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The original was posted on /r/homeassistant by /u/TheRealBigLou on 2025-11-24 17:43:21+00:00.
A couple weeks ago I had posted asking Reddit what their recommendations for a POE zigbee controller was. I got a few mixed suggestions and waited out the official HA announcement. Unfortunately, that was not a POE solution. The reason I wanted POE was that I needed to get my controller away from my x86 machine. Where it was located, it was impossible to get the controller more than a foot or two away, and every single USB port was USB 3.0--which causes interferance with Zigbee radios. It was causing major issues with reception and reliability and the best solution for me was to simply separate the controller as far as possible--which is why I looked into POE solutions. I could just put it in an optimal location anywhere on my network!
But, after some extra research, I decided to take a shot at a different solution--one that still relied on Ethernet. I figured, if I can simply keep my USB controller but move it to another area of my house, it would be the best of both worlds. I first tried a simple USB over Ethernet adapter that I already had. It kind of worked, but it would randomly go offline. I figured it was simply not allowing enough power to reach the controller. Instead, I decided to use a powered USB over Ethernet adapter. While much more expensive, it was still quite a bit cheaper than a good POE controller, and I could keep my existing setup without having to migrate anything! Fortunately, it seems like it did the trick and I've been going strong for a week with zero disconnects or drops! It's DRAMATICALLY improved my zigbee network.
So, for those in a similar situation, I would recommend giving this a go. Here's the one I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HHFZY5H
Yeah, it's $50. Yeah, it's twice as expensive as the Sonoff USB coordinator I had. Yeah, together, they're the same price as a good POE coordinator. This is definitely not something I would recommend for those initially investing in a zigbee network. This is ONLY for those who've already invested in a USB coordinator and for whatever reason need to move it far away using Ethernet. I just haven't seen this recommended before, so I thought I'd give others the option.
Also, another positive is that the adapter is USB 2.0, so you don't have to worry about interference on the coordinator end.