ZB-GW03 eWeLink Ethernet Zigbee Gateway now hacked with Tasmota ZBBridge so can be used via MQTT or as a remote Zigbee adapter with OpenHAB Zigbee Binding

ZB-GW03 eWeLink Ethernet Zigbee Gateway is like a spiritual successor of ITead Sonoff ZBBridge.

It features an ESP32 chip and a wired Ethernet port (instead of the older ESP8266/ESP8285 and WiFi).

The good news is that the ESP32 chip in it has hacked with Tasmota ZBBridge firmware (using same process as hacking Tead Sonoff ZBBridge) so it can be used either with Tasmota32’s Zigbee2Tasmota (Z2T) to MQTT implementation or with serial stream server as a remote Zigbee serial module for “Ember” Zigbee coordinator adapter with ZigBee Binding for OpenHAB.

Summarized guide with hacking information posted on blakadder’s Zigbee compatibility database here:

https://templates.blakadder.com/ewelink_ZB-GW03

If you think of it as an ITead Sonoff ZBBridge clone with ESP32 and Ethernet then you should be able to follow these guides from digiblur → https://www.digiblur.com/2020/07/how-to-use-sonoff-zigbee-bridge-with.html and https://www.digiblur.com/2021/03/zigbee2mqtt-with-sonoff-zigbee-bridge.html

Tasmota discussion here where they want feedback for unofficial build of Tasmota ZigbeeBridge on it:

https://github.com/arendst/Tasmota/discussions/12764

Disclaimer! I don’t own a ZB-GW03 myself so I have not hacked it, but I collected this information so far:

ZB-GW03 v1.0 and ZB-GW03-V1.2 is apparently sold rebranded under many names, including EACHEN and SmartWise brands:

https://ewelink.eachen.cc/product/eachen-ewelink-zigbee-bridge-pro-zbbridge-pro/

https://www.okosabbotthon.hu/smartwise-zigbee-bridge-pro

https://ewelinkcommunity.net/device-lists/zigbee/eachen-zb-gw03/

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000459723849.html

https://www.amazon.de/APP-Fernbedienung-Sprachsteuerung-Funktioniert-Verbindung-Smart-Produkten/dp/B094JKVLNR/

Looks like it used the exact same “SM-011 V1.0” module by CoolKit as ITead Sonoff ZBBridge uses:

https://github.com/zigpy/zigpy/discussions/586

https://www.coolkit.cn/product/sm-011/

https://github.com/CoolKit-Technologies/DevDocs/tree/master/Zigbee

https://github.com/CoolKit-Technologies/DevDocs/blob/d5ad915ef57d78e071e812863dda38aa779d8d93/Zigbee/SM-011%E5%BA%94%E7%94%A8%E6%8C%87%E5%AF%BC%E4%B9%A6.md

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2FCoolKit-Technologies%2FDevDocs%2Fblob%2Fmaster%2FZigbee%2FSM-011%E5%BA%94%E7%94%A8%E6%8C%87%E5%AF%BC%E4%B9%A6.md

Tip:

Know that the “SM-011 V1.0” module by CoolKit is based on the great EFR32MG21 SoC by Silicon Labs (Silabs), but unfortunatly this specific “SM-011 V1.0” module by CoolKit (as well as the first Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle by ITead which is likley also design by CoolKit engineers) are known for being very susceptible to electromagnetic interference due to lack of RF shielding, and a relatively poor antenna design that has not been properly tuned in hardware for that specific integrated PCB antenna.

Because of this, you want to make sure to keep this Zigbee gateway away from other electronic appliances, especially other devices with WiFi radios, or other sources of EMI (electromagnetic interference) such as live electrical wires, etc., as well as try to place it in an optimal location a little bit away from walls, ceilings and floors built with dense building materials.

As always try to as soon as possible to add at least a few mains-powered Zigbee devices closer to the Zigbee gateway than wireless Zigbee devices so that mains-powered Zigbee devices can act as Zigbee routers for wireless Zigbee end-devices.

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FYI, ITead now released Silabs EmberZNet 6.10 (v6.10.3) firmware for their EFR32MG21 USB dongle:

https://github.com/xsp1989/zigbeeFirmware/tree/master/firmware/Zigbee3.0_Dongle

Not tested but will probably work on ZB-GW02, ZB-GW03, ZB-GW04, and Sonoff ZBBridge as well?

I understand they all use same radio board design based on “SM-011 V1.0” radio module by CoolKit:

https://github.com/zigpy/zigpy/discussions/586

xsp1989 also announced the good news is that a router firmware “will be released soon” here:

https://github.com/xsp1989/zigbeeFirmware/issues/18

Update: There’s now a detailed step-by-step instruction tot flash Tasmota on it for Zigbee2Tasmota or remote serial (demo uses Home Assistant’s ZHA but should work same for openHAB Zigbee Binding):

A Wired Sonoff Zigbee Alternative – The Helpful Idiot ← ORIGINAL POST

UPDATE: A Wired Sonoff Zigbee Alternative – The Helpful Idiot ← UPDATE 1

UPDATE 2: A Wired Sonoff Zigbee Alternative – The Helpful Idiot ← UPDATE 2

FYI; syssi also posted in the Home Assistant forum saying he made an ESPHome config for the ZB-GW03 and tested using serial stream server component to access the Zigbee module as remote serial adapter:

https://github.com/syssi/esphome-zb-gw03

https://community.home-assistant.io/t/zb-gw03-ewelink-ethernet-zigbee-gateway-now-hacked-with-tasmota-zbbridge-so-can-be-used-via-mqtt-or-as-a-remote-zigbee-adapter-with-home-assistant-zha/341223/26

https://github.com/esphome/feature-requests/issues/688

FYI; Zigbee Router firmware for EFR32MG21 adapters has now been released by xsp1989 on GitHub.

From readme it sounds tested with ITead Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle and an SM-011 based USB adapter.

The same “SM-011 V1.0” Zigbee radio modules by CoolKit Technologies is also used inside some Zigbee gateways/hubs like ZB-GW03 eWeLink Ethernet Zigbee Gateway sold by EACHEN and SmartWise as well as the popular ITead Sonoff ZBBridge, so could perhaps be that the same Zigbee Router firmware could maybe also be used on the SM-011 Zigbee module in all or some of those products as well?

https://github.com/xsp1989/zigbeeFirmware/tree/master/firmware/Zigbee3.0_Dongle/RouterForDongle

https://github.com/xsp1989/zigbeeFirmware/blob/710a60451f6631cad46f5d5107b65198558709c3/firmware/Zigbee3.0_Dongle/RouterForDongle/README.md

https://github.com/xsp1989/zigbeeFirmware/issues/16

https://github.com/xsp1989/zigbeeFirmware/issues/2