Nabu Casa
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2
- Works with HA
- Local control
- Zigbee
- Thread
Prices verified October 2026
See more hubs & dongles picks on our Amazon storefront →Our verdict
At £38 it sits between ConBee III (£37) and SMLIGHT's PoE coordinator (£61), and for most Home Assistant users it's the easier call: Nabu Casa builds and supports it directly, it's the only stick with an official teardown-free Zigbee/Thread switch, and the extension cable ships in the box rather than being an afterthought — treat that cable as non-negotiable, since USB 3.0 ports are a known interference source for 2.4GHz radios. Pick ConBee III instead only if you specifically want deCONZ's REST API; pick the SMLIGHT if you need PoE placement away from your server. Otherwise ZBT-2 is the default choice.
What can Home Assistant control on the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2?
| Control | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Permit join | Switch | Opens or closes the Zigbee network to new device joins. |
| Firmware version | Sensor | Reports the installed Zigbee or Thread firmware version, used to confirm which mode the radio is currently flashed for. |
| Network channel | Sensor | Diagnostic sensor showing the active 802.15.4 channel the coordinator/border router is operating on. |
| Radio connection status | Binary sensor | Reflects whether Home Assistant can currently reach the device over its USB serial link; flips off during firmware flashes or USB dropouts. |
| Reset coordinator | Button | Wipes the device's network keys and settings in Zigbee mode; has no effect in Thread mode since network state is stored in Home Assistant instead. |
Switching between Zigbee and Thread firmware is a one-click reflash from the integration's menu, not a full teardown — but a Zigbee-mode factory reset wipes the coordinator's network keys, while Thread network state lives in Home Assistant itself and survives a reset. The chip is multiprotocol-capable in theory, but the firmware still enforces one radio personality at a time, since Nabu Casa's own testing on the predecessor found simultaneous Zigbee+Thread operation caused device stability problems. Community reports describe route-error spam and timeout restarts on early firmware builds with certain bulbs — treat the bundled USB extension cable as mandatory rather than optional, since USB 3.0 ports and drives sit right in the 2.4GHz band and are a documented trigger for the coordinator dropping and reforming its network.
Specs
| chip | Silicon Labs MG24 (Zigbee/Thread radio) + ESP32-S3 (USB-serial bridge; ~4x the baud rate of ZBT-1's bridge chip) |
|---|---|
| modes | Zigbee coordinator or Thread border router radio (one at a time) |
| range | No official metres figure published by Nabu Casa; the taller pillar antenna and MG24 chip are marketed as improving link quality over the discontinued ZBT-1/SkyConnect, particularly through walls and floors |
| antenna | External omnidirectional pillar antenna, 24mm diameter x 164mm tall; 4.16 dBi peak gain, 10 dBm TX power (EU) / 8 dBm (rest of world), 2400-2483.5 MHz |
| replaces | Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 / SkyConnect (EOL) |
| connector | USB-C (USB 2.0/3.0), 1.5m cable included, 5V/500mA draw |
| dimensions | 83 x 83 x 179mm including stand and antenna, 157g, polycarbonate case |
How does the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 compare?
| Product | From | Protocol | Local control | Integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 (this product) | £38 | Zigbee, Thread | Yes | Works with HA |
| Aeotec Z-Stick 7 | £46.43 | Z-Wave | Yes | Native |
| Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet, 128GB) | £249 | Thread, Matter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Yes | Native |
| Aqara Hub M3 | £109.99 | Zigbee, Thread, Matter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Yes | Native |
Frequently asked questions
- Does the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 work with Home Assistant locally?
- Yes. The Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 is controlled locally in Home Assistant through a certified "Works with Home Assistant" integration (zha), so it keeps working if your internet connection or the Nabu Casa cloud goes down. Control and state updates stay on your own network.
- Which protocol does the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 use, and do I need a hub?
- The Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 uses Zigbee and Thread. To pair it with Home Assistant you need a Zigbee coordinator (for example a SkyConnect/ZBT-1 or Sonoff dongle) attached to your Home Assistant host; or a Thread border router (Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1, Apple TV 4K or a HomePod mini all work). Nabu Casa's own hub is not required when you integrate through a certified "Works with Home Assistant" integration (zha).
- How much does the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 cost in the UK?
- The lowest price we have listed for the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 is £38 at The Pi Hut. Prices were last checked in October 2026 and change often, so confirm on the retailer's page before buying.