The Dongle Plus is a universal Zigbee USB stick. It can be used as a Zigbee gateway in Home Assistant, openHAB, Zigbee2MQTT, or other open-source platforms for local control of all Zigbee devices, so you don't need to invest in Zigbee hubs from different brands.
All you need is a universal gateway – Dongle Plus!
Wide Compatibility
You will use the Dongle Plus as a Zigbee 3.0 gateway on open-source platforms to manage different devices from various brands or to flash your router's firmware to extend the network range. You can also purchase a 1.5-meter USB cable for greater signal range. The product works with platforms such as Home Assistant, openHAB, Zigbee2MQTT, etc. Additionally, it supports Linux, Ubuntu, Raspbian, Windows, and macOS.
Carefully Designed
The product is made of aluminum alloy, which improves signal transmission. Additionally, it eliminates interference from peripheral devices. It features an external SMA antenna - you can also adjust its position. Furthermore, the output gain of 20 dBm affects the signal range by 3 times.
Zigbee Connectivity
Wireless data transmission protocol used for two-way communication between devices. Two-way communication means that each device can receive and send a signal. The system was created in 2002 by the ZigBee Alliance, which continues to be involved in its development and promotion. The main feature of the new communication standard is low power consumption and simple construction at low cost. This has been achieved and is now a reality. It has a range of approximately 15 meters.
At a glance
Model: ZBDongle-E
Operating Temperature: -10℃~40℃
Input: DC 5V (100mA Max)
Wireless: Zigbee 3.0
Shell Material: Aluminum Alloy
Dimension: 75 x 25.5 x 13.5 mm
Prepared with Zigbee coordinator firmware based on EZNet 6.10.3
Output Gain +20dBm
The aluminum casing effectively reduces signal interference from peripherals
Specifications are collected from official manufacturer websites. Please verify the specifications before proceeding with your final purchase. If you notice any problem you can
report it here.
Flawless! I have passed it to Home Assistant VM from Proxmox as a USB Device and it works without any issues. Home Assistant found it immediately and gave me the option to download the integration. It finds the devices straight away and so far has not shown the slightest problem.
As mentioned in other reviews, Home Assistant running on a VM via VMware recognized it immediately! I had an issue with a motion sensor from Sonoff that was working with a Tuya hub. I never managed to use it. With the ZHA integration of Home Assistant, the sensor worked flawlessly! If you want a ZigBee coordinator, I think this is the way to go for the money. In case you want to work with MQTT, there are guides on the internet that make the change easy.
Update 29.02:
Immediate recognition of a Xiaomi Zigbee switch (https://www.skroutz.gr/s/21599679/Xiaomi-Mi-Smart-Home-Wireless-Switch-WXKG01LM-Smart-Endiamesos-Diakoptis-me-Syndesi-ZigBee-se-Leyko-CHroma.html) that gives 6 different actions through HA. Even though it was placed in a different room and there is a wall in between, the response to commands is immediate.
Update 4.3:
After flashing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E39ECyCXJaA) with multi-protocol RCP firmware that also supports thread/matter (https://smarthomescene.com/guides/how-to-enable-thread-and-matter-support-on-sonoff-zbdongle-e/), the range increased. Pay attention if you are running HA on a VM because the CPU load increases as the processing for the zigbee network is done by the host, I saw an increase of about 8%-10%.
Plays flawlessly, installed it on home assistant and it recognized it instantly. So far, with 10 devices connected, I haven't had any issues, and some of them are even far away from the device.