The world of smart home devices is awesome but a little bit scary, given the many different competing connectivity standards. Building your own smart home hub is a great way to control multiple standards from the same box. One of the most compatible wireless connectivity standards is Zigbee,a low-power wireless protocol for networking IoT devices, although it's not that widely used anymore.

That low-power requirement means tiny batteries can power Zigbee devices, so it's often used for wireless door and window sensors. It uses the 2.4GHz frequency bands, so it can sometimes conflict with your Wi-Fi. It connects as a mesh network, with messages relayed across the mesh until they reach the device it's meant for. It can be a little frustrating to set up, mainly because there is a specific order to add devices, and adding more devices at a later date often means resetting everything and starting again.

7 Ignoring EMI and other planning issues

The 2.4GHz bands get crowded, especially with a smart home full of devices

Zigbee uses two sections of the 2.4GHz frequency band, and half of them overlap with your Wi-Fi router. That makes it tricky to place Zigbee devices, as if they're too close to your router, they might have connectivity issues and interfere with your wireless networking signals. If most of your home devices are using the 5GHz and 6GHz bands, you don't have to worry as much, but it's good to remember that Zigbee and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi can conflict. Also, USB 3.0 ports can emit enough 2.4GHz interference to block Zigbee signals, so you'll want to use a USB 2.0 port with an extender cable for the coordinator.

You also need three basic parts to make a Zigbee network:

• Zigbee coordinator: The main hub that handles communication between all the other devices.
• Zigbee router: This device forwards messages meant for devices further along the network. Note that a router could also be an end device.
• Zigbee end devices: These could be sensors, actuators, or lights, but they are the devices to which command messages are sent.

Note that coordinators have a large limit for how many devices can directly connect to them, routers a slightly smaller number, and end devices can only connect to a router or coordinator.

Adding to your woes is the multiple different implementations of Zigbee, and not all of them are compatible. These include ZHA, Tasmota, Zigbee2MQTT, deCONZ, Zigbee for Domoticz, and ioBroker, plus Xiaomi and Aquara, who implement parts of the Zigbee spec but not all of it. There is an unofficial Zigbee Device Compatibility Repository that's maintained by blakadder, who takes community reports of what works and what doesn't and makes it more organized.

6 Not resetting devices before pairing

If they weren't factory reset before shipping they might not pair

IoT devices of all descriptions are notoriously finicky to set up. Because Zigbee doesn't use an authenticated network, it doesn't have much storage space for connecting to multiple routers or switching between networks. That means if the factory didn't reset it properly after testing, or if your Zigbee devices are second-hand, they might not connect unless you factory reset them first.

5 Pairing devices before all routers

You might run into odd message issues or range anxiety

The mesh network that Zigbee relies on to pass messages through your home is low-power, short-range, and has weak wall penetration. You'll want to set up the coordinator first, then any devices that have router functionality, before you start setting up any end devices. It's also worth knowing that some mesh router kits, notably the Eero range from Amazon, also have Zigbee hubs inside them, as do Echo smart speakers.

That way, you'll have the best possible coverage for all the low-power battery-operated switches and sensors that you want, without the devices trying to connect to routers that are too far away. Remember, even if the coordinator and routers have a stronger signal and can see the devices, the devices have a much weaker signal and might not be able to return messages.

4 Not updating firmware (or checking batteries)

Low-voltage batteries will cause issues and firmware bugs might block pairing

Outdated firmware on Zigbee devices, routers, or coordinators could prevent them from pairing as intended. It's always a good idea to update firmware before pairing anything, starting with the coordinator, then the routers, and finally, the firmware for the end devices. It can take a long time to do things this way, but I've found it means fewer headaches in the long run.

Low-voltage batteries on end devices can also be a headache because you are never sure if the device is faulty, if it's too far from a router, or if the battery just needs changing. The good news is that batteries are cheap, and the optimal distance to a router device is a known quantity. If your end device is within ten feet of a Zigbee router and still has issues connecting, change the battery and try again.

3 Choosing the wrong Zigbee channel

Zigbee wireless bands do overlap with Wi-Fi, but not in the way you'd think

Zigbee and Wi-Fi both use parts of the 2.4GHz band and use channel numbers to denote which part of the frequency band your devices are using. However, Zigbee uses a different numbering scheme than Wi-Fi, so you'll want to know which parts overlap. 2.4GHz Wi-Fi usually uses channels 1, 6, and 11. Those are the non-overlapping Wi-Fi channels, but they overlap Zigbee channels 11 through 22.

You could use Wi-Fi channels 1 and 6 and use Zigbee channels 24, 25, or 26, which would give Zigbee its own airspace. Or you could use the lower channel for Zigbee, or some combination. It'll also depend on your neighbor's Wi-Fi signals, as those will also interfere.

Remember that if Wi-Fi and Zigbee interfere at the same frequencies, the Zigbee signal will take the hit because it's much lower power. If possible, it's always better to try to move them to opposite sides of the 2.4GHz spectrum. Also it's worth noting that to change the channel Zigbee devices use, it often requires a factory reset of every device.

2 Pairing devices next to the coordinator, then moving them

A surefire way to have connectivity issues

Because Zigbee needs a coordinator and multiple router devices to make a solid mesh network that can send messages to every far-flung IoT end device, you want to connect devices where they will be mounted long-term. That means pairing window and door sensors once they're fixed in position, adding lights when they're in the fixtures they'll stay in, and so on.

It's no use pairing every end device and router when sitting next to the coordinator, then moving them into the rooms they'll be used in, and wondering why things aren't connected anymore or able to be controlled by your apps. The reason is simple: when you connected them together, they were near a router, and now you moved them too far away. Add more router devices to your rooms so that the end devices are never further than ten feet from a router, and you'll have better connectivity.

1 Not using Home Assistant to make setup easier

HA is your best friend

I've been using Home Assistant to manage my smart home for years now, and I honestly couldn't tell you how I managed before. It makes setting up Zigbee or any other IoT devices a pleasant experience, with many different ways to use Zigbee. It's worth checking the various options before you buy a coordinator, as not every hardware dongle works with each plugin, and some work better with different smart home devices like Hue lights.

But even with having to check a few things before picking up your Zigbee devices, it's preferable to the old ways of disparate smart home ecosystems managed by a dozen apps on your phone.

Zigbee networks are a low-cost way of wirelessly building a smart home

While building a Zigbee network for controlling your smart home devices wirelessly is a good idea, it's not without its pitfalls. You don't need a ton of expensive equipment to use Zigbee; rather, it's more important to have enough router-capable Zigbee devices in every room so that no device is without good coverage. Other wireless connectivity standards like Z-wave are more performant, but you'll pay for the added convenience, so it's about what matters most to you.