may occur on older devices that have limited memory, and only have a small number of entries in the binding table, and then manual manipulation of the table may be required.

The binding table for a node can be displayed with the bindtable command. It can then be updated with the bind command, and bindings can be removed with the unbind command.

A second part to the binding and reporting system is the reporting. The binding table tells the device where it should send reports, but the actual reports must be configured as well. Many attributes in a ZigBee cluster can be configured to send reports if their state changes, or at a periodical rate if there have been no state updates within a certain time. Analogue values can be configured so that they report if the value changes by a certain amount so that the reports do not flood the system. Care must be exercised when changing this configuration as it may interfere with the binding operation.

The exact command required to configure reporting can depend on whether the attribute is a binary or analogue type. The console commands subscribe and unsubscribe allow the user to manipulate the reporting of an attribute, and the reportcfg command can be used to display the current configuration.

# General Console Commands

The following console commands are available in the openHAB console - they should all be preceeded by the zigbee command (eg zigbee join).

Where an address is required, endpoints can use the format 123/1 (destination/endpoint), or in hexadecimal 0xed1/1. Group addresses can be subsituted by preceding the address with a # - eg #123 or #0xed1.

Command Description
join Enable or disable network join
leave Remove a node from the network
nodelist Lists the known nodes in the network
node Provides detailed information about a node
endpoint Provides detailed information about an endpoint
info Get basic info about a device
identify Sends the identify command to an endpoint
fingerprint Get detailed information about a device
read Read an attribute
write Write an attribute
bind Binds a device to another device
unbind Unbinds a device from another device
bindtable Reads and displays the binding table from a node
attsupported Check what attributes are supported within a cluster
cmdsupported Check what commanda are supported within a cluster
subscribe Subscribe to attribute reports
unsubscribe Unsubscribe from attribute reports
reportcfg Read the reporting configuration of an attribute
otaupgrade Provides information about device Over The Air upgrade server status
installkey Adds an install key to the dongle
linkkey Sets the link key int the dongle, optionally computing the MMO Hash from the join code
netstart Join or Form a network as a router or coordinator
netbackup Backup or restores the state of the dongle
discovery Gets information on the network discovery tasks
routingtable Gets the routing table from a node
neighbours Gets the neighbour table from a node
on Turns a device on
off Turns a device off
level Sets the level on a level control device
color Sets the color on a color control device
covering Sets the level on a window covering device
group Configures multicast groups
scene Configures scenes
factoryreset Resets a node to factory defaults

# Ember NCP Commands

The following commands are available if the transport layer is using the Silabs Ember NCP.

Command Description
ncpchildren Gets the NCP child information
ncpaddrtable Manages the NCP address table
ncpconfig Read or write an NCP configuration value
ncpscan Performs a scan, looking for other networks, or energy levels on each channel
ncpcounters Gets the NCP debug counters
ncpstate Gets the NCP network state and optionally brings the network up or down
ncpvalue Read or write an NCP memory value
ncpversion Gets the NCP firmware version
ncpsecuritystate Gets the current NCP security state and configuration
ncptransientkey Adds a transient link key to the NCP
ncpmmohash Uses the NCP to perform the MMO hash
ncprouting Prints the NCP routing tables and information
ncpmcast Read and configure NCP multicast group table
ncppolicy REad and write NCP policies
ncptoken Reads and writes manufacturing tokens in the NCP

# Known issues

# Xiaomi devices

Xiaomi/Aqara devices are not fully ZigBee compliant, and are known to suffer from multiple problems.

# Pairing

Pairing may require multiple attempts. The following issues have been observed:

  • When trying to pair, the status LED blinks only once, instead of three times. Try again to reset/pair the device (keep the button pressed for > 5 seconds).
  • Device attributes and channels are not immediately discovered: be patient. Check again in 1 hour, if nothing is there, delete the device and pair again.

# Lost connection

These devices have an unusually long, and non-standard, sleep time. Because of this, some routers are not able to properly keep track of them, and the devices lose connection to the network. Router devices from Centralite, General Electrics, Iris, Ledvance/OSRAM/Sylvania, PEQ, Securify, SmartThings are known to not work with Xiaomi/Aqara devices. Better results can be achieved by using IKEA, Nue/3A Home, some OSRAM/Sylvania, XBee series 2 and 3, and CC2531 with router firmware.

# External references

Hubitat forum (opens new window) - Xiaomi/Aqara incompatibilities