Can I have Z-Wave and Zigbee hardware and openHAB all inside one Raspberry Pi?

[Daniel Ellison]

Hey all,

First post here. I'm starting to put together a Raspberry Pi 2-based gateway/openHAB server. I'd like to integrate both Z-Wave and ZigBee radios into the same machine. To that end I've ordered both the RaZberry daughter board and a ZigBee daughterboard I found today called RaspBee (https://www.dresden-elektronik.de/funktechnik/solutions/wireless-light-control/raspbee/). Ideally I'd like to have both in the same RPi, but I don't know enough about this stuff yet to know whether it's even possible. So... is it?

I know this isn't the best place to ask these questions but if it works out the way I want I'll be contributing a RaspBee binding for openHAB in the future. Its software exposes a REST interface so it shouldn't be TOO difficult. I'm a developer by trade, so I should be able to figure out the software side. I'm just not much of a hardware dude - yet.

I guess if forced to I could use the Z-Wave stick and have the RaspBee inside but that's not ideal. Any thoughts?

PS: I asked this question on G+ but I think this is a better place to ask the questions.

[Daniel Ellison]

I think I answered my own question, though I'm not certain. I did a bit of poking around and it looks like the pinouts on the RPi2 don't repeat. So a board that needs 5v can only get it from pins 2 & 4, for example. As I mentioned, I'm not very familiar with the hardware side of things but it would seem I can't just plug two daughter cards in side-by-side and expect them to work, which is very sad. I would love to have one tiny unit that could handle Z-Wave, ZigBee and WiFi devices (I have a USB WiFi adapter as well), all orchestrated by openHAB.

I would be overjoyed it if someone came along and told me I'm completely wrong. Anyone? Bueller?

[Chris Jackson]

>
> I would be overjoyed it if someone came along and told me I'm completely wrong. Anyone?

No - I think you are right that both these devices can’t be used together. I also looked at adding these devices a while ago, but did not purchase them for exactly the reason you found. I think the RPi doesn’t provide multiple serial ports in the header, so the 5v problem is only the start…

Chris

[Daniel Ellison]

On 06/19/2015 06:39 AM, Chris Jackson wrote:
>> I would be overjoyed it if someone came along and told me I'm completely wrong. Anyone?
>
> No - I think you are right that both these devices can’t be used together. I also looked at adding these devices a while ago, but did not purchase them for exactly the reason you found. I think the RPi doesn’t provide multiple serial ports in the header, so the 5v problem is only the start…

Ah, as I suspected. That's really unfortunate. I wonder if there's a
device that would allow such a thing. Or maybe I should just break
things out into separate boxes that can be contacted from a RPi running
openHAB. Or perhaps I could use a pcDuino? I don't know if one can add
multiple devices to Arduinos.

I don't know much, apparently! I have a lot of research to do. But it's
looking more like I should modularize instead of conglomerate.

My original plan was to create a ZigBee gateway machine that talked to
an openHAB server. The gateway would communicate with all other ZigBee
devices. The openHAB server could handle Z-Wave itself. Since there's
already a Z-Wave binding for openHAB, having the Z-Wave device inside
the openHAB server makes sense. And since there isn't an openHAB binding
for the RaspBee and it speaks REST, it makes sense to have a separate
ZigBee box that can be queried/controlled from an as-yet-to-be-written
RaspBee binding.

Too bad it can't all be in the same box, though.

[Chris Jackson]

You could put it all in the same box, but you’d need to use a different zwave stick (i.e. a USB stick) to free up the port for the zigbee interface.

[Daniel Ellison]

On 06/19/2015 07:25 AM, Chris Jackson wrote:
> You could put it all in the same box, but you’d need to use a different zwave stick (i.e. a USB stick) to free up the port for the zigbee interface.

Yeah, that may be the way I end up going. I've read good things about
the Aeotec Z-Stick; it makes setting up the Z-Wave network easy. But
then I have this huge USB stick poking out the side of the tiny RPi.
Aesthetically it irks me. :)

[Chris Jackson]

I agree - this is also why I looked at the two boards you’re looking at…

[njordan]

sorry - did not go through all the discussion but from the initial request I can tell you that for me it works perfectly together - Zigbee (product is Plugwise, but its Zigbee) and Z-Wave....
Zigbee is used in my case to get two power meter values every 10secs to store the solar power plant energy generation...and zwave of course "runs the house".

[Chris Jackson]

This isn’t about zigbee and zwave compatibility - it’s about 2 specific interfaces being able to be run on the RPi. I also have zigbee and zwave (although on OH2), but the issue here is really an RPi issue, not the protocols...

[Daniel Ellison]

On 06/19/2015 08:09 AM, Chris Jackson wrote:
> This isn’t about zigbee and zwave compatibility - it’s about 2 specific interfaces being able to be run on the RPi. I also have zigbee and zwave (although on OH2), but the issue here is really an RPi issue, not the protocols...

Yes, this is correct. That's exactly why I hesitated posting the
question here as opposed to a Raspberry Pi group of some sort. But I
figured that if anyone had tried combining Z-Wave and ZigBee hardware in
the same RPi it would be openHAB enthusiasts.

[m herbert]

I understand why you'd want this neatly stacked on the RPI, but since they can't stack, there are a couple benefits of going with USB Z-stick:

- much wider audience using Aeon Z-Stick and other USB Z-wave sticks since USB runs on anything.   This means you're less likely to run into a problem and when you do, better chance of finding a solution.

- for the Aeon Z-stick, you can detach it and move around to pair all your devices.  Even an RPI isnt as portable unless you have a battery for it.

- not sure if this is valid - but it seems to me, having the Zigbee antenna not under another card  would be a plus.

- Downside is you'd need a case twice as long as the RPI if you want the whole thing enclosed.  Or, shudder, add two 90 degree USB connectors turning the Z-wave stick back over the RPI (and hopefully clearing the zigbee card).

[Greg EVA]

I echo what has already been said here... use the USB Z-Wave stick.  Adding another "plus" is that USB is more standard than RPi daughter cards, so should you decide to change your home controller hardware a couple years from now, you'll be able to plug in your USB Z-Wave stick, but likely not your RPi daughter card.

I have gone an all-USB route for this and another main reason.

The other main reason is the level of support.  As this open source stuff is tested and developed with specific hardware, you are likely to uncover new unknown issues if you use non standard communications hardware.  Developers can often not reproduce without the proper hardware.  Personally I find this to be far more important than aestetics.

For the aestetics... get a larger PVC box to put it all in, attach it all nicely, and paint the outside or put some flashy stickers or something.  This will also physically protect it all from cats, mice, rats, kids, etc.  Besides, I don't know how available cases for the RPi are which would accept a number of stacked daughtercards.

Cheers,

Greg