Issues joining Zigbee devices to C-8 Pro that work with C-7

[garyjmilne]

I am unable to join multiple different devices to my C-8 Pro that I can easily add to my C-7 without any trouble.

I've done all the obvious things.
Updated to the latest release: 2.3.9.201
Rebooted the radio.
Rebooted my Hub.
Did a Rebuild Network.
Powered Hub off for 20 minutes to allow a rebuild.
Powered Hub and all repeaters off for 20 minutes and then brought everything back on.
Changed my Zigbee channel.
Performed a normal pairing\avoid Zigbee 3.0 Routers\Pair in clear.

If I put a bulb into pairing mode for example it will flash as you would expect. But when I put the Hub in pairing mode it flashes 1-2 more times and then goes out as you would normally expect when it is detected. But the pairing mode on the Hub never shows it found anything and just keeps counting down to 0.

Each of the following devices has proven problematic and have either taken many attempts before finally pairing or never pairing at all. These same devices paired easily to my C-7.

XBEE - Never paired, even adjacent to Hub.
Sengled Color Bulbs
Sengled Dimmer Bulbs
Aqara Leak Sensor
Hue Motion Sensor - Never paired, even adjacent to Hub.
Generic Contact Sensor

Overall it seems like a handshaking issue in the connection process.

[danabw]

Stock antennas, I assume?

• Did you try changing Zigbee power level? (And what is current setting?)
• DId you try the secondary pairing methods (avoid Zigbee 3.0 and exchange keys in the clear)?

I joined three Third Reality Zigbee devices to my C8-Pro yesterday and each one took multiple tries to join, two to three tries for each one. Failed tries were the simple Zigbee pairing time-out that you mention, w/nothing found. 20' away from the hub, clear sight/no walls between hub and devices. One of the devices seemed to pair and appeared in my device list but the sensor kept blinking blue on and off (indicating pairing mode) so I had to reset and re-join it.

[dnickel]

I had a lot of issues over the last year with devices not joining - multiple threads.
I would always get the init stage for many devices and just sit there.
Turns out with the replacement of my WiFi access points and possibly the installation of my solar system, which runs a ZB hub as well, would let things say Hi on a join but never complete any join.
Move from ch 20 to 15 and everything joined.
Most recommend 25 but according to the ZB Details | Scan Channels there was a lot of other Pan ID's there.

[dnickel]

I did try many pwer settings in the quest too.
I'm settled on 11 now at power 8; I have a lot of repeaters to do the dirty work.
I do have 3 ST Arrival sensors though that will not talk on CH 11. I have ordered a BLE gateway to solve that issue, hopefully.

[garyjmilne]

Yes, stock antenna.
I tried both the alternates. Eventually pairing would work on some devices but because it was so unpredictable I could not really tell if it was because I said avoid 3.0 repeaters or do open keys or it would have paired anyway.

[garyjmilne]

I'm trying Zigbee CH 11 and 8 power now and moved my WiFi to the other end of the spectrum.

This is my channel scan on the C-8 Pro

CH 25 is my Hue Hub.

This is my channel scan on the C-7 (Which is on CH26 because I have no real devices on it) but I don't know why it reports 0.

So the C-8 sees itself at -64 RSSI which is considered fair.
The C-7 which is about 50ft away sees channel 11 with an RSSI of -25 which is excellent.

So it does not make sense to me so I must misunderstand what this is telling me.

[danabw]

I'm not sure about trusting the channel scan feature...it's had a history of some strange results...@tony had some comments on it here:

A question about Zigbee Channel Scan?

Yes, the scan reports aren't consistent and (at least for C-7 and C-3) extended PAN id's are reported in the wrong 'endian' format (C-8 gets them right). And sometimes nothing shows up.... I reported the differences I've seen here: AFAIK these quirks haven't been commented on by anyone in the know.

I think the Hue bridge can live about wherever you want it to, I've moved it around to different Zigbee channels and it never seemed to care. So I'd prioritize the C8 (which seems to be pickier) and then give the Hue bridge the left-overs.

One thing to consider is the double-luck voodoo pairing method...not saying you should have to do this, but it has shown some success w/difficult devices:

2.3.9.157 - Zigbee plugs are found but do not function

If you're experiencing issues pairing Zigbee 3.0 devices with your Hubitat C-8 hub, the following steps in this 'Double Luck voodoo' may help resolve the problem: Position the Device Close to the Hub: Place the Zigbee 3.0 device in close proximity to your C-8 hub to ensure a strong signal during the pairing process. Rebuild the Zigbee Network: Navigate to Settings > Zigbee Details on your Hubitat interface. Click the Rebuild Network button. Wait for the process to complete; the button will b…

[garyjmilne]

I updated my Hub to the latest version and immediately started getting the Weak Signal warnings. Given my other Zigbee issues I thought I would try another channel.

[danabw]

Yeah, that warning is a little confusing...the C8 may be more likely to have Zigbee issues on channel 20, so if you have a C8 and are having Zigbee issues, choosing another channel may help. If you're on 20 and things are fine, dismiss the warning message and let her roll as-is.

[garyjmilne]

I'm trying 15 as my new address and get an RSSI of -59 which is decent. I was just reading another thread of yours from about 2 years ago which is the flashing of the Sonoff Zigbee dongles.

Is this still a valid approach as in all of the pieces still work to get it onto Hubitat?

[danabw]

@garyjmilne

valid approach

Yup, all still works! I've tried to keep it up to date, and others have contributed. Go for it.