The dongle also provides fully compliant wireless ZigBeeā¢ connectivity (home controls stack profile) for routers, coordinators, and end devices by means of the supplied ZigBeeTM compliant platform drivers.
It supports the home protocol. So How do I connect it to the ST Hub? Do I have to issue a AT command to the dongle to set it into a pair mode (there is no pair button)?
Since it has the home protocol, do I still need to write a device type handler?
Im having a hard time getting windows to recognize it. It installs drivers just fine, but all my experience with devices like this tell me it should use a VCP driver and give me a com portā¦ it doesnt, but drivers install fine. I also tracked down their drivers and used them instead of the windows ones that installed and still no com portā¦ hmmm
The idea right now is very simpleā¦ and I think its totally do-able.
I have already started a simple ST app, and I think it will work.
I use a X10 CM15A which plugs into the computer via USB.
Using this dongle, or a zwave dongle (which looking deeper, might have been easier) I can make a very simple ST to X10 bridge.
Using open source python libraries
python xbee
python x10
The ST App has a text field and a numeric field. Simply send that data to the xbee dongle, python then converts it to the x10 address and sends it out.
Just basic functionality to start, but then can get into more complicated X10 commands if it works out!
Iām sorry to disappoint you, but it may not be as easy as you might think. One thing you have to understand is that to say that a device is āZigbee-compatibleā is pretty much meaningless. Thereāre numerous Zigbee āprofilesā and generally speaking only devices that implement the same profile are able to communicate with each other. Itās like if Iām speaking English and youāre speaking Chinese, I could call your phone number and we could hear each other, but we wonāt be able to understand each other. From whatever little information is available about STās Zigbee implementation, it uses ZigBee HA (Home Automation) profile, while your dongle most likely donāt. If it allows you to access Zigbee APS layer, i.e. send & receive raw data messages, you may be able to implement HA profile in software, but itās a helluva work.
Hereās a good intro into Zigbee profiles, if youāre curious:
Yes, I realize thisā¦ in my first post I quote the manufactures website where they state that it does support the home controls stackā¦ is that not the home automation stack?
They also state that there are different drivers for the device that give you access to different zigbee profiles?
Thereās no such thing as āhome controls stackā in Zigbee specification. You should clarify with manufacturer what exactly they mean by that. If thereās an API specification for your dongle, you may try to figure out what is actually supported by looking at its command set. My guess would be that itās either a generic device that does not implement any specific profile or it may implement a proprietary vendor profile that makes it āeasy-to-useā.
Oh boy, where do I start? The first step that any Zigbee device has to do is called āNetwork Joinā. That means finding a suitable Zigbee coordinator and registering with it. Thereās typically an API command to do that. But keep in mind that ST uses HA profile that mandates network security (encryption), so youāll need to figure out how to enable security settings in your dongle, setup encryption keys, etc.
Once your device successfully joins the network, the HA controller (ST hub in our case) will interrogate it to discover what endpoints (i.e. services) it provides. This is similar to your computer discovering what type of USB device you have plugged into its USB port. Is it keyboard, camera, flash disk, etc.? So your application software will have to implement specific endpoint descriptors and clusters (i.e. commands and states) that HA controller expects to find. Itās all documented in Zigbee HA Profile spec.
@johnriggs, I donāt mean to discourage you from experimenting with Zigbee dongle, because youāre definitely going to learn alot if you do. But if you want to just quickly build your custom Zigbee device that works with ST, Iād recommend using their Arduino shield, simply because itās already programmed to do all the mundane Zigbee stuff that youād otherwise have to program yourself. I think cost wise itās about the same as your dongle - $35, but youāll definitely save yourself a lot of time.
I am actually already doing that alsoā¦ but I dont give up easy on things
I purchased this dongle to do this with it,before the thing shield was available, so I am going to keep trying to use it ( I dont like technology to get the better of me )
My thing shield version is in the works and will hopefully get tested this weekend since I have all the parts now.
The software I am using to access the dongle allows me to issue it commands, so I can set it up anyway its needed.
So, the ST hub is the coordinator, with the software I can run the dongle as a coordinator, router, or device. I am guessing normal lights and that sort of thing are devices, and a router is just that, a router.
So maybe when I get home from work I can run the dongle with the software and see if I can even seen the ST hubā¦ just an idea as to where to start
In Zigbee world ārouterā means device with routing capabilities, so any mains-powered device is typically a router. Only battery-powered devices that sleep most of the time are configured as end-devices. Good luck, and donāt hesitate to ask questions
Thanks! I will bug more when I get back to the xbee stuffā¦
on the shield front, I got it workingā¦ X10 lights turning on and off with the ST appā¦ I need to make some updates to the code on both the device type and the arduino sketch, but as of right now, it does work!!
Good job! I like simplicity of your solution. BTW, you can make your X10 adapter by-directional by using MR26A X10 receiver to send messages from your X10 devices (e.g. X10 remotes or EagleEye motion sensors) to you SmartThings hub.
I purchased one of these, but have had zero time to work on this
It also stalled due to some issues getting multiple x10 devices to work in the smartthings app
