SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra, also known as ZBBridge-U, is a Zigbee 3.0 gateway and Matter Bridge powered by a 1.5 GHz Rockchip RV1109 dual-core processor and equipped with Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 multiprotocol SoC.
The gateway also offers WiFi and Ethernet connectivity and supports up to 256 Zigbee 3.0 sub-devices improving on the 128 sub-devices supported by the earlier SONOFF ZBBridge-P (ESP32+CC2652P) that also lacks Matter support. The new ZBBridge-U gateway further implements a Turbo mode increasing the line-of-sight range to up to 200 meters.
SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra (ZBBridge-U) specifications:
- SoC – Rockchip RV1109 dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 @ 1.5 GHz with RISC-V MCU @ 400 MHz, 2D graphics engine, 1.2 TOPS NPU, 5MP H.264 and H.265 hardware video decoder and encoder
- System Memory – 1GB DDR4
- Storage – 8GB eMMC flash for the OS
- Connectivity
- 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port
- 2.4GHz WiFi 4
- Zigbee 3.0 via Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 SoC with up to 200 meters range with Turbo mode
- Acts as a Zigbee to Matter Bridge
- Misc
- Button
- Press and hold for 3 seconds: enters pairing mode (for up to 30 minutes)
- Press and hold for 10 seconds: Factory Reset
- Single press button: Exit pairing mode or cancel alarm
- Tri-color LED
- Button
- Power Supply – 5V/1A via USB Type-C port
- Dimensions – 82 x 82 x 28 mm (PC+ABS plastic enclosure)
- Weight – 92.5 grams
- Temperature Range – -10 to +40°C
- Humidity – 5% to 95% RH, non-condensing
- Certifications – CE/FCC/ISED/RoHS
- Safety Standard – EN 62368-1
Based on the specifications alone, the ZBBridge-U looks like a cost-down SONOFF iHost hub without audio, a micro SD card, a USB Type-A port, and fancy RGB LEDs. The company confirmed with us the system primarily caters to users within the eWelink ecosystem and SONOFF products. It doesn’t support Zigbee devices from other manufacturers right now (I suppose except those that are Matter compatible) and there’s nothing about Home Assistant integration.
What users can do is keep the Zigbee Bridge Ultra and their Matter hub in the same LAN with SONOFF Zigbee sub-devices such as SNZB-06P human presence sensor, ZBMINIL2 Zigbee switch, S26R2ZB smart plug, SNZB-03P Zigbee motion sensor, etc… synchronizing with Matter-compatible hubs supporting Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, or SmartThings. SONOFF also explains the gateway can be used as an alarm where the user sets a scene triggered by an NFC tap, a wireless button, or an app remote control. When an event is triggered, you will hear a beep and receive a notification push. The user manual has more information.
Switching from an ESP32 device to a Linux-capable bridge (plus Matter certification) does add to the cost, as while the previous generation SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Pro now goes for $19.90, the new SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra sells for $59.90. As usual, you can lower the price by using CNXSOFTSONOFF coupon to get a 10% discount on any order on the ITEAD website or use the Zigbee15 coupon code for a 15% discount on Zigbee products for a limited time.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Haha, ”turbo mode” is markering speak only. There is nothing called ”turbo mode” in the Zigbee specification. I bet they just jacked up the Transmit Power to the highest that is legally allowoed for each RG region. Other than that alla the can do is use different radio module or SoC and different antenna designs.
At the time of this posting, there are no matter certified Zigbee end devices from any brand. Instead, Zigbee devices are brought into Matter via a Matter bridge, which is a Zigbee coordinator that also has a Wi-Fi connection. Whether a manufacturer decides to have their particular matter bridge expose Zigbee devices from other brands is up to them. But first you would have to be able to add them to the Zigbee network that the matter bridge is using.
this is how all Zigbee to matter bridges work right now, including Philips Hue, Tuya, and Aqara. Of these, at the time of this writing I believe that only the Philips Hue allows other brands in, and only some brands like INNR and Gledopto.
This is so over the top it is hilarious.
1.5Ghz core for a bridge. Turbo Ultra Super Zigbee.
I can’t see myself upgrading my 100% reliable Sonoff Zigbee bridge running Tasmota.
Maybe when I cross 1000 devices in my little house? 🙂