I have a setup using a Zigbee Sonoff bridge with Sonoff motion sensors, along with smart light switches and bulbs all connected to Alexa. I set up routines in Alexa to control the lights when it senses motion.
The response time feels a bit slow. Do Zigbee motion sensors go to sleep or take a second to notice movement? Is there any way to get a sensor that reacts instantly?
I’m using a fully local setup with this forum and different Zigbee bulbs and sensors.
When I used cloud-based devices, the response was slower. But now with everything local, the lights come on almost instantly when the sensor detects me.
Are you using any cloud services in your setup?
@Warmington
I don’t think so. Everything is connected to my Amazon Alexa. Zigbee bridge and WiFi smart switches and bulbs.
SecureAbodeAlliance said:
@Warmington
I don’t think so. Everything is connected to my Amazon Alexa. Zigbee bridge and WiFi smart switches and bulbs.
I doubt Amazon Alexa does any local processing, but I could be wrong.
@Warmington
Yeah, I’d be surprised if it did local processing either.
@Warmington
Pretty sure it doesn’t. Even with a Zigbee-enabled Echo, a Zigbee motion sensor, and a Zigbee switch, the Alexa app and its routines are cloud-based. So it’s still going through the internet to turn on the device when triggered.
@Gerald
I did a quick search, and it looks like Zigbee devices might work locally with an Echo Zigbee hub, without needing the internet. Someone had issues with voice control, but a power cycle fixed it for almost all their devices.
An easy way to test would be to disconnect the internet from your router and see if everything still works.
@Penelope
Possible, but if a routine is involved, the Echo will still use cloud servers. If it’s just turning something on/off, maybe it’s local between the Echo and the switch. But how would it turn on without the internet? Alexa’s app is cloud-based, so the app sends instructions through the cloud, even for Zigbee devices. Local control from the Echo to the switch is possible, but it seems like the cloud is needed somewhere along the line.
SecureAbodeAlliance said:
@Warmington
I don’t think so. Everything is connected to my Amazon Alexa. Zigbee bridge and WiFi smart switches and bulbs.
Remember, any Alexa WiFi device is cloud-based. The motion sensor might be Zigbee, but it connects to the Sonoff bridge in your house, which then sends the command through the internet to Sonoff servers. Then it goes to Amazon’s servers to run the routine, and finally the command reaches your WiFi devices through several servers.
That’s why there’s a delay. I stick with Zigbee and Z-Wave for local control. Hubitat is a great hub that offers local control, and it’s easier to manage than this forum setup. With a local hub, the signal goes directly from the sensor to the hub, then to the devices, all locally.
@Gerald
Oh, got it! So I should replace my WiFi light switches with Zigbee ones to make it all run directly on the hub?
SecureAbodeAlliance said:
@Gerald
Oh, got it! So I should replace my WiFi light switches with Zigbee ones to make it all run directly on the hub?
If you can, definitely go for Zigbee. Local control is so much faster, and most hubs support Zigbee easily.
With Alexa involved, though, it goes like this:
@Donna
So if I switch to Zigbee switches and connect them to my hub, the Zigbee motion sensors should turn on the lights almost instantly?
SecureAbodeAlliance said:
@Donna
So if I switch to Zigbee switches and connect them to my hub, the Zigbee motion sensors should turn on the lights almost instantly?
Not exactly instant, but it goes through the hub and should be a lot faster than using the cloud.
I use mmWave presence sensors (WiFi-based) with Zigbee lights, and it takes less than a second for the lights to turn on after detecting movement.
@Donna
Right, I get it. If I use home assistant, would my current switches connect to it directly instead of through my router?
SecureAbodeAlliance said:
@Donna
Right, I get it. If I use home assistant, would my current switches connect to it directly instead of through my router?
Depends on the WiFi switches. Some brands like Shelly or those with Tasmota firmware can work locally without the cloud.
If they’re app-based, the commands usually go through the cloud. Look up your brand to see if there’s a local control option.
SecureAbodeAlliance said:
@Gerald
Oh, got it! So I should replace my WiFi light switches with Zigbee ones to make it all run directly on the hub?
Yes, go for Zigbee switches and skip Alexa as a hub; it’s not a real hub, just a cloud server. I use a hub with both Zigbee and Z-Wave for my switches.
@Gerald
I have a Sonoff hub for the motion sensors; Alexa is just a bridge to the WiFi switches. I found some Zigbee switches on AliExpress that I’m going to try.
SecureAbodeAlliance said:
@Gerald
I have a Sonoff hub for the motion sensors; Alexa is just a bridge to the WiFi switches. I found some Zigbee switches on AliExpress that I’m going to try.
I wonder if the Sonoff hub connects to Alexa locally, as it has its own Zigbee network. Hubitat can add Sonoff hubs too, so it might be Zigbee-to-Zigbee directly. The cloud part might be more on the Alexa side or with WiFi switches.
@Gerald
Yeah, could be something like that. Still sounds like there’s cloud processing happening. I’ll try those Zigbee switches and see if it improves things.
I use the Zooz Z-Wave motion sensors. They react almost instantly.