Advice for a new setup with C8 & HA

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Hi all. I'm new to HE and seeking some advice on the basics. I've a long background in Industrial Automation, Software Dev, Electronics but haven't gotten around to an extensive home automation until now. I've run Openhab (Docker/Synology) for quite a while, connected to some Modbus IO devices. I want to move those to (probably) Home Assistant, although I've only spun up HA last week and I'll have to see how it performs. I've also some PC-based control systems running and I'll replace those before I'm finished too.

For ease of connectivity, I've opted to go for the C8 and would prefer to stick to mainly Zigbee IO because I think it's going to be easier to build out a robust mesh. And I'm staying away from cloud-dependent devices. The C8 arrived yesterday with a couple of other bits (Temp & RH) and I've a few LEDs. Those all connected up just fine, and I also managed to get Tile Builder (Thanks Gary!) up and running for the Temp&RH. I'll order more devices today and get those moving as soon as they arrive.

Here's my first issue: My office is separate from the house. Both are connected via the network and I've one VLAN (wired and wireless) assigned to this project. I've the C8 in the office at the moment but I'll need to connect all the Zigbee devices from the house too. There is no way the Zigbee will extend wirelessly over the required distance and remain stable so I don't want to go that way. So what's the best approach here. Is there a way to run a second C8 as an extension of the first? Can I extend it via the LAN? Is there another way/device to extend the Zigbee network? Can a pair of C8 devices run as one (like a cluster)?

Next, I don't think C8 to Modbus is going to work out (based on what I've found so far) so that's where I'm thinking I'll need Home Assistant. I'm expecting it to be reasonably simple to tie the C8 & HA together and I can use HA for anything that's difficult to integrate with the C8. Is it easier to take two C8 devices and integrate them both separately into HA and tie everything together there?

Finally for now, I'm expecting it will be easy enough to share variables between the C8 & HA. And I may decide to run some automation rules in one system or the other, but with what I've described above, and considering the potential for creating user interfaces, what would be better as the primary interface? Which system would offer better overall user interaction via phones/panels/etc.?

Thanks, Chris

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As long as they are on the same vlan, you can add another C-8 and share devices via the built-in Hub Mesh app (under settings) Many users, including myself, use multiple hubs to split the load, or reach outbuildings or dead zones. If you install the community app “Hubitat Package Manager”, you’ll have an easy way to discover community created apps like “Home Assistant Device Bridge”. This app is for bringing HA connected devices into Hubitat. You can also use the built-in app “Maker api” for sharing devices that are connected to Hubitat with HA.
As far as a user interface, I use Apple Home. HE and HA are both able to share devices with Homekit.

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Thanks Ken. That's a great help. Hub Mesh seems to be exactly what I was looking for. I don't have the second C8 yet but now that I know it's that easy I'll get another ordered.
I found the Hubitat Package Manager yesterday. I needed it to install Tile Builder. I've now installed “Home Assistant Device Bridge” and “Maker api” so I'll have a look at those.
I haven't considered Apple at all yet, but I'll take a look at it.

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It's really nice if you are in the Apple ecosystem. iPhone is more or less a requirement though. You really have to have an Apple TV or HomePod as well to act as the Apple Home Hub. The plus is that Apple home runs locally, versus Google or Alexa's cloud requirement.

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That saves me looking at that so. :slight_smile: Other than for app development in the past I've never had one. And don't plan to at the moment.

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I like HA's dashboard UI for this as it adjust automagically, out the box, depending on the display being used. That's also a slight curse though if you have a very specific layout in mind. I have a number of Fire tablets scattered throughout the house with a very minimal dashboard displayed to make it more user friendly. I created tabs for each room so only items for the room that the tablet is in are shown. I've also grouped things to help make it more simplistic. For example, my son has four LED controllers in his room for RGB strips along with his main light. The LEDs are grouped to cut down on the number of options on the dashboard.

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The dim/color controls only show up when the light/fan is on.