Skip to main content

Zigbee Hub

4. Zigbee Hub

4.1 What is Zigbee Hub in SLZB-OS?

The Zigbee Hub feature allows the SLZB device to run its Zigbee network directly on the device — without needing an external computer, Raspberry Pi, or NAS to host the Zigbee stack.
In Zigbee Hub mode, SLZB-OS launches an integrated Zigbee stack service that can connect directly to your smart home platform over MQTT.

This mode is ideal for:

  • Self-contained setups where the device acts as both the coordinator and the host.

  • Reducing complexity by eliminating extra hardware.

  • PoE/Ethernet-based installations for maximum stability.

When Zigbee Hub is active, a dedicated Zigbee Hub menu appears in the SLZB-OS interface, containing the following pages:

  1. Dashboard – Live overview of Zigbee network status.

  2. Devices – List and manage all paired Zigbee devices.

  3. MQTT – Configure the MQTT broker connection.

  4. Settings – Advanced Zigbee network and coordinator options.

4.2 Zigbee Hub → Dashboard

The Dashboard is the central monitoring page for your Zigbee network.

image.pngimage.png

KeyThe elementsdashboard displayed:

contains
    Connected Devices Count – Numbercards of activeyour ZigbeeZigBee nodesdevices with the data they provide and controls.
    The dashboard is updated in yourreal network.time via

    Connected Devices Control – Let the user control paired Zigbee devices.SSE.

    Use cases:

      Check network health at a glance.

      Quickly restart services if devices appear offline.

      Access the full Z2M UI for deeper diagnostics.

      4.3 Zigbee Hub → Devices

      The Devices page lists every Zigbee device paired to your coordinator.

      image.png

      Pairing control: 

      • Permit Join (+ button on the bottom right side of the device table) – Allow or deny new devices joining the network.

      For each device, you’ll see:

      • Name / Friendly Name – Human-readable identifier.

      • IEEE Address – Unique device ID.

      • Network Address – Short Zigbee address assigned by the coordinator.

      • Device Type – Coordinator, Router, or End Device.

      Last Seen – Timestamp of the last communication.

      Powering – Device power source (AC/battery) or ? if the device does not provide information.

      Link Quality (LQI) – Signal strength indicator.

      Actions:

      • Rename device

      • Remove/unpair device

      • View device details (clusters, endpoints, bindings)

      • Bind/unbind devices (if supported)

      Typical uses:

      • Verify devices are online and responsive.

      • Rename devices for easier identification in automations.

      • Remove devices no longer in use.

      4.4 Zigbee Hub → MQTT

      This page configures the MQTT connection that Zigbee2MQTT (running on SLZB-OS) uses to communicate with your smart home platform.

      image.png

      Configuration fields include:

      • MQTT Server Address – IP or hostname of your broker (e.g., mqtt://192.168.1.100).

      • Port – Default 1883 for MQTT, 8883 for MQTT over TLS.

      • Username / Password – Broker authentication (if required).

      • Base Topic – Topic prefix for Zigbee messages (default: zigbee2mqtt).

      • Discovery RetainPrefix messages- –Home Optionassistant tomain keeptopic last known state on the broker.

      TLS/SSL options – Certificates and secure connection settings.

      name.

      Tips:

      • For Home Assistant with Mosquitto add-on, use the HA IP and port 1883.

      • Always use a unique base topic if you run multiple Zigbee networks.

      • Save and restart Zigbee Hub after making MQTT changes.

      4.5 Zigbee Hub → Settings

      The Settings page contains deeper configuration for the Zigbee coordinator and Zigbee2MQTT service.

      image.png

      Typical settings available:

      • Network Parameters:

        • PAN ID – Zigbee network identifier (hex).identifier.

        • Channel – RF channel (11–26; avoid Wi-Fi overlap if possible).

        • Extended PAN ID – Long network identifier.

      • Transmit Power – Radio TX power in dBm (higher = longer range, more power draw).

      • Show in debug log - Select which categories of Zigbee-related information are recorded in the Log & Debug page.

        • Zigbee Hub messages – Logs high-level events from the Zigbee Hub service (e.g., device joins, status updates).

        • Raw Zigbee packets – Logs low-level Zigbee frame data; useful for deep protocol debugging.

        • Zigbee MQTT – Logs MQTT messages related to Zigbee communication, including publishes and subscriptions.

      Best practices:

      • Change the Zigbee channel only on a fresh network (re-pair required after change).

      • Keep Permit Join disabled most of the time for security.

      • Adjust transmit power to match your coverage needs and regulatory limits.