Nabu Casa

Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2

Price
£38.00 GBP
£38.00 GBP
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Available In Stock
30 Days Return Policy

The easiest way to start with Zigbee or Thread just got even better – with Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2. The precisely tuned antenna and next-generation chip have been further optimized to provide great performance and rock-solid stability. 

Built on the open, second-generation Connect platform, it’s easy to tinker with and blends easily into the home. Setup and migration are effortless, giving you all the power of Home Assistant with plug-and-play simplicity. Connect a world of Zigbee or Matter devices directly to Home Assistant today.

*Thread Border Router requires Home Assistant to work, see FAQ for further details.
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2
  • Overview
  • Specifications
Supports Matter Integrates with Home Assistant - light Integrates with Home Assistant - dark Built on Thread Border Router Zigbee badge - light Zigbee badge - dark

Optimized Antenna

Providing the best possible connection to Zigbee or Thread devices.

Pure Performance

Featuring an updated Zigbee and Thread chip (MG24) gives it the highest performance available while providing rock-solid stability

Plug and Play

Seamlessly migrate your Zigbee or Thread network with Home Assistant’s included wizard.

Choose Your Network

Start a new Zigbee or Thread network in minutes.

Description

Meet the second-generation Connect adapter: a small USB stick that quietly becomes the backbone of your smart home.

With a redesigned, optimized antenna and a new MG24 Zigbee/Thread chip inside, it delivers faster, more stable connections to your devices. Compared to the first-generation adapter, it’s up to 4× quicker to respond, so lights snap on, sensors report instantly, and automations just feel smoother.

Built on the 2nd Gen Connect platform, which is more open, more flexible, and designed to blend into your home instead of looking like lab equipment. It’s fully unlocked and open source, with screws instead of glue and clearly marked pads and pins if you like to tinker, hack, or just see how things work.

Setup is straightforward: plug it in, fire up Home Assistant, and use the built-in wizard to migrate your existing Zigbee or Thread network, or spin up a brand-new one in minutes. From there, you can connect everything from long-proven Zigbee bulbs and sensors to the latest Matter and Thread devices, without stacking multiple hubs and bridges.

Under the hood, it’s built by the same team that drives Home Assistant itself, so compatibility and reliability aren’t afterthoughts. It supports ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT, and OpenThread Border Router, and can deliver OTA firmware updates for major brands, keeping your devices current without you chasing vendor apps.

Highlights

  • Optimized antenna for strong, reliable Zigbee and Thread coverage
  • Up to 4× faster and more responsive than the first-generation adapter
  • New MG24 radio for top-tier performance and rock-solid stability
  • Runs on the 2nd-gen Connect platform: more open, more powerful, better looking
  • Fully unlocked, open source, and easy to open for hardware hackers
  • Simple Home Assistant wizard for plug-and-play migration or new network setup
  • Works with Zigbee, Thread, and Matter devices you already own
  • Broad support: ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT, and OpenThread Border Router

If you want one adapter that can handle “all the things” in your Home Assistant setup, and still leave room for experimentation, this is it.

Tech Specs

SoCs
Silicon Labs MG24, ESP32-S3 (USB-serial bridge)
Supported Protocols
Zigbee 3.0, Thread
Power and data
USB-C, 5 V DC, 500 mA
Different building materials and placement of the unit will affect the wireless connectivity range.
Frequency range
2400-2483.5 MHz
Peak gain
4.16 dBi
Transmit power
10 dBm (Europe), 8 dBm (rest of world)
Radiation pattern
Omnidirectional
Dimensions antenna
24 mm diameter, 164 mm height
Indoor use only
Keep in dry, not excessively dusty environment as this can cause damage to the unit.
Do not leave the unit in direct sunlight or near any heat source, as this can cause overheating.
Temperature
O °C to 65 °C | 32 °F to 149 °F
Humidity
Non-condensing
Height
179
Width
83
Depth
83
Weight
157g
Enclosure Material
Polycarbonate plastic
Antenna, Base
⠀
1.5m USB-cable (USB 2.0/3.0)
⠀
Quickstart guide
⠀

Frequently Asked Questions

Connect ZBT-1 (formerly SkyConnect) was the first-generation Zigbee/Thread adapter released in 2022. This model has since been discontinued and succeeded by the Connect ZBT-2.

The Connect ZBT-2 offers a significant upgrade in performance and capability, featuring improved wireless reliability, broader protocol support, and a refined open-design enclosure. Below is a quick comparison highlighting the key differences between the two generations.

Connect ZBT-1 (First-generation Connect platform)

  • Antenna: Small, fully internal
  • Transmit Performance: Optimized for Zigbee/Thread protocol
  • Speed (Baudrate): 115200
  • Zigbee/Thread Chip: Silicon Labs MG21
  • USB Chip: Silicon Labs CP2102N (reliable USB performance)
  • Ease of Modding: Hard to open; firmware flashing is easy once opened

Connect ZBT-2 (Second-generation Connect platform)

  • Antenna: Highly optimized antenna and base for improved signal performance
  • Transmit Performance: Optimized for Zigbee/Thread protocol
  • Speed (Baudrate): 460800 — significantly improves device responsiveness
  • Zigbee/Thread Chip: Silicon Labs MG24 — faster operation with improved sensitivity for weak signals
  • USB Chip: ESP32-S3 — excellent USB performance with expanded capability
  • Ease of Modding: Easy to open (no clips or glue); exposed pins and pads make modding and firmware flashing straightforward

Yes, Connect ZBT-2 is being used by many testers with Zigbee2MQTT, and they are seeing great results. There is documentation to help support migrating to a new adapter, like Connect ZBT-2, on Zigbee2MQTT.

Connect ZBT-2 does not support running Zigbee and Thread simultaneously. While this is sometimes referred to as “multiprotocol” or “MultiPAN,” and the hardware technically makes this possible, real-world performance has proven unreliable.

Multiprotocol functionality was previously tested extensively with the Connect ZBT-1, where it frequently resulted in inconsistent behavior and device stability issues. Based on these findings, multiprotocol operation is not recommended for home environments. For the best experience, it is strongly advised to use dedicated hardware for each protocol.

Easy-to-use migration wizards are available for both Zigbee and Thread, designed to support the majority of existing adapters when moving to Connect ZBT-2. Some adapters may require additional steps beforehand—for example, certain Conbee models need a specific firmware version to enable migration.

For detailed, adapter-specific instructions, please refer to the official documentation.

While Power over Ethernet (PoE) is an appealing technology, Connect ZBT-2 was designed with a focus on simplicity and peak wireless performance. Although PoE has become more accessible and delivers solid performance for many use cases, it did not align with the design goals for this adapter.

PoE remains an area of ongoing exploration—for example, experimental PoE-capable firmware was recently created for the Connect ZWA-2 adapter. However, there are currently no plans to produce a PoE-enabled version of Connect ZBT-2.

If a device is Zigbee-certified or a Matter-certified Thread device, it should work with Home Assistant right out of the box. Home Assistant provides one of the broadest and most robust compatibility ecosystems in the smart-home space.

For newer or less common devices, additional community-driven configuration may be required. For the latest compatibility details, it’s recommended to check the Home Assistant community resources.

Home Assistant is officially Matter certified and continuously supports the latest Matter updates, providing excellent compatibility across a wide range of devices. Some Matter products communicate over Wi-Fi, while many battery-powered devices use Thread—and that’s where the Connect ZBT-2 comes in.

If you plan to add Matter devices that rely on Thread, be sure to follow the setup instructions to dedicate your adapter exclusively to Thread for the best performance.

Connect ZBT-2 does not currently support this capability. While it is technically possible and may be explored in the future, there is no guarantee that it will be implemented.

No, this capability is not built into Connect ZBT-2. There are several technical hurdles that would make this complex to implement, and more research is needed to see if this is possible.

The size of Connect ZBT-2 is driven by physics and the requirements for optimal radio performance. To reliably transmit and receive Zigbee and Thread signals at 2.4 GHz, both the antenna and the base are designed with dimensions that maximize efficiency and overall wireless performance.

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