I’ve been dabbling in home automation for years, starting with running Z-Wave devices through a RaZberry shield on a Raspberry Pi running Domoticz. Currently, I have a NUC running Home Assistant with an Aeotec “Z-Stick Gen5+”; a device in a USB-stick form factor. Though I like the stability of my Z-Wave network, and the maximum of 232 devices doesn’t bother me, there is one issue: Z-Wave uses proprietary software and requires manufacturers to have their devices certified, making those devices more expensive than the alternative: ZigBee.
ZigBee uses an open network standard, which lies at the core of some well-known brands: Philips Hue and IKEA’s range of smart switches and plugs use ZigBee, with the latter providing a growing range of very competitively priced products. For my Home Assistant installation to control ZigBee devices, it needs to be able to connect to the network. There are multiple options to do so, but I landed on the ZigStar Stick v4. Its design is open-source, including 3D print files for its housing and print files for its PCB. While I very much appreciate that, buying a single pre-assembled item from its creator is more cost-effective, so that’s what I did.
The device is shaped like a USB stick and has an SMA antenna port (and a +3dBi antenna to attach to it; I used a slightly larger +5dBi antenna I bought on Amazon). Something I missed before purchasing, but it wasn’t a big deal, is that you must flash it with the correct firmware for your use case. It has a built-in USB-to-UART interface, and the creator offers a very user-friendly app for flashing the device. Getting everything downloaded and installed took less than fifteen minutes.
So far, I have only connected it to an IKEA USB range extender (on the first floor) and an IKEA power socket with a built-in relay (on the second floor), so I have a solid basis for a mesh network across three floors. When my three ZigBee-enabled MiLight LED dimmers arrive, I can hook up some LED strips and LED garden lights. I have no doubt the ZigStar will serve me well!
Pro
- Open-source
- Antenna included
- Works out of the box with Home Assistant and ZigBee2MQTT
Con
- Requires technical knowledge to download and flash the correct firmware; not a product for average consumers