Frequently asked questions

• Does the ZBM5 need a separate hub?

  Yes. As a Zigbee device it does not pair with a phone on its own — it needs a Zigbee 3.0 coordinator: an NSPanel Pro, iHost, ZBBridge-Pro/Ultra or a ZBDongle in Home Assistant. The old non-Pro ZBBridge will not adopt it. If you have no hub, one can be added to the same order.
• Is a neutral wire mandatory?

  No. The ZBM5 has an optional neutral. With a neutral it works as a Zigbee router and accepts smart bulbs; without one it shifts to end-device mode with a 3 W minimum load per gang and gives up bulb pairing. In older stock with no neutral, no-neutral mode avoids wall chasing.
• How does it differ from the Wi-Fi M5?

  The ZBM5 speaks Zigbee 3.0 rather than Wi-Fi, so it needs a local hub but does not load the router and answers locally. It also switches 10 A per gang versus 5 A on the M5, is white (the M5-2C is gray) and has an optional neutral. The M5 pairs with a phone directly through eWeLink, with no coordinator.
• How much load does each key take?

  Up to 10 A resistive per channel, LED fixtures up to 400 W at 240 V (200 W at 100 V). It is built for lighting; heating appliances such as a water heater or towel rail do not belong here. In no-neutral mode each channel needs a 3 W minimum load.
• Does it work with Home Assistant and voice assistants?

  Yes. On ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT it joins Home Assistant directly, with no cloud. Through an eWeLink account the maker lists Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, IFTTT and Yandex Alice — on and off commands go through any of them.
• What is the Detach Relay function?

  In neutral mode Detach Relay separates the key from the relay: a press no longer cuts the line but sends a scene command to a smart bulb or another device, keeping the bulb permanently powered. The function is not available in no-neutral mode.
• Does the light work if the hub or internet fails?

  The keys stay ordinary mechanical switches, so the light always turns on manually. The Zigbee mesh runs locally, without internet; only remote access through eWeLink and voice assistants wait for the connection to return. If the hub itself fails, automated scenes pause until it restarts.
• Will it directly replace an old two-gang switch?

  Mechanically yes — 86 type format, a white 87×87 mm plate with a 40.2 mm deep mechanism. Check the back box: the mechanism reaches 40 mm into the wall, and a shallow old box full of twisted joints will be cramped. With a neutral available pick router mode; without one, end-device mode.