[REQUEST] Zeroconf support to ZigStar LAN Gateway for Home Assistant ZHA network discovery

[Hedda]

Please consider adding Zeroconf DNS TXT Records parameters in firmware for automatic ZHA network discovery but only enable it when running in "Zigbee Home Automation Mode".

Home Assistant OS (formerly HASSIO) support automatic network scanning and “Service Discovery” via Zeroconf and when a whitelisted Zigbee serial gateway is discovered it can pass along that to a domain like the ZHA integration component in Home Assistant.

For more context about this Zigbee gateway “Service Discovery” via Zeroconf for the ZHA integration in Home Assistant, pease see:

https://community.home-assistant.io/t/zha-automatic-discovery-of-zigbee-coordinator-bridges-gateways-ethernet-wifi-network-devices-that-support-zeroconf-or-ssdp/293300

and

https://developers.home-assistant.io/docs/creating_integration_manifest/#zeroconf

FYI, there is already a working proof-of-concept this is now supported by Tube's Zigbee gateways (based on ESPHome firmware):

https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#discovery-via-usb-or-zeroconf

https://github.com/tube0013/tube_gateways

Once support for Zeroconf has been added to the firmware you also need the firmware to provide DNS TXT records for passing along setting parameters to integration config flows.

You first need to add Zeroconf service and give it name and as well as adding information about protocol (tcp) and port (????), etc.

Then DNS TXT records is used to pass along recommended settings parameters config flow to Home Assistant's ZHA integration:

version=1.0
radio_type=ezsp
baud_rate=value
data_flow_control=software

I believe that is advertised for Zeroconf config in this format or similar:

zha_ezsp_zeroconf  _ezsp._tcp  local
   hostname = [zha_ezsp_zeroconf.local]
   port = [8080]
   protocol = [tcp]
   service = tubes_zb_gw
   txt = ["version=1.0"]
   txt = ["radio_type=ezsp"]
   txt = ["baud_rate=value"]
   txt = ["data_flow_control=software"]

(use e.g. avahi-browse -r -a to see this)

As can see, you will need one DNS TXT Record for each attribute and value that is to be passed along to HA's ZHA integration.

Zeroconf DNS TXT records could also be used to pass along info about hostname, versions, location, MAC address, and more, etc..

http://www.zeroconf.org/Rendezvous/txtrecords.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-configuration_networking#DNS-based_service_discovery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TXT_record

More information about idea of using DNS TXT records for passing along setting parameters in https://github.com/thegroove/esphome-zbbridge#1 and https://github.com/thegroove/esphome-zha-ezsp-zeroconf

In the end it is probably best to see actual example config for ESPHome as in Tube's Zigbee Gateway as that is the reference:

https://github.com/tube0013/tube_gateways/blob/main/V2_tube_zb_gw_cc2752p2/ESPHome/tube_zb_gw_cc2652p2v2.yml

zeroconf:
  - service: tubes_zb_gw
    protocol: tcp
    port: 6638
    txt:
      version: 1.0
      radio_type: znp
      baud_rate: 115200
      data_flow_control: software

Again, support for Tube's Zigbee Gateway was initially added to Home Aassistant core for ZHA support in home-assistant/core#48420

As I believe to then whitelist Zeroconf for more gateways and/or radio types in HA's zeroconf as well as for ZHA need to do PR for:

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/homeassistant/generated/zeroconf.py

 "_esphomelib._tcp.local.": [
        {
            "domain": "zha",
            "name": "tube*"
        }
    ],

and

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/homeassistant/components/zha/manifest.json

"zeroconf": [
    {
      "type": "_esphomelib._tcp.local.",
      "name": "tube*"
    }
  ],

and

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/homeassistant/components/zha/config_flow.py

async def async_step_zeroconf(self, discovery_info: DiscoveryInfoType):
        """Handle zeroconf discovery."""
        # Hostname is format: livingroom.local.
        local_name = discovery_info["hostname"][:-1]
        node_name = local_name[: -len(".local")]
        host = discovery_info[CONF_HOST]
        device_path = f"socket://{host}:6638"

        if current_entry := await self.async_set_unique_id(node_name):
            self._abort_if_unique_id_configured(
                updates={
                    CONF_DEVICE: {
                        **current_entry.data.get(CONF_DEVICE, {}),
                        CONF_DEVICE_PATH: device_path,
                    },
                }
            )

        # Check if already configured
        if self._async_current_entries():
            return self.async_abort(reason="single_instance_allowed")

        self.context["title_placeholders"] = {
            CONF_NAME: node_name,
        }

        self._device_path = device_path
        self._radio_type = (
            RadioType.ezsp.name if "efr32" in local_name else RadioType.znp.name
        )

[mercenaruss]

Work is done on this, but having small trouble submitting this to HA Repo.

[Hedda]

@mercenaruss Sorry for the delay, I have now posted a reply to https://community.home-assistant.io/t/zha-automatic-network-discovery-of-zigbee-coordinator-bridges-gateways-ethernet-wifi-network-adapters-that-support-zeroconf/293300

As I understand, if your Zeroconf and DNS TXT Records if correct then think you should only need to extend code in these two files:

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/homeassistant/generated/zeroconf.py

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/homeassistant/components/zha/manifest.json

The DNS server in your network router of course needs to support/enable mDNS (multicast DNS) so .local names can be used.

[Hedda]

FYI, Zero-configuration networking (zeroconf) looks to have been changed and improved in the Home Assistant 2022.02 release:

home-assistant/core#62133

https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zeroconf/

This change is only a concern for custom integration developers.

Currently zeroconf matching only allows matching the macaddress, model, and manufacturer properties along with the name from the ZeroconfServiceInfo.

Since properties are arbitrarily defined by the zeroconf service, the list of named properties has grown over time.

Matching now allows for any arbitrarily defined property. All property matches must be lowercase, wildcards are supported

The top level keys model, manufacturer, and macaddress are now deprecated from components manifest.json file and should be moved into a properties dict.

For example:

-    {"type":"_airplay._tcp.local.","model":"appletv*"}
+    {"type":"_airplay._tcp.local.","properties":{"model":"appletv*"}}

[Hedda]

By the way, Home Assistant founders/leads now explicitly said this year they will prioritize focus on features like these types:

https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2022/01/19/streamlining-experiences/

Check out this video at around 11 min 55 sec in where talk about that focus point about making it easier to get started, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_2D_KoFIfU&t=710s

Hopefully, it should be a greater chance of getting more help from other Home Assistant developers with this if ask them.

[Hedda]

FYI, PR home-assistant/core#58224 for Home Assistant core has been closed since cannot test it myself to confirm working or not.

It would be more than welcomed if anyone (who owns a ZigStar LAN Gateway) could take over to get zeroconf discovery in ZHA.

https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#discovery-via-usb-or-zeroconf

Again, other than Tube's Zigbee Gateways you can also checkout syssi's and thegroove's implementations as proof-of-concept:

https://github.com/syssi/esphome-zb-gw03

https://github.com/thegroove/esphome-zeroconf

https://github.com/thegroove/esphome-zha-ezsp-zeroconf

[Hedda]

FYI, for reference, noticed that fairecasoimeme from ZiGate is working on PR for Home Assistant to add ZiGate discovery support:

See -> home-assistant/core#68577 ("Add ZiGate device on automatic integration USB and ZEROCONF")

It will add automatic ZeroConf (MDNS) discovery of ZiGate Ethernet Gateway (not WiFi Gateway), as well as ZiGate USB adapters.

https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zha#discovery-via-usb-or-zeroconf

As you can see in PR, ZHA and Home Assistant developers are assisting fairecasoimeme from ZiGate once PR was submitted.

Hopefully, it should be a greater chance of getting more help from other Home Assistant developers with this if you submit a PR.

[Hedda]

FYI, for reference, noticed that fairecasoimeme from ZiGate is working on PR for Home Assistant to add ZiGate discovery support:

See -> home-assistant/core#68577 ("Add ZiGate device on automatic integration USB and ZEROCONF")

FYI, PR for ZiGate's Zeroconf has been merged in Home Assistant core making it an example for adding additional more readable:

home-assistant/core#68577

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/homeassistant/components/zha/manifest.json#L85-L88

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/homeassistant/components/zha/config_flow.py#L198-L201

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/tests/components/zha/test_config_flow.py#L80-L107

https://github.com/home-assistant/core/blob/dev/homeassistant/generated/zeroconf.py#L384-L389

[mercenaruss]

@Hedda Zeroconf tested & PR submitted.