Samotech Zigbee Dimmer with Home Assistant – Setup Guide

Home Assistant is the most capable platform for Zigbee dimmer control – local automation, energy tracking, and deep device integration with no cloud subscription. This guide covers complete setup using both ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT.

What you need

• Home Assistant (OS, Supervised, or Container)
• USB Zigbee coordinator – SONOFF ZBDongle-P, ConBee II, or ZBDongle-E
• Samotech dimmer – SM323, SM309-S, or SM309-S-2CH
• Dimmer installed and wired – see our installation guide

Part 1: ZHA (built-in, simplest)

Add the integration

Go to Settings → Devices & Services → + Add Integration, search Zigbee Home Automation, and select your USB coordinator.

Put dimmer into pairing mode

Press the reset button 5 times — the lights start flashing to indicate the pairing process has been initiated.

Complete pairing

Click + Add Device in ZHA. The SM323 appears as Samotech SM323 within seconds.

Part 2: Zigbee2MQTT (advanced)

Install the Z2M add-on from the Add-on Store, configure the serial port, enable Permit Join, and reset the dimmer. All SM323/SM309-S endpoints are in the Z2M device database – they map automatically.

Advanced settings (Exposes tab)

• Minimum brightness — lowest dim level before off
• Power-on behaviour — restore last state, on full, or off after power cut
• Switch type — toggle or momentary (critical for 2-way wiring)

Example automation — turn on at sunset

alias: Living room on at sunset
trigger:
  - platform: sun
    event: sunset
    offset: "-00:30:00"
action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.sm323_living_room
    data:
      brightness_pct: 60
      transition: 5

Troubleshooting

• Device drops offline: Add a Zigbee router device to extend mesh. Use a USB extension cable for coordinator to reduce USB 3.0 interference.
• Not found in ZHA/Z2M: Reset the dimmer, then re-pair again.
• Physical switch stops working: Check Switch Type in Z2M Exposes — set Toggle for rocker switch, Momentary for push switch.