home assistant News - Page 3 of 11 - CNX Software

November 22, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Theengs Bridge BLE to MQTT gateway supports Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Jeedom, NodeRed, and more

The Theengs Bridge is a new WiFi & Ethernet BLE to MQTT gateway running the open-source OpenMQTTGateway firmware, compatible with a range of sensors, and supporting Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Jeedom, NodeRed, and other MQTT-compatible systems. It follows the Theengs Plug smart socket introduced at the beginning of the board with many of the same features (minus the socket part…) but adds Ethernet and an external antenna for improved range, and improves modularity with a Grove I2C connector and mounting holes for a LoRa-E5-based Grove module and a prototyping area where you can solder your own circuitry with DIP components. Theengs Bridge specifications: Wireless module MCU – ESP32 microcontroller with WiFi and Bluetooth Storage – 8MB flash PCB antenna and u.FL antenna connector Connectivity 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE with 6dBi 50Ohm external antenna Optional LoRa module via Grove I2C connector MQTT protocol Expansion – […]

October 29, 2023October 29, 2023 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 17 Comments

Review of RaZberry 7 Pro Z-Wave Raspberry Pi HAT and Z-Uno2 Z-Wave board

Z-Wave.Me has sent us a couple of Smart Home devices based on Z-Wave technology for review, namely the RaZberry 7 Pro Raspberry Pi HAT and the Z-Uno2 board. The Swiss company has primarily developed Z-Wave products for years and is a member of the Z-Wave Alliance. For those who are concerned about the issues of signal interference in the 2.4GHz range (WiFi, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Thread), Z-Wave technology is an excellent choice because it operates on a less congested frequency range of 800-900MHz and the technology has been around for more than 20 years, resulting in a wide variety of Z-Wave devices available in the market, and they can work well together across different brands due to a proper certification process which is another advantage when compared to other protocols. The two devices we received are RaZberry 7 Pro, which is a shield that plugs into the 40-pin GPIO header […]

October 25, 2023October 26, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

SONOFF SNZB-06P Zigbee human presence sensor is based on a 5.8GHz microwave radar

SONOFF SNZB-06B human presence detection sensor

ITEAD has launched a new Zigbee sensor with the SONOFF SNZB-06P designed to detect human presence using a 5.8GHz microwave radar whose main advantage over a traditional PIR motion sensor is the ability to detect stationary persons since this type of sensor can detect breathing. You’ll need a Zigbee Hub from SONOFF such as the NSPanel Pro or SONOFF iHost, or from other manufacturers, for instance, the Amazon Echo Plus 2nd generation, or simply use a Zigbee USB dongle such as the SONOFF ZBDongle-E connected to a host like a Raspberry Pi. Configuration and control is done through the usual eWelink app for Android or iOS. SONOFF SNZB-06P specifications: MCU – Silicon Labs EFR32MG22 wireless microcontroller Human presence sensor 5.8GHz microwave radar Sensitivity configurable from 2.5 meters to 4 meters Wireless – Zigbee 3.0 (router type) up to 30 meters Misc – Red LED, magnetic base, button Power Supply – […]

October 11, 2023October 10, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

SMLIGHT SLZB-07 – A low-cost, compact Zigbee 3.0 USB adapter

SMLIGHT SLZB-07 is a low-cost, compact Zigbee 3.0 USB adapter based on Silicon Labs EFR32 microcontroller and CP2102 USB to serial chip designed to work with multi-vendor software systems such as Zigbee2MQTT and Home Assistant ZHA. The adapter lets you easily integrate any Zigbee devices into Smart Home automation systems such as Home Assistant, OpenHub, or HomeSeer and offers an alternative to products like the official SkyConnect USB stick and SONOFF ZBDongle-E. It’s also Thread and Matter ready. SMLIGHT SLZB-07 specifications: Wireless SoC – Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ 80 MHz with 352KB flash, 1024KB ROM for protocols and library functions, 96KB SRAM, integrated power amplifier, Bluetooth 5.2 Low Energy and 802.15.4 radios (Zigbee and Thread) Connectivity Zigbee 3.0 support, including Zigbee Green Power. Thread/Matter ready +3dB SMA antenna included USB – USB Type-A port for data and power Power Supply Input – 5V/60mA via USB-A Overvoltage protection […]

October 3, 2023October 3, 2023 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 20 Comments

Review of the first Matter device by SONOFF – MINI Extreme Wi-Fi Smart Switch (MINIR4M)

We have just received the first Matter product from SONOFF for review, which is the Mini Extreme Switch (MINIR4M) model. Its external appearance closely resembles the Mini Extreme Switch Wifi (MINIR4) which we reviewed previously. They have different colors to distinguish between WiFi (Orange) and Matter (Green). In this review, we have experimented with various Smart Home platforms that support Matter, such as Home Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and even their own eWeLink app. Let’s see how their operations and features differ to some extent. Quick intro for Matter. We have heard Matter/Thread together in the news. Matter is a control protocol, while Thread is a communication protocol. Both protocols can work together, or separately. Matter can operate on the top of various communication protocols, including WiFi, Ethernet, BLE, or Thread, with subtle differences such as energy efficiency, network, and resiliency. What’s crucial to note is that Matter acts […]

September 20, 2023September 19, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

Home Assistant Green – A $99 Home Assistant gateway with a Rockchip RK3566 processor

The developers of the popular Home Assistant open-source automation framework have introduced the Home Assistant Green gateway based on a Rockchip RK3566 processor providing a lower-cost alternative to the Raspberry Pi CM4-based Home Assistant Yellow gateway. The Home Assistant Green was created to cater to the needs of people who did not need all of the advanced features enabled in the Home Assistant Yellow gateway and also because of the supply and pricing issues with the Raspberry Pi CM4. Just like its predecessor, the new gateway ships with Home Assistant OS and comes with everything that beginners may need to get started with Home Assistant in just one box. Home Assistant Green specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor @ 1.8 GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU NPU – 0.8 TOPS AI accelerator, VPU – 4Kp60 H.265/H.264/VP9 video decoding, 1080p100f H.265/H.264 video encoding System […]

September 11, 2023September 10, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

SMLIGHT SLZB-06M Zigbee 3.0 PoE adapter gets Silabs EFR32MG21 microcontroller

SMLIGHT SLZB-06M is a Zigbee 3.0 to Ethernet, PoE, USB, or WiFi adapter designed to work with multi-vendor software systems such as Zigbee2MQTT and Home Assistant ZHA. This will let you integrate any supported Zigbee devices into smart home automation systems like Home Assistant, OpenHub, or HomeSeer. The SLZB-06M is a variant of the SLZB-06 Zigbee PoE adapter introduced last year with the main difference being the Zigbee chip as the new model is equipped with Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 microcontroller instead of Texas Instruments СС2652Р. An ESP32 WiFi and BLE chip is still used to work with peripherals such as the LAN8720 Ethernet chip and a CP2102N USB/UART converter chip. SMLIGHT SLZB-06M specifications: Wireless SoCs Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ 80 MHz with 352KB flash, 1024KB ROM for protocols and library functions, 96KB SRAM, integrated power amplifier, Bluetooth 5.2 Low Energy and 802.15.4 radios (Zigbee and Thread) Espressif […]

August 16, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

SONOFF MINIR4M – A Matter-compatible WiFi Smart Switch

SONOFF MINI Extreme (MINIR4M) is the first Matter-certified home automation device from the company and appears to be based on the same hardware design as the SONOFF MINI Extreme (MINIR4) ESP32 WiFi smart switch that we reviewed last March and is still working fine in my bedroom. Support for the Matter protocol means better interoperability with other brands of Matter-certified products, so you should be able to use the MINIR4M wireless switch with a Samsung Matter-certified Smart Home gateway instead, as well as Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and other apps besides the eWelink mobile app. The main visual difference I see between the MINIR4 and MINIR4M is the color with Orange referring to WiFi support and Green to Matter support. SONOFF MINI Extreme (MINIR4M) specifications: MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32 dual-core wireless microcontroller Connectivity 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 Bluetooth LE used for pairing Matter certification Input – 100-240V […]