Home Assistant

Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 is a USB adapter which adds Zigbee connectivity and Thread*- the mesh networking protocol that will power Matter, the new standard for smart home devices.

Compatible with the Raspberry Pi and other Home Assistant-supported Linux devices such as the Home Assistant Green, the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 will allow you to easily set up and use Zigbee sensors and devices with your Home Assistant install, allowing even more automation and integration options for your home.

The adapter uses the same Silicon Labs chip used in the Home Assistant Yellow device (Silabs EFR32MG21). A USB extension cable is included in the package to avoid interference caused by USB 3.0 ports.

*The Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 will not support Thread/Matter on launch however will be updated via HomeAssistant once Matter has been released.

Features

• USB 2.0 Zigbee and Thread adapter
• Works with Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT
• Future proof and updateable - updates delivered via Home Assistant
• Reliable range - +20 dBm
• Zero Setup & Plug n' play - Automatically detected by Home Assistant
• Over-The-Wire (OTW) update support via USB

Specifications

• Radio Chipset: Silabs EFR32MG21
• Frequency: 2.4GHz
• TX power: up to +20dBm
• Antenna: PCB
• Protocols: Zigbee, Thread (Matter)
• USB:
  • 2.0 full-speed
  • Silicon labs CP2102N USB-to-UART bridge
• Supply: 5V DC, up to 150mA
• Form Factor:
  • Width: 18mm
  • Height: 4.5mm
  • Depth: 38.5mm
  • Weight: 4g

What's on the box?

1 x Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 USB Adapter
1x USB extension cable

Note - you may receive box branding as 'SkyConnect' or 'Connect ZBT-1' - the product functionality is identical.

Resources

• Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 Page
• Home Assistant Homepage
• Thread homepage
• Matter homepage

Why include a USB cable

USB 3.0 ports (the ones with blue on the inside) are known to cause significant noise and radio interference to any 2.4Ghz wireless device. This includes Zigbee and Thread.

If you do not use the extension cable, it may not work at all, and if it does, it could be flakey at best with intermittent problems (issues with pairing, device dropouts, unreachable devices, timeout errors etc). For this reason, an extension cable is included to ensure the best possible performance.

What is Thread?

From threadgroup.org...Thread is a wireless networking technology, built from the ground up to be based on the familiar Internet Protocol and the proven IEEE 802.15.4 radio technology.

It was designed to specifically accommodate the needs of IoT devices by addressing all of the following requirements: low power footprint, low latency, ability to work with any and multiple application layers, reliable and robust network with a self-healing mesh eliminating single point of failures (the more devices on the network, the stronger the network is) easy to set up and without the need for a dedicated hub or gateway.

In a similar fashion to Wi-Fi, Thread as a networking technology is not restricted to a particular application standard. We call that “application-agnostic”. For example, Thread works with Matter, HomeKit, Weave, DALI, KNX, BACnet, and OCF

What is Matter?

From threadgroup.org...Matter is a new home and building connectivity standard that is being developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance and backed by well-known brands including Amazon, Apple, Google, and many other companies.

Its aim is to unify the best of the smart home technologies into a single application framework standard with IP as the backbone. This will make it easier for manufacturers to create products that will work with a variety of ecosystems and voice assistants, like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant and others. A device might offer Matter compatibility alongside support for other protocols or ecosystems. End users will be able to look for the Matter certification logo on a product to ensure compatibility with their smart home ecosystem or ecosystems of choice.

Matter is fully based on the Internet Protocol and will initially work over both Wi-Fi (offering high-bandwidth applications like video security, mostly on mains-powered devices) and Thread (offering low-power or battery-operated devices in a self-healing mesh network, extending reach and reliability), while Bluetooth Low Energy can be used for setup and configuration of devices.

What is the current status of Multiprotocol support?

When Nabu Casa launched Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1, they announced their intent to release a firmware supporting multiprotocol, which allows the Silicon Labs chip to connect to both Zigbee and Thread networks with one radio. This experimental firmware has been available since December 2022. It integrates the Silicon Labs SDK, which adds this support for multiprotocol. During the further development and testing of the multiprotocol firmware, Nabu Casa have concluded that while Silicon Labs' multiprotocol works, it comes with technical limitations. These limitations mean users will not have the best experience compared to using dedicated Zigbee and Thread radios. That is why we do not recommend using this firmware, and it will remain an experimental feature of Home Assistant SkyConnect. If you currently have the multiprotocol firmware installed but don't actively use it to connect to Thread devices, we recommend that you disable multiprotocol.

Nothing changes for current users of the multiprotocol firmware who are happy with their experience. The experimental multiprotocol firmware will remain available, but we will not recommend it to new users. Instead, we will focus on making sure the dedicated Zigbee and Thread firmwares for Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 deliver the best experience to users.

Also see:

• Enabling multiprotocol support
• About multiprotocol issues
• Enable multiprotocol support
• Disable multiprotocol support

Revision History

• On 18/09/2024 we updated this page to reflect the rebrand from SkyConnect to Connect ZBT-1
• On 31/01/2024 we updated this page's wording to clarify developments with multiprotocol as communicated to us by Nabu Casa

Take your first step to upgrading your smart home with Home Assistant Green, the easiest way to start using Home Assistant.

Home Assistant Green contains everything you need for Home Assistant in one box. Just plug the included power and network cables into the hub, and you’ll be up and running. Home Assistant Green will then automatically install the latest version of Home Assistant, the app (mobile or web) will guide you through the setup process, and it will detect your smart devices immediately.

This is the easiest way to start using Home Assistant, and it is perfect for you or your friends and family who want to take their first step in home automation.

On the inside...

On the inside, Home Assistant Green runs on a powerful 1.8 GHz quad-core CPU. Memory and storage are amply provided with 4GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC, more than enough to keep you running Home Assistant on the device for a long time.

Addons (not included): Connecting to your existing smart home platforms lets you instantly use your devices that communicate over Zigbee, Matter, or other smart standards. When your smart home grows, you can use Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1  to add Zigbee and Thread radios (Thread support under development) or one of many third-party USB devices available to expand Home Assistant Green with other smart standards like Z-Wave or Bluetooth.

On the outside...

On the outside, Home Assistant Green has a stunning translucent enclosure design revealing the hub’s inner hardware. Unlike some other smart home devices, it looks great in your home decor.

The bottom of the case also functions as the hub’s heat sink and is made of a solid piece of black, anodized aluminium. And, of course, this case features the new Home Assistant logo on top as a nice subtle mosaic pattern.

Specifications

• SoC: Rockchip RK3566 SoC with quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 CPU
• CPU Frequency: 1.8 GHz
• Storage: 32 GB eMMC flash drive
• Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4X

Interfaces

• Status LEDs
  • White (power indicator)
  • Green (activity indicator)
  • Yellow (system health indicator)
• Power supply:
  • DC barrel connector, 5.5 mm * 2.1 mm
  • 12 V DC, 1 A
• Battery: CR2032. Not included.
• Energy consumption
  • Idle: ~1.7 W at 12 V
  • Load: ~3 W at 12 V
• USB
  • 2x USB 2.0 Type-A Host ports, 5 V up to 2 A (combined)
• Display: HDMI port, for diagnostic purposes only
• External storage: MicroSD slot, for recovery purposes only
• Networking: Gigabit Ethernet port

Dimensions and weight

• Length: 112 mm
• Width: 112 mm
• Height: 32 mm
• Weight: 340g

Materials

• Enclosure: Semi-transparent polycarbonate plastic
• Heatsink: Anodized aluminium
• Packaging: Chipboard

Environmental conditions for operation

• Temperature
  • O °C to 40 °C
  • 32 °F to 104 °F
• Humidity: Non-condensing
• Room conditions
  • Indoor use only
  • Keep in a dry, not excessively dusty environment as this can cause damage to the unit.

Product information

• Model Number: NC-GREEN-9703
• EAN: 0860011789703
• UPC: 860011789703

What's in the box?

1 x Home Assistant Green smart home hub
1 x Universal Power Supply (Comes with plug adapters for EU, US, and UK)
1 x Gigabit Ethernet cable
1 x Quick Start Guide

Resources

• Getting Started Guide
• Documentation
• FAQ and this page