As for the coordinator (stick):
A " ember" stick with a newly firmware is needed for the newer zigbee v3 devices. The Bitronvideo has a firmware that is too old.
But the Aqara temp/humidity sensor should work on the Bitronvideo.
Popp and Elelabs has sticks with a ember chip.
I belive Popp has the newest firmware availible.
Tried, out of curiosity, with zigbee2mqtt but keep getting:
Zigbee2MQTT:error 2021-08-24 21:56:32: Error while starting zigbee-herdsman
Zigbee2MQTT:error 2021-08-24 21:56:32: Failed to start zigbee
Zigbee2MQTT:error 2021-08-24 21:56:32: Check https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/information/FAQ.html#help-zigbee2mqtt-fails-to-start for possible solutions
Zigbee2MQTT:error 2021-08-24 21:56:32: Exiting...
Zigbee2MQTT:error 2021-08-24 21:56:33: Error: Failed to connect to the adapter (Error: SRSP - SYS - ping after 6000ms)
at ZStackAdapter.start (/opt/zigbee2mqtt/node_modules/zigbee-herdsman/src/adapter/z-stack/adapter/zStackAdapter.ts:102:27)
at Controller.start (/opt/zigbee2mqtt/node_modules/zigbee-herdsman/src/controller/controller.ts:123:29)
at Zigbee.start (/opt/zigbee2mqtt/lib/zigbee.js:67:27)
at Controller.start (/opt/zigbee2mqtt/lib/controller.js:106:27)
at start (/opt/zigbee2mqtt/index.js:94:5)
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! errno 1
npm ERR! zigbee2mqtt@1.21.0 start: `node index.js`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the zigbee2mqtt@1.21.0 start script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR! /root/.npm/_logs/2021-08-24T20_56_33_578Z-debug.log
They do not send updates anywhere near as often as the Sonoff brand version. See this on the difference in their resolution. So they probably trade some resolution to increase battery life, to be fair the steps you see are only 0.5 degrees different so it is accurate enough. The sonoff uses a battery that holds around 2-3 times the power.
Typically this is true of all zigbee devices. They should be configured so that only changes are reported - if there’s no change after some time (eg 1 or 2 hours) then they will normally be configured to send an update anyway so the system knows they are alive.
In the case of the zigbee binding, the binding defines this configuration - I don’t know about other bindings though.
I believe the Ikea tradfri gear works with Aqara, but many devices are reported to strictly follow the zigbee standard and will drop Aqara from the mesh.
Consider looking at the Sonoff SNZB-02 for similar sensors instead of the Aqara, or you can use the Aqara gateway and binding if your happy sending data to their cloud.
I’m unsure… aren’t 433mhz sensors the better choice since the range is sufficient, they mostly have AA batteries, etc?
I’m using an RFXTRX433 for other things, but I’m unsure
If the signal strength is sufficient (which is remarkably better than with Zigbee), then there is no need for routing. I’m looking specifically for good Temp/Humidity sensors to use in every room in my house. so two-way is not needed.
I already have the RFXtrx433, but the rtl-SDR looks nice!
The return channel (ie two way as you call it) ensures reliability. If you only have one or two (or maybe a few more - depending on how often they send) sensors etc using the system then this will mostly be ok. If the data can get lost and it doesn’t matter (which might be acceptable for a simple temperature sensor), then again, it might be ok. However if you want to ensure that reports are received, then you need bidirectional communications.
Simple sensors like the 433Mhz devices certainly have their place, but also their limitations. I personally used them for quite a while in the past, but ultimately they were not reliable so I moved to other systems. For your use case, they might be fine of course
I’m using a couple of TFA 30.3133 sensors (cheap, very reliable, 3 channels, option: external temperature probe; old model, might be difficult to source) - and there are use cases that (AFAIK) cannot be implemented with ZigBee due to lack of availabitlity of commercial sensors, e.g. monitoring of pool temperature.
My guess is that any mains-powered zigbee devices will do.
Do yourself a favor and get zigbee certified devices
(If someone read this and still use the Bitronvideo stick, upgrade the firmware on it!
However; a newer stick with a newer chip and firmware is the longer term solution)
I purcased exactly one of these Aqara temperature/humidity/pressure sensors to test out.
That one got stable when there was multiple (stable!) devices in the mesh close to it.
I will not purcase any more of them. Like @matt1 I will see if the Sonoff ones are more suitable. After some quick tests, it looks like they are a better choise.