I'm generally pretty happy with my Hubitiat and have been slowly moving all of my smarts to it.
The one thing I just can't get to work well/reliably is zigbee.
Let's be clear - I've got a few devices that seem to work well & reliably (one RGB downlight, a few contact sensors) but I have a terrible time trying to add devices.
Case in point: Peanut Plug.
I've got a few peanut plugs that were on smart things -- I've tried to move them to hubitat and I just can't get it to move.
I've removed it from Smartthings and reset the switch -- the red pairing light is flashing but when I do discover devices it just wont show up.
On smartthings If I try to discover it discovers it instantly (and then I haves to go delete it again and reset it)
I've got a few other devices that I've had problems with but the peanut plug is the most 'in my face' example i can find right now.
I've tried resetting the hub, I've tried moving the peanut plug far away, close, etc. It just won't find it.
Ok -- thanks..... I have two devices that have caused problems but the peanut plug seemed the most troublesome...
I'll use hublink on the peanut plugs.....
Is there a good place to get the iris anymore? (it seems like they are not generally available) -- If they aren't is there a recommended low cost plug that also routes zigbee traffice (the Ikea one perhaps?)
This is usually caused by the Hub’s Zigbee channel being too high. Try channel 20 as it has been found to work with most everything. Of course, if ST is using channel 20 then maybe try channel 15.
Just be careful...as others have mentioned, Peanut plugs have caused issues for some users. YMMV, of course!
Moved zigbee to chanel 20 and it instantly repaired with a broken connection (the other problem I was having) and also instantly found the peanut plug.
I'll see how the peanut plug behaves but my zigbee, at this moment, appears to work better than it ever has... Thanks @ogiewon!
Some zigbee devices don't like the the high zigbee channels (24-26), leaving 15 & 20 as safe bets.
I used these plugs with Hubitat for quite a while, but don't any more due to zigbee end-devices randomly falling off (or delayed responses from zigbee devices). But I had ~8 of them on Hubitat - having one or two may not cause much of an issue.
I had tried keeping 2 on the hub back before I put them back on SmartThings. They still were constantly changing routes. They do work on channel 25 as well. Only 15, 20, and 25. My lights are all on 25 now (since January), and have been 100% reliable ever since. I haven't run into a device that doesn't work on 25 yet.
Have you tried any 1st gen SmartThings devices on channel 25? I definitely had issues pairing some of those original ST devices from 2014 on channels above 20.
If your smartthings hub is still in use, you could connect it to HE using hubconnect and make use of it for your problem devices. smarthings likes channel 20, so if you can get your HE on a different channel reliably, then you could go that route and us it for your cloud integrations and problem devices for the time being. Just a thought. A lot of people use a second hub for their devices that are known to cause issues. this would be no different.
I've been using hubconnect (it seems to work better than hublink?) with pretty good success.
I have this fantasy of getting rid of smartthings (nothing wrong with it -- it's just two hubs vs. 1) but there are some integrations that work better on smartthings so that may be the way to go.
I've been really impressed with the response to this thread --I kind of threw it to the forum out of frustration and didn't expect much -- I've actually gotten really good answer and fixed my problems.
On a somewhat related note: Is there a recommended device to act as a zigbee repeater (it sounds like peanut plug may not be it)
IKEA Tradfri outlets are a popular, very inexpensive solution. Others like the Samsung SmartThings Zigbee outlets. Zigbee lightbulbs make bad repeaters. I only pair Sengled Zigbee bulbs directly to my hub as they are designed to not be Zigbee repeaters.
I use Iris v2 3210-L outlets, but those are getting harder to find, even on eBay.
I still run echo speaks through smartthings. I use the smarthings hub for cloud integrations. there's use in everything if you look. I used the iris plugs as repeaters, but you can't really get them any more. Some say that the smartthings zigbee plugs are ok repeaters and the ikea plugs. there are extensive threads on this topic in the community of you do a quick search. I had peanut plugs that I removed too. I'm happy that I did. Seems things run much better now. Whatever you do, DON'T try to use bulbs as repeaters. They're awful. Unless you plan on keeping that smartthings system around or plan on getting a second hub strictly for troublesome devices, sylvania lightify and crees are well liked, but can take a network down. So stay away from them if you want stability or get a second hub. also a great topic to read up on. The community here is great. You'll get most everything answered here and there is no talking down around here, so don't be afraid to ask a question. Welcome to the rabbit hole. We'll see you on the other side.
No. I do have one SmartThings second gen contact sensor (the previous one if that’s correct). When I first got my second hub, I had my end devices on 25. That included iris second gen, Sylvania motion sensors, Lightify 2&4 button switches, Hue 4 button switches, GE in-wall dimmers, and Samsung 2nd & 3rd gen (2018) outlets. They’re now on channel 19 since January with no issues and my Sylvania lights are on 25 and have been 100% reliable. FYI, I live in the suburbs on half an acre with no neighbors behind me, so not a lot of WiFi or other radio interference to contend with.
