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Are you planning/do you have your own automation system? For example, Home Assistant…
The USB version is a universal gateway for Zigbee 3.0 that adds this functionality to your device, for example you have Home Assistant, openHAB, Zigbee2MQTT and others… you add the ability to support Zigbee 3.0 to your PC and use it as a universal central hub/bridge without the need to purchase other hub/bridges.
If you don’t plan any of the above, start with SONOFF Zigbee Bridge.
An old/cheap tablet/smartphone as a display and one of these sensors…
https://sonoff.tech/product/gateway-and-sensors/snzb-02p/
https://sonoff.tech/product/gateway-and-sensors/snzb-02/
Or if you have $$$, NSPanel as a display… https://sonoff.tech/product/central-control-panel/nspanel-pro/
Fingerbot / Switchbot
The question is whether he will be able to press the button that poses a lot of resistance…
Yes… but you can’t compare the range of possibilities that HA has, the USB version will be of little use to you until you run your automation system.
However, the bridge, regardless of whether the pro version, connects devices into one network and you have access to them via the ewelink app. Scenes and LAN mode are available locally, which provides minimal automation possibilities even without constant access to the Internet/cloud. Which gives you the ability to use your devices to some extent without having to have an additional PC with HA.
However, if you want to build your own HA based on a PC/SBC, you will need a Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle. Think of it as adding a wifi card to an old pc that didn’t have wifi.
Which solution suits you better is your decision. If the bridge, you will be able to use the devices from day one. If you have a USB dongle, you won’t have a working solution until you run HA.
But will this camera have access to power or does it have to be battery powered?
I won’t recommend a specific camera model, but I can suggest a general solution. Connect the camera’s power supply to a smart socket that will be connected to the Internet/cloud all the time via Wi-Fi. When you need to activate the camera, you turn on the socket and wait a few moments for the camera to start up, which, if configured correctly, will start transmitting…
Now the question is how do you want to watch this broadcast, stream to the cloud? Or somehow different?
How complicated can this solution be in general? If it’s supposed to be as simple and ready as possible, maybe something from Sonoff…
WiFi camera + socket + eWeLink Advanced Plan ($10/year). This way you can remotely turn on/off the camera’s power, which means it will 100% not generate network traffic. When the camera is turned on, you will be able to view it in the ewelink app (Android/ios) or via a web browser.
Can I reuse them and not have to pay for a subscription or buy an alarm service?
Reusing these sensors is not very profitable… It looks wireless in the photo, right? You would need to determine what type of transmission there is: RF433 or something else. Then you would have to recognize the codes it generates and build a whole background for it.
More or less… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrto7hc4rtg
In 2023, it simply makes no sense, both financially and time-wise. There are ready-made solutions available and they don’t cost a fortune.
The sensors themselves are the cheapest element of the alarm puzzle… so using the old ones doesn’t make much sense because it only generates a lot of unnecessary problems.
Replacing such a sensor is also not a task that you will not be able to do on your own.
I won’t recommend a specific socket, but you may achieve what you want by using two switches, switch per cable to disconnect. Or switch without N…
https://itead.cc/product/sonoff-zbminil2-extreme-zigbee-smart-switch-no-neutral-required/