Xiaomi devices all offline

[veeceeoh (Keith G)]

@rumrunner424

Can you point me to the XBee device you use ?

I picked up three XBee Series 2 modules (part # XB24-Z7WIT-004, with attached wire antenna) on eBay for about $15 each.

To provide power (and optionally a data connection) to XBee modules, a host board commonly known as an XBee Explorer Board is required. I separately bought XBee Explorer Boards with USB Mini adapters on eBay for around $9 each.

Here’s what the XBee and Explorer Board look like:

The XBee needs to be configured to join your hub’s ZigBee network and to allow Aqara / Xiaomi devices to remain connected to it. This is accomplished by flashing it with specific firmware and changing certain settings, all done through the Digi International’s free XCTU software.

In addition to using the XCTU software to set up the XBee module for use with your hub’s network, it also provides a very useful feature: ZigBee mesh network mapping, which shows you exactly which end devices are connected directly to your hub and which ones are connecting via a repeater. Here’s a screenshot of an example map:

There a A LOT of XBee ZigBee modules which can be used with a SmartThings setup, and a lot of potential settings to change, so I recommend looking at these SmartThings / Hubitat Community threads for more information and details:

Zigbee - from flakey to stable

I have been suffering from losing devices on an off, general instability… having only about 3 days of uptime before something stopped working. It annoyed me not knowing why… so i started to keep track of variables that were triggering it. The only thing i could pinpoint was if lots of people were in the house (with mobile phones), then bad stuff would happen. So, lets get more scientific. I bought an £11 xbee (actually £11 for 2)) a £3 usb converter and booted up XCTU, sketched together some settings from lots of other posts on xbee and connected it as a thing. I can now see my zigbee mesh… i can start to play. first thing i saw is lots of mobile devices = lots of intereference. What i saw was a marginal mesh at best, very weak signal between the hub, and the outlet, and pathetic signa…

Everything Xbee

If you decide to go with an older Series 2 module, I have posted a breakdown of the meaning of the model code designations, so it’s clear what you’re looking at buying:

Xiaomi & Aqara Devices - Pairing & Keeping them connected

Once the XBee is properly configured and confirmed to be connecting to a hub’s network, it can be unplugged from the computer and then powered by a USB power supply wherever it’s needed in the home. They are quite small and can be hidden behind furniture, or stuck into a homemade case / box. I have one XBee plugged into a powered USB hub so that I can then plug my laptop into the hub to access the XBee for network mapping when desired.

Note that after the XBee modules are plugged in, nearby Aqara / Xiaomi devices should be re-paired to make sure they connect through the most suitable repeater, as sometimes they are “stubborn” in automatically changing their direct connection to the hub.