“Really impressed with the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2. It arrived well packaged and feels like a great fit for anyone already using Home Assistant.
I really like that it officially supports Home Assistant and is based on open-source hardware. Setup couldn’t have been easier. It was genuinely plug and play.
Since setting it up, my Zigbee devices have connected seamlessly and everything has worked exactly as expected. A simple, reliable bit of hardware that integrates perfectly with Home Assistant.”
“My early-1960s detached house is built like a multistorey car park, with substantial cavity-brick external walls and brick internal walls. Matter-over-Thread proved virtually useless in my home, whereas Zigbee worked extremely well.
However, I ended up with several separate smart-home networks and hubs, including a Hue Bridge Pro, Aqara Hub M3, Alexa devices and an Apple TV. It was becoming messy, so when I discovered Home Assistant and its direct Zigbee support using the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2, I decided to give it a try.
I have now consolidated my Zigbee devices into a single mesh covering the whole house. The difference has been transformative: no dropouts, no dead zones and consistently reliable sensors, switches and automations.
I can also choose the device that is best for each job, rather than being tied to one manufacturer. My single mesh now includes Aqara sensors and switches, Sonoff Zigbee plugs, and Philips Hue bulbs and switches.
For a solidly built home like mine, the ZBT-2 has been a game changer. Highly recommended.”
“Works perfectly as a thread border router and was detected by HAOS with no issues - using a raspberry pi 5 running HAOS directly.
Only mildly confusing is that it glows when it's ready to pair, flashes when it's positioned incorrectly and doesn't flash at all once it's set up properly. In hindsight this makes sense, as you don't want unnecessary power/flashing lights around the house when it's on as intended but it was confusing when I saw it glowing and assumed it worked!
NOTE: ONLY USE the braided cable provided - most USB-A/USB-C cables will not run properly, resulting in it turning on/recieving power but can't be detected by HAOS! Learned this the hard way after faffing around for ages.
Packaging was perfect (box is branded for openhome foundation - cute!). Setup instructions were clear. Product feels sturdy and well built - it's not too big, not too small.”
