I recently upgraded my home control stuff to a Zigbee mesh network. I chose to use a Hubitat-C8 as my Zigbee coordinator because it was easy to set up new devices & control schemes and most importantly the Hubitat continues to operate when the internet goes down (unlike some other hubs).
However, (here in the USA) it has become popular among the more industrious thieves to use WiFi Jammers. This means your wireless cameras, WiFi, and Zigbee devices will no longer be able to communicate (so much for wireless security!).
Well, using POE cameras wired directly to an NVR could solve video issues. But what about your burglar alarm system? The sad reality is that if something is crucial, it needs to be hard-wired. That’s not to say a Zigbee system doesn’t have a part to play. After all, it can send a message to your cellphone alerting you of a problem (assuming your system isn’t being borked by a WiFi Jammer!).
Now if your sprinkler system or automatic lighting (dawn/dusk ON/OFF) goes offline, it’s an inconvenience, not a catastrophe. But security is another matter: You don’t want a home invasion to go unannounced! With millions of illegal immigrants (many of them criminals) flooding into the USA, this is becoming a more common problem.
Yeh.. so what has this got to do with Picaxe? After all, no Picaxe chip is a Zigbee endpoint device? Well, that’s my point: There should be a Zigbee Endpoint Device that talks to a Picaxe. This would allow easy connection of all my little ad hoc (wired) projects into the Zigbee mesh.
Anyhow, the reason I am posting this is to see if anyone else has already done this. If so, what platform did you use and why? I’ve looked at ESP32 modules, TI modules, and Microchip WBZ451 modules.
Ideally, the little endpoint device would be cheap & easy to work with.
Anyone had any success with any of these or know of an existing endpoint device that does this already?
(The serial protocol would be simply [function# $value] for reading from & writing to the Picaxe or any other uProc)
Best case, Picaxe does the work & we just purchase ‘em, if not, guess I’ll bite the bullet & do it.
However, (here in the USA) it has become popular among the more industrious thieves to use WiFi Jammers. This means your wireless cameras, WiFi, and Zigbee devices will no longer be able to communicate (so much for wireless security!).
Well, using POE cameras wired directly to an NVR could solve video issues. But what about your burglar alarm system? The sad reality is that if something is crucial, it needs to be hard-wired. That’s not to say a Zigbee system doesn’t have a part to play. After all, it can send a message to your cellphone alerting you of a problem (assuming your system isn’t being borked by a WiFi Jammer!).
Now if your sprinkler system or automatic lighting (dawn/dusk ON/OFF) goes offline, it’s an inconvenience, not a catastrophe. But security is another matter: You don’t want a home invasion to go unannounced! With millions of illegal immigrants (many of them criminals) flooding into the USA, this is becoming a more common problem.
Yeh.. so what has this got to do with Picaxe? After all, no Picaxe chip is a Zigbee endpoint device? Well, that’s my point: There should be a Zigbee Endpoint Device that talks to a Picaxe. This would allow easy connection of all my little ad hoc (wired) projects into the Zigbee mesh.
Anyhow, the reason I am posting this is to see if anyone else has already done this. If so, what platform did you use and why? I’ve looked at ESP32 modules, TI modules, and Microchip WBZ451 modules.
Ideally, the little endpoint device would be cheap & easy to work with.
Anyone had any success with any of these or know of an existing endpoint device that does this already?
(The serial protocol would be simply [function# $value] for reading from & writing to the Picaxe or any other uProc)
Best case, Picaxe does the work & we just purchase ‘em, if not, guess I’ll bite the bullet & do it.