Connecting Essentials ZigBee Control Panel to Raspberry Pi via LAN for Domoticz

Welcome,

I got my hands on a ZigBee control panel that connects to a router via LAN (Essentials brand, available on Amazon: essentials Smart Home Solutions 120095 essentials Smart Home Centre, ZigBee, Android/iOS ). I've also seen similar control panels under other brands, but I don't think that's exactly what this is about.

I am trying to connect to this control panel via a RaspberryPi, which is also plugged into the same LAN. To connect, and preferably communicate also with the sensors it supports (temp and motion detectors). Ultimately I would like to hook it up to Domoticz, so I was mainly looking for some python script. I found one script on github.com (tinytuya) which detects the control panel, but it doesn't seem to be able to do so, because although it can see the IP of the control panel, its Product ID and Device ID, the Local Key is empty. It also doesn't see a single detector.

I've searched the web, but a huge amount of similar posts are about using any zigbee2mqtt module.

Is it possible to connect to the ZigBee control panel directly via LAN, or is a zigbee2mqtt module necessary? And on the other hand- if I have such a module, is the control panel itself also needed?

I have a bit of a grasp of python and Domoticz, but hooking up a new (closed) ZigBee system to this is a bit beyond me.

Greetings.

If you read further you will find out that zigbee2mqtt is not a specific device, but a communication protocol implemented e.g. on Domoticz, HA, Nodered. It usually needs a compatible gateway to work together.
A list of compatible gateways is at https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/information/supported_adapters.html.

I realize that zigbee2mqtt is just a means of communication - maybe I didn't express myself too precisely.

I would like to hook up Zigbee sensors to Domoticz, or generally read/communicate with them from a terminal, and so I'm curious as to whether this can be done directly from the LAN (into which the control panel is plugged), or whether a module/adapter is needed after all. Because if the control unit sends the status of some sensor over the network (e.g. to a mobile app), is there any method to "intercept" this and feed it to another location. That's how I imagine it, but maybe I've mixed things up.

Probably it can be done, but for that you would need to know the communication protocol of your gateway with the sensors. As we know, most manufacturers do not allow the connection of third-party zigbee sensors. So, if you know/find the API of your gateway, it is perfectly possible to write a user interface, e.g. in Python for Domoticz. On the other hand, adapters that work as a universal gateway under zigbee2mqtt make it easier and simpler to connect to sensors from different companies. Whether specifically your gateway enables this - I don't know.

Thank you for your response.

That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for, as I've been getting a bit hung up on it all.

Regards.