I just remembered I had some XBee modules sitting around, and I'm wondering if they would work as zigbee repeaters. They say XBee S1 on them, and in XCTU, it says:
Product family: XB24
Function set: XBee 802.15.4
Firmware version: 10ef
I don't see all of the settings that are at the top of this thread though. Can these be made to work? Or are they too old? Thanks!
Look the post 246 to 250, probably they are the settings you need
unfortunately 802.15.4 will not work they are not the same as zigbee
No way to re flash them either
I accidentally bought a Xbee S1 when I was first getting into Xbees
Ah that's too bad. Thanks for the confirmation.
Thanks to you all, especially @NoWon. I've got one of the cheap $2.62 USB adapters, without a reset button.
Just finished this whole thread 
and there are some posts that imply it must be reset to join the HE hub and some that power-cycling it after setting the parameters is sufficient. Do I have a chance?
Related, the pin diagram of my XB3-24Z8PT-J shows Pin#5 as the reset. Can I (carefully) short that to ground to reset it? Are there any risks of permanent damage if I'm not so careful and happen to touch adjacent pins?
quick google search for Xbee reset pin
When a step indicates to press the reset button, this implies that the Reset pin ( Pin 5) of the XBee should be shorted to ground ( Pin 10).
should work
easy to solder a switch in to make it simple
Looks like I'm good-to-go. HE found and initialized the device as soon as I started discovery. No reset necessary. I'm seeing a map (2nd the motion to have friendly names assignable to each zigbee id). I appreciate everyone's work on it. 
Was looking at this Xbee module. Will this work?
I do not have the older series 2 but I believe they will work fine.
you will not have the same range or the maximum number a devices to route through it and the spectrum analyzer may not work (not sure).
but for mapping and using as a basic router it should be fine.
it works, but honestly you can get the v3 cheaper or the same price.
This one I ordered one yesterday and I just received today.(yes, ordered another one...)
https://www.arrow.com/en/products/xb3-24z8pt-j/digi-international
I have the 2C and it works well, actually better than my xbee 3 pro. It seems most devices are connected to the non pro. Either it is location based (they are 10 feet from each other) or the fact that I had the non pro first and most devices choose it as a router, although I'd expect the device to choose the stronger signal?
My pro is in an old converted coal bin, with 14 inch poured concrete walls and foil insulation and now that I just said that I realize why ! Is there an emoji for " duh"?
Wait, I'm confused.... You said "choose it for a router". So, you only get details on devices that pass through the xbee? I thought it just had to be part of the mesh to get results. How do I force devices to use this as a router? And then I have to leave it hooked up forever? This doesn't seem very useful to me.
No
pair/join it as a device then use Xctu s/w to scan and see your entire network
if you leave it powered on when you go to pair/join another device it may route through Xbee so if you do not want it routing through the Xbee power it off after you are done scanning your network.
If you do want to use it as a router to enable more devices for example more than the Hub limit directly allows or to extend the hubs range then you must leave it on.
I just leave leave 2 of mine on all the time and connected to my computer so they act as both a router and a scanner at the same time.
the other 2 I powered on all the time as well and placed in different areas of the house to extend the zigbee range and act just as routers.
That's what I thought. That's for clarifying.
sorry for the confusion. properly stated "it seems devices prefer to connect to/through the xbee 2C"
and NoWon is correct, you can see you entire network, not just devices connected to the xbee.
I have never seen such a powerful router/repeater as the xbee, and the xiaomi dvices love it. I was skeptical at first, now I have 3, 2 as permanent repeaters and 1 for scanning. I bought some Li Ion charging boards and I'm working on a battery backup for my xbees, in case of power outage, using an 18650 cell and the charging board.
Having the mesh mapped is fantastic and I love tinkering with the xbee. If you don't have mesh issues it's not totally necessary, but I have a sense you would have a lot of fun
Sorry if its just me not searching properly? But I'm confused after reading this thread? Can someone please advice what I should order and from where in the UK?
Sorry if I have missed an obvious option
Mouser is a good option for the UK.
They ship internationally but it only takes 4 or 5 days and I've been using them for years and never had any issues with customs charges etc.
I ordered the following:
https://www.mouser.co.uk/ProductDetail/888-XB3-24Z8ST
https://www.mouser.co.uk/ProductDetail/888-76000956
Thanks for the quick reply
I have recently got my first Xbee working. But I have to say that I am a bit underwhelmed with it as it stands. It's nice to see the network layout, but it's the fact that to get the map you need the Xbee connected to the PC and as soon as you remove it, you change the network. In my case the PC isn't really near where you'd ideally position the Xbee as a repeater anyway.
I know you can run it from a USB power supply but then it's only the same as any other repeater (like a £9 Tradfri for example) unless I'm missing something?
To make it truly useful it seems to me it needs to be permanently connected in the network and at the same time able to communicate with a tablet/phone/PC to show the network layout without having to disconnect anything.
A bit of googling has found that Bluetooth and Wifi Xbee modules exist but as an Xbee newbie I have no idea if these would enable me to do what I want, has anyone tried anything like this?
an actual Bluetooth or WiFi Xbee will not do what you want.
you have to connect the Zigbee Xbee to a pc to use Xtcu to scan the network.
Maybe if you can find some sort of a wireless usb com port transmitter but I have never seen one.
The zigbee Xbee will also allow you route more devices through it than a standard plug which will enable you to have more zigbee devices on your network.
Download the Hubitat app
