Expert4House – Smart Home Automation
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The Sonoff Bridge Max (Bridge-M) is a Zigbee 3.0 hub and Matter Bridge in one. It connects up to 128 Zigbee devices and brings them, along with eWeLink Wi-Fi devices, BTHome sensors, and Home Assistant entities, to Apple Home , Google Home , Alexa , and SmartThings. You can set it up from the eWeLink app or from the local web interface , which works online without an account or cloud. It connects via an RJ45 Ethernet port or 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi 6 , syncs Zigbee devices with Home Assistant via MQTT, and acts as a security center with a 90 dB speaker. If you have a Zigbee Bridge Pro , it transfers devices, scenes, and settings in one step.
The Max Bridge combines functions that usually require multiple devices into a single hub. It's a Matter Bridge , so it makes your devices visible to Matter platforms, and a Zigbee gateway , so it directly connects Zigbee sensors, switches, sockets, and valves. It integrates with Home Assistant via MQTT, has a 100 Mbps Ethernet port, a local web interface, scenes that run on the bridge, and a 90 dB speaker for security. On the left in the image, you can see what goes into Matter: the Zigbee devices added to the bridge, the Sonoff Wi-Fi devices in your eWeLink account, Home Assistant entities, and BTHome sensors. On the right, the platforms that receive them.
A standard Matter Bridge only brings its own brand of devices into Matter. The Max Bridge, on the other hand, syncs four families of devices : Zigbee devices associated with the bridge, even those from other manufacturers, Sonoff Wi-Fi devices connected to your eWeLink account, BTHome sensors via Bluetooth, and Home Assistant entities . This way, a Sonoff socket, a Zigbee sensor from another brand, and a light managed by Home Assistant appear in the same app, such as Apple Home, and can be part of the same automation. However, the bridge is not a Matter controller: Matter and Thread devices are added directly to the platform, like HomePod, Nest Hub, or Echo.
You can set up the Bridge Max in two ways, even simultaneously. With the eWeLink app , you download the app, log in to your account, pair the bridge, and set up the Matter Bridge—a cloud connection is required. With the web interface , open bridgem.local from a computer or phone browser on the same network, set a password the first time you log in, and add the devices locally, without the cloud. From the web interface, you configure the bridge and Matter synchronization; however, the devices are controlled from the eWeLink app or the Matter platform. If you want the app later, log in to your eWeLink account from the web interface and the bridge will sync with the app.
The web interface dashboard shows at a glance what's going through the bridge: how many Zigbee devices, how many eWeLink devices, how many eWeLink -Remote remote controls and Home Assistant entities are synced to Matter, how many are online, and how many in total. The Add Device button starts the Zigbee pairing, while the Matter Bridge box displays the QR code to scan with the platform app. Up to 8 eWeLink -Remote remote controls can be added from here. The bridge can be accessed from bridgem.local or from the IP address found in the router settings, from any browser on your home network.
Many Zigbee devices are not HomeKit certified: with the Max Bridge, they still enter Apple Home via Matter. In the Sonoff image, a ZBMINIL2 module turns on the light, a scene button, a TX series switch, and a thermostatic valve appear in Home alongside Apple accessories. You can control them from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and CarPlay, place them in rooms and Apple Home automations, and summon them with Siri. For valves, you'll find the Sonoff TRVZB thermostatic valve ; for switches and modules, you'll find the Sonoff Zigbee device categories from our catalog.
Once in Apple Home, Max Bridge devices respond to Siri from iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and HomePod just like HomeKit devices. With a phrase like "Hey Siri, goodnight," you can launch a scene that turns off the lamp connected to a Sonoff outlet, closes the curtains with a roller shutter module, and even controls third-party devices connected to the bridge. Scenes and automations are created in the Home app, with the same devices you use in eWeLink . The same goes for Google Home and Alexa : each Matter platform receives the devices you choose to sync.
If you use Home Assistant , the Max Bridge can send its Zigbee devices to HA via an MQTT broker. Switches, thermostatic valves, sockets, water valves, and sensors associated with the bridge appear in Home Assistant with their entities, and you can use them in HA automations, while the bridge remains the Zigbee hub for your home. It also works the other way around: Home Assistant entities sync to Matter via the bridge and appear in Apple Home, Google Home, or Alexa. So, anyone who uses HA for automations and another family app has the same devices in both.
The Max Bridge supports all Sonoff Zigbee devices with all their functions. In the image you will find DIY modules such as the MINI-ZB2GS , the S60ZB socket, the ZBM5 wall switches, the thermostatic valve and the water valve, and the sensors: the SNZB-01P button, the SNZB-02D and SNZB-02P temperature sensors, the SNZB-03P motion sensor, the SNZB-04P door sensor, the SNZB-05P water leak sensor and the SNZB-06P presence sensor. You can connect up to 128 of them, which is the value recommended by Sonoff for stable operation; the bridge accepts even more, with performance that may decrease.
In addition to Sonoff devices, the bridge supports many Zigbee devices from other brands , such as those from Philips Hue, IKEA, Heiman, innr, and Moes shown in the image. The number of available functions varies from model to model: before purchasing a third-party device, check the compatibility table published by Sonoff, which lists the brand, category, and supported functions for each model. The table can be found at bridge.sonoff.tech , in the Device Function Reference Table section. Once paired, these devices can also switch to Matter and Home Assistant like Sonoff devices.
With Zigbee sensors, the Max Bridge becomes a security center . When a door sensor, motion sensor, or water leak sensor detects something, the bridge sends a notification to the app and can sound its 90 dB speaker ; a single tap on the bridge button stops the alarm. If you need a louder sound or in another room, add the 105 dB Sonoff SNZB-09P Zigbee siren . The SNZB-04PR2 door and window sensor is suitable for openings, and the SNZB-03PR2 motion sensor for passages. The Zigbee hub is always required: the security functions are those of the bridge.
The control panel has three modes, which you can activate from the app depending on the situation. In Away mode, the door sensor detects every opening, even while you're at work. In Night mode , the motion sensor alerts you to your phone if someone moves in the house while you're sleeping. In Home mode , you can leave the sensors you need active even when you're away, such as the SNZB-05P water leak sensor under the radiator or washing machine. Alerts arrive as notifications in the app, and the alarm can sound through the bridge speaker. The same settings are transferred to the Bridge Max when you replace a ZBBridge Pro.
Local scenes run directly on the Max Bridge, between associated Zigbee devices. In the first example, a temperature and humidity sensor like the Sonoff SNZB-02D measures the heat in the room: when the temperature exceeds the threshold you set, the bridge turns on the fan connected to a socket or a Zigbee module, without you having to intervene. In the second, a motion sensor like the SNZB-03PR2 detects passage in the corridor at night and the bridge turns on the lights , so you don't have to search for the switch in the dark. Automations are created in the eWeLink app, choosing the sensor that triggers them and the device to control.
If you already have a Sonoff Zigbee Bridge Pro at home, switching to the Bridge Max doesn't mean starting from scratch. The transfer brings your Zigbee devices , scenes , and security settings to the new bridge in a single step: you don't have to re-associate sensors and switches one by one or recreate automations. After the switch, the devices can also access Matter and Home Assistant, just like those added from scratch. The transfer is only available from the ZBBridge Pro: from the ZBBridge-U or iHost , the data doesn't move and the devices must be re-associated.
The Bridge Max has a 10/100 Mbps RJ45 Ethernet port : connected to the router with the included 1-meter network cable , it stays connected without depending on the Wi-Fi signal, and is the most stable choice for a hub that manages up to 128 Zigbee devices and the security control panel. If the router is far away, you can connect it to Wi-Fi 6 , either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz , by setting up the network during pairing with the eWeLink app. In both cases, it is powered by the USB-C port with a 5 V 1 A power adapter, not included: with Wi-Fi, you can place it even far from the router, in a central point of the house.
No. The Bridge Max is already a Zigbee 3.0 hub: Zigbee devices connect directly to the bridge, up to 128.
How Matter Bridge connects devices to Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings, and Home Assistant. With the eWeLink app, you can manage them even without Matter.
No. The Max Bridge is a bridge, not a Matter controller: Matter and Thread devices add directly to the platform, for example to a HomePod, Nest Hub, or Echo.
Yes, with the local web interface: from bridgem.local you configure the bridge and Matter synchronization over the network, without an account and without the cloud.
No. The web interface is used to configure the bridge and the Matter Bridge. The devices are controlled via the eWeLink app or the Matter platform.
Yes. You can connect it to 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi 6 when pairing with eWeLink app.
There are two ways: Zigbee devices on the bridge reach Home Assistant via an MQTT broker, or the bridge reaches Home Assistant as a Matter Bridge.
Yes, if it's a ZBBridge Pro: Zigbee devices, scenes, and security settings are transferred in one step, without re-pairing. Transfer is not available from ZBBridge-U or iHost.
Sonoff recommends up to 128 Zigbee devices and 128 other devices synced in Matter. More can be added, but performance may decline.
The Bridge Max, a 1-meter network cable, a 1-meter USB-C cable, and the quick start guide. You'll need a 5V 1A USB power supply.
Yes, a built-in 90 dB speaker that sounds with the security panel. For a louder alarm, you can add the SNZB-09P Zigbee siren .
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