dresden elektronik / Phoscon
ConBee III
- Zigbee
Verified July 2026
The long-running German-engineered Zigbee stick, now in its third generation — a solid pick if you want first-party deCONZ/Phoscon software support alongside ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT compatibility. Its long USB reach and strong firmware update record suit UK users who value longevity.
In Home Assistant
| Control | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| ZHA | Native HA integration | Pair directly with no extra software |
| Zigbee2MQTT | Add-on / standalone service | Pair via Z2M for its wider device-support database |
| deCONZ / Phoscon | First-party local web app | Vendor's own control UI, runs alongside HA |
As a coordinator it doesn't add entities itself — it drives whatever's paired to it via ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT, or its own first-party deCONZ/Phoscon REST API, which is the one genuine advantage over TI/Silicon Labs sticks: you can poll deCONZ's API directly as an independent heartbeat check and auto-restart HA's Zigbee integration if paired sensors have gone stale while deCONZ itself still reports the network alive. Known limitations versus other coordinators: no network backup/restore, no S1 install-code pairing, and no in-HA channel changing or TX power adjustment.
Specs
- chip
- Zigbee 3.0 (802.15.4)
- software
- Works with ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT and deCONZ/Phoscon
- connector
- USB-A with extension-friendly design