I’d like to add a smart button to my HA setup. I don’t have zigbee signal nearby, so I’m wondering what the best way to do this would be.

I’m using a Skyconnect dongle. There’s wifi nearby. I want to control a smart switch nearby, which would also have zigbee but that also wouldn’t reach the distance I need.

Is Matter a solution here? With a hub connected to wifi that bridges to the button?

Any suggestions on hardware?

Or any other suggestions?

  • Matt The HorwoodEnglish
    2•5 months ago

    The bit of info missing here is that ZigBee is a meshing network, as said most (but not all) mains powered ZigBee devices are routers. That means any end devices will connect to a router if it’s closer and the router will relay the message back, that could be directe or via another router.

    To fix your issue, some well placed ZigBee plugs could be all you need.

    • @DaveOPAEnglish
      1•5 months ago

      There aren’t really any nice places to put the smart plugs. They are bulky and make it annoying for anyone trying to use that socket (or the one next to it), and ones in the open get knocked out by kids running past. Plus the ones I have don’t have great range, a few metres (10ft or so) at best before they start getting dodgy. My skyconnect is unfortunately in one corner of the house where the raspberry pi and router are, and i want the button in a spot on the opposite side of the house. If the smart plugs do 3 metres each then I’d probably need 4 or 5 of them since the sockets aren’t placed in a straight line between the two points, and it needs to go through 3 or 4 walls depending on placement. Hence why I was hoping for some way of jumping across the house using wifi.

        • @DaveOPAEnglish
          1•5 months ago

          Ooh, that looks like what I need! Looks like it’s rechargeable and has a decent battery life, works on wifi, and works with home assistant. Looks perfect, thanks!