Protocol
Zigbee
Zigbee is a low-power mesh protocol designed for smart home sensors and switches. It runs locally through a coordinator, so devices keep working even when the internet is down.
Brands on this protocol
Setup guides
Zigbee runs on the 2.4 GHz band but uses its own protocol stack, not Wi-Fi. A Zigbee coordinator (a USB stick or hub) connects to Home Assistant and acts as the gateway for every Zigbee device in the home.
Strengths
- Local control by default. Devices report to your coordinator, not to a vendor cloud, so automations keep running when the internet drops.
- Excellent battery life. Many Zigbee sensors run for years on a single coin cell.
- Self-healing mesh. Powered devices extend the network’s range automatically.
- Mature ecosystem with thousands of compatible devices from many brands.
Trade-offs
- Initial setup requires a coordinator and good understanding of channel selection if you also use Wi-Fi-heavy networks.
- Brand interoperability is uneven. Some Zigbee devices implement vendor-specific clusters that need a custom quirk or zigbee2mqtt converter to expose all features.
Integrations on Zigbee
Selora installations run Zigbee through either of two Home Assistant integrations:
- ZHA is the built-in Zigbee integration, simple to set up and well supported by Home Assistant directly.
- zigbee2mqtt is a community alternative that supports a broader device catalog and exposes deeper per-device customization through MQTT.
