Sonoff introduced a new device "iHost" to manage "smart" devices - locally, it might appear as a hub, but it can do zigbee/matter (planned)/BT and it can also run docker containers, including node-red (they even advertise with it), it also has an interface to program automations.
The software seems in rough state atm (see preview) and I wonder how far the device support will go for zigbee, if it only supports sonoff in its interface would be very limiting. Then again, I can imagine it could support/run zigbee2mqtt.
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Yes - that does look interesting - especially as it seems to be mainly local - but with cloud if you want it... rather than the other way round.
In case anyone is still interested in this hub, I received one today and spent about an hour playing with it. In that time, I was able to connect it to my home network, link it to my account on their server, download a firmware update, and add one Zigbee device (a Sonoff temperature/humidity sensor). The sensor seems to be connected locally only, since it is not visible in the phone app.
The process needed one hard reboot (pulling the power plug), possibly because I was too impatient to wait for it to complete an operation. The iHost seems very slow at times. The next test will come when I fit it with an SD card and install the docker add-ons needed to run Node-RED and transfer my one other Sonoff device from their server to local control. So far, the experience has been satisfactory but not overwhelming. I'll post again if anything especially good or bad happens.
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With a few hours more effort, I've been able to install an SD card with add-ons for wifi (non-Zigbee) devices and Node-RED. My devices can be controlled from NR, and in a pinch I could set up useful automations from the iHost. On the downside, mqtt is not working, and I don't see a way to make it happen without modifying docker containers -- not in my repertoire yet. This is not a finished product, either in capability nor in software quality. The firmware has bugs, the ui is rough in spots, and the NR nodes need work. I will give this project a rest for a while and see what improvements come from the manufacturer and the developer community. I'd be happy to help anyone who wants to advance the ball from here.
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Thanks a lot for the info. I have it sitting here in a box as well, keeping track via google if there is a any progress on the software end before I take a look at it. It is brand new, more users will get exposed now, hopefully improvements will follow soon.
