Which Zigbee Hub Fits Your Existing Smart Home Gear?

To determine which Zigbee hub is your best option, consider three things: who is currently controlling your Zigbee devices, what can you not live without, and how much effort will resetting the devices to use the new hub take? Based on your answers to these questions, there are three choices: either keep using your vendor’s bridge (if applicable), move the devices into a Home Assistant Coordinator or create a purposefully separate Zigbee Network (if applicable). All three options are based on one major rule; according to the ZHA documentation provided by Home Assistant, a single Zigbee Network can only have one Coordinator and each device can only connect to one single Network.

This particular requirement means that when it comes to devices identified by the Zigbee label, you will not have a true understanding of what capabilities they possess. You will know they use the Zigbee protocol, but you won’t know which hub will display all of a device’s capabilities, or if others won’t discover or expose some of the device’s capabilities. Zigbee2MQTT’s guide to supporting new devices says some features may not be discovered at all. Migrating a device to another network (regardless of whether that is the Home Assistant Coordinator or Vendor’s Bridge) will require a factory reset and re-pair of the device and re-pairing of the device with the intended hub or controller. Therefore, it is important to initially determine which devices you already have instead of which hub you intend to purchase.

Start with the gear you already own—not the Zigbee label

Before comparing different Zigbee hubs, list out how each device is associated with your hub, and what it does for you in that location. Your current hub might provide additional functionality beyond radio operation, and removing it could disrupt your entire setup. The SmartThings hub’s support section states, once a hub is removed from an account, it will reset to its original factory default settings, and all connected devices will be disconnected from the hub and therefore no longer linked via Routines, Configurations, and Services that were associated with that particular hub. All of these devices will need to be reset or excluded before they can be reconnected. The hub support page warns that removing a hub restores its factory settings and permanently deletes the device connections, Routines, configurations, and Services tied to it.

Bridges can also provide features that are not available in other hub systems. Philips Hue claims their Hue Bridge provides a way to enable Hue Sync surround lighting and connect with their security-enabled bulbs. They also offer a Pro Bridge that features MotionAware which allows you to convert your Hue lights into passive motion sensors. The following is a comment by one Reddit user from the Reddit r/homeassistant thread about the Hue Bridge and whether or not to keep it. The comment says that Hue Sync was the main reason they kept their bridge; others switched to Zigbee2MQTT and were pleased with their decision. Ultimately, it comes down to what you actually utilize of the given bridge’s capabilities.

Your Home Assistant setup may mirror the example illustrated above by a Home Assistant Community poster who reported having approximately 30 Hue lights, Kwikset smart locks, and switches/plugs associated with multiple brand-specific hubs. For each device, record:

• Exact model and variant: use the model number on the device or in its app, not just the brand. Support gets checked model by model later.
• Current owner: note which hub or app the device is paired to now. A device lives on only one network, so this list shows what would have to move.
• Features you’d miss: scenes, entertainment sync, security modes, or settings that exist only in the vendor app.
• Automations that depend on it: routines, schedules, and any switch-to-light pairings you’d need to rebuild.
• Power type: plugged-in (mains) or battery. ZHA says most mains-powered devices act as routers, which matters when you plan the mesh.
• Room and floor: distance and walls come into play later.
• Reset method: ZHA’s device-adding steps tell you to factory reset each device using its manufacturer’s instructions, and those differ from device to device.
• Critical flag: mark locks, security sensors, and anything safety-related so you test them last.
• Firmware path: in the same community thread, one poster warned that you sometimes need the manufacturer’s hub to update device firmware, while another said they had never updated Zigbee firmware at all. Treat this as something to check for each device.

Follow the steps below to see all paired devices without performing any resetting or modifying of any settings. If you utilize ZHA, will see your devices listed in Home Assistant’s Settings > Connectivity > Zigbee. The SmartThings app lists their hub in the Devices tab. At this stage, do not make any changes to devices or your account, as suggested earlier.

Coordinator, hub, bridge, and gateway: which role needs to be compatible?

The labels on boxes indicate what products and NOT what the devices do for Zigbee network operations. The purpose of compatibility must be fulfilled. Home Assistant’s Zigbee terminology splits a network into three roles:

• A Zigbee coordinator is the radio that creates and runs the network. ZHA describes it as a hardware radio adapter, typically a USB dongle plugged into the computer running Home Assistant.
• A router is an always-powered device, such as an outlet or a fan, that passes messages along for nearby devices and expands coverage.
• An end device is typically battery-powered, such as a remote or motion sensor, and doesn’t relay messages for anything else.

The terms Hub, Bridge and Gateway are simply product titles. Either can utilize Coordination Radio along with Automation and/or Cloud Services along with the Brand’s Ecosystem. Zigbee Home Automation (ZHA) has pulled them into one category as a Zigbee Gateway Implementation, which it claims can replace most Proprietary Zigbee Gateways (Bayes, Hubs or Controllers). Meaning a Zigbee Gateway could be Software running on your computer with USB Coordinator, or a Branded Box with a Coordinator built in.

The Labels also do not indicate whether a product can provide the Coordinator Service to a Home Assistant User. ZHA has listed the Sonoff ZBBridge in the Supported Products list, however because it must be reflashed with different Firmware to function correctly, it is not endorsed. Additionally, Wi-Fi based bridges, due to their radio frequencies, do not meet the Recommended criteria from Zigbee Home Automation. In the Home Assistant Community Forum thread, a User called the Sonoff ZBBridge “just another Proprietary Hub/Gateway” and implied that the Home Assistant User should purchase a USB Dongle to get ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT instead of the [supported but not recommended] bridge.

The Biggest mistake, and basically the most costly, is to think that a Second Hub extends the range of the First Hub. The Original Contributor of that particular thread believed that their SmartThings Hub was taking care of all of their Zigbee Coordinating Requirements for other brand hubs’ devices. Hubitat’s Mesh Networking Guide clearly states, “Devices on one Zigbee Network do NOT repeat for Devices on Other Zigbee Networks.” The Second Coordinator creates an additional and separate Zigbee Network.

Choose a Zigbee hub for Home Assistant—or keep your current bridge

Identify the controller of each device and then select a controller for the device to use. What you want is the Zigbee hub to have the ability to run either the ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT coordinators. The documentation on ZHA lists the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 as the recommended adapter for new networks, and that although the ZBT-1 is no longer produced, it continues to be fully supported. When using a bridge with Home Assistant, you will be able to utilise all of the functions of your Philips Hue Bridge through the Philips Hue integration. Additionally, the Philips Hue Integration within Home Assistant allows users to control all of their Hue Lights, Motion Sensors, and Remotes as well as importing scenes from their Hue Bridge. However, creating new scenes or modifying existing scenes is not possible through Home Assistant.

The following matrix is a comparison of the three options. In the case where you have a branded Zigbee Smart Hub, or if you have purchased your Zigbee USB Coordinator. The matrix does not imply that any products are better or worse than any other; instead, it compares all three routes in terms of what will stay, what will leave, and whether or not each option requires confirmation.

The rollback row is a subjective comparison of how much resetting each option requires. The rest of the rows provide comparisons per the documentation provided in this section. In summary, if you take the direct pair route, you will end up with a larger mesh; however, you will end up paying by re-pairing and constructing your automations.

When running two separate Zigbee networks, each network’s range and stability can suffer from interference from the other. According to the Zigbee2MQTT documentation about range and stability, if you will be keeping your Hue hub in use, it is recommended to move your bulbs over to Zigbee2MQTT or to use a channel that is not overlapping with your Zigbee2MQTT network. The FAQ also states that if a bulb will not pair with your Zigbee2MQTT network, to turn off other Zigbee hubs that are on the same channel. Hubitat goes a step further by recommending in their mesh guide that you create a separate network for bulbs (such as a Hue Bridge or similar) since bulbs can cause poor routing of other devices on the same network, meaning the idea of using a separate network is more of a design choice than just an option.

ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT?

Hubitat and Zigbee2MQTT both operate the same way in the sense that they both operate on one defined network using a single dedicated coordinator, however, they each implement their Zigbee networks differently. ZHA is built directly into Home Assistant while Zigbee2MQTT is a standalone application that integrates devices through MQTT discovery via the standard MQTT messaging system. There is debate among owners regarding which method is superior, and some note that Zigbee2MQTT works for certain devices where ZHA does not, while ZHA is more user-friendly in terms of configuration. For example, in the Reddit post mentioned earlier, one user claims that he has purposely avoided using Zigbee2MQTT to keep an overall lower number of software pieces running at once. Therefore, when making this decision, be sure to check which of the two will support the features that your specific models require, as changes later could result in changing entity IDs that your automations utilize to locate your device(s).

Verify the exact model and the feature you rely on

Not every feature will work when pairing with a hub. Zigbee2MQTT’s new device guide indicates it can pair with any Zigbee device. However, once an unrecognized device joins, it will still be marked as “NOT supported.” The guide indicates automatic feature discovery can miss out on some features and suggests that some features may not be discovered due to the fact that the device operates using a nonstandard method, such as a typical occurrence with Tuya devices.

Different platforms may state this very thing using different wording. For example, the ZHA platform states that, since not all manufacturers adhere to the Zigbee specifications, devices may be incorrectly identified (i.e., a light may be identified as a switch). The ZHA platform states that the potential for features breaking due to firmware updates can break features exists and that a good example would be group binding on IKEA devices. Hubitat, on the other hand, states that a model on their compatible device list may appear to work but provide no guarantees on whether it will work with anything other than the recommended driver. Iris v1 devices are not compatible with the C-8 or C-8 Pro according to Hubitat.

Author Philip Hue’s Bridge Pro product compatibility notes confirm that any Zigbee device (non-Hue) works as long as it supports the new Trust Center Security mode (TC). The old Legacy Zigbee Light Link and SmartLink devices do not support this mode however, and many (not all) third-party light bulbs can only be optimized for networks with over 50 light bulbs. The Zigbee Certified logo implies interoperability between certified devices within Zigbee, but no specific indication of how a particular device will function with the Zigbee support shown on your screen.

Home Assistant Community member summed up the practical gap; “almost every Zigbee device works with ZHA for basic on/off capabilities, but colors and advanced capabilities differ greatly between manufacturers.” To check a device before you commit:

1. Find the exact model on the destination platform’s list. Zigbee2MQTT’s catalog showed 5,798 devices from 608 vendors on 10/06/2026. Check the specific model page, not the brand.
2. Compare the features listed there against the “features you’d miss” column from your inventory, such as power monitoring, color temperature, or button events.
3. Write down any reset or pairing method the page or manufacturer gives, especially for devices currently on a brand bridge.
4. Pair one unit and confirm every must-have feature works in practice before you buy more or move the rest.

Build the Zigbee mesh around a coordinator, not another hub

If a coordinator has only a few devices (also known as routers) around it to pass along messages, the coordinator will have trouble functioning. ZHA indicates that the routers are used to relay messages, thereby increasing the number of devices that can connect to the coordinator and extending the coverage area. According to the software that runs ZHA, each coordinator can handle up to thirty-two direct connections (caps the coordinator at 32 direct connections) but can still be indirectly linked to many hundred devices using routers. Hubitat’s mesh guide indicates that a Hubitat hub also has a limit of thirty-two direct connected devices.

When building your Zigbee network, Hubitat advises you to add routers to the network first and then add devices that run on batteries in their final location. If you pair your devices next to the coordinator and relocate them later, the coordinator may lose connectivity to the devices you have just moved. Always keep your routers powered up; ZHA states that routers should never be powered down. Not all plugged-in devices serve as routers; Zigbee2MQTT lists many AC relay devices as exceptions, [most AC relays that don’t need a neutral wire], they do not require a neutral wire.

There are differing opinions on the use of bulbs as routers. Hubitat indicates that Zigbee light bulbs are reliable routers for other Zigbee light bulbs. Zigbee2MQTT indicates that a Hue bulb is an example of an excellent router and in the above Reddit thread, one poster explained that they have many Hue Light bulbs yielding excellent results relaying signals for other brand’s sensors, buttons, and plugs. If you are intending for your light bulbs to be your primary routers, please monitor how your other devices communicate with the light bulbs before you completely rely on them.

Placement, channels, and the connection to your computer

Hubitat suggests that the ideal location for the hub is somewhere in the centre of your home, preferably not too close to the corners, basements, garages or near large objects made of metal, and is at minimum 10 feet (3 metres) away from the Wi-Fi router. Devices will usually communicate, wirelessly, up to 20-40 feet (6-12 metres), depending on wall composition and building materials, before you may need a repeater to extend the range further. In the case of USB coordinators, Zigbee2MQTT State that using an approximate 20 inch (50 cm) USB extension cable from the USB port can help reduce interference caused by having the USB coordinator located directly next to the computer. They also recommend moving the USB coordinator away from the Wi-Fi router and solid-state (SSD) drive/s, and to use a USB 2.0 connection rather than a USB 3.0 connection.

Regarding channel selection, ZHA’s general guidance about channel selection is to leave the default alone, while recommending for general channel selections of 15, 20 or 25. When Wi-Fi channel frequencies overlap with the Zigbee channels, ZHA recommends first attempting to set a fixed channel for the Wi-Fi router prior to attempting Zigbee channel changes. Doing so will usually take up to one hour for devices to reconnect once a Zigbee channel has changed on the ZHA side. On the Zigbee2MQTT side, changing channels will likely require you to re-pair some devices.

The way you connect your coordinator to your computer is important as well. ZHA doesn’t recommend using a serial proxy (over Wi-Fi, WAN, or VPN) to connect to a coordinator. This is because serial protocols do not handle packet loss and delay well. The adapter notes of Zigbee2MQTT indicate that if USB is not available then using a wired Ethernet adapter would provide the best way to connect to the coordinator remotely, while the FAQ states that there is no “Zigbee over IP”. An Ethernet adapter will not be able to extend a single Zigbee network into another area. In order to extend the range of your Zigbee network, you should use routers. There are a couple of adapters that can be flashed as routers and Nabu Casa has released an experimental repeater firmware version of the ZBT-2 router.

Treat migration as a conditional project, not a button press

Whether you’ll have to re-pair depends on what kind of move you’re making:

• Swapping adapters inside ZHA: ZHA supports migrating between Silicon Labs, Texas Instruments, and ConBee/RaspBee adapters, as long as the backup was made inside ZHA. Devices stay uncontrollable until they rejoin, which can take a few minutes. If the new radio takes over the old one’s address, ZHA warns against running the old adapter in the same area without further changes.
• Swapping adapters in Zigbee2MQTT: backup and restore work only for zStack and Ember adapters. A same-family swap avoids re-pairing, except moving from a CC2530/CC2531 to a CC2652/CC1352. A cross-family swap “might not” need re-pairing, but that path isn’t officially supported. Changing the network_key or pan_id settings means re-pairing everything.
• Moving from Zigbee2MQTT to ZHA from a backup: Nabu Casa’s migration guide says you won’t need to re-pair. Devices normally rejoin within an hour, but every device gets new entity IDs and loses the names you gave it, so automations and dashboards need rebuilding.
• Moving from a vendor bridge to Home Assistant: devices from another Zigbee system must be factory reset before they can join. For most Hue devices, Zigbee2MQTT’s Touchlink reset can target a bulb by the serial number printed on it. Texas Instruments adapters fully support Touchlink; Silicon Labs adapters support it partially.
• Staying with the same vendor: SmartThings’ Replace Hub option exists only if your hub supports it. It also needs a minimum app version, and devices can take up to 20 minutes to come back online. Hue’s move to the Bridge Pro is one-way and needs internet access. It runs through a Hue cloud service in Europe, disarms your security system while it works, and requires resetting non-Hue devices.

The experience of one member of the Home Assistant Community, who owns around 100 devices and used a no-re-pair guide to transition from USB coordinators to PoE coordinators, illustrates that there are no guarantees that everything will work perfectly. In his case, Zigbee2MQTT refused to start because it detected that there was another network with the same PAN ID as his. The member wrote, “Why do people always say it will be “easy,” when, in actuality, it is rarely “easy” at all?” After setting up his routers, he proceeded to re-pair each of his 93 devices, one at a time, until they were all successfully connected once again.

Migration checklist

1. Finish the device inventory from the first section, including models, owners, features you’d miss, and critical flags.
2. Document every automation, routine, scene, binding, device name, and entity your dashboards use.
3. Confirm the exact old and new coordinator chip family and software (ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT), and look up which re-pair rule applies to that combination.
4. Take every backup your platform supports, and store a copy off the device.
5. Leave the old hub or radio and its settings untouched as your fallback.
6. Look up the reset method for each model before you start.
7. Move one noncritical device first and confirm its features and automations work.
8. Move plugged-in routers next, then battery devices in their final spots, then critical devices like locks and security sensors.
9. Give the mesh time to settle, then re-arm and test security and safety devices on purpose.
10. Retire the old system only after everything works and you no longer need a way back.

Zigbee Hub Compatibility Checklist

Your existing devices will dictate which hub is appropriate, and not the brand itself. Each device is part of a single network, and to move it will require you to reset it and recreate any of the devices that depend on it. Start by taking a physical inventory of the device you have, identifying who owns it, what features need to be retained, and how to reset it if necessary. Next, check that every required feature for that device matches the specific model on your new platform. Do not touch your existing hub or radio until you have tested and configured one test device and all of your important devices to operate on the new network.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Zigbee 4.0 make my current hub obsolete?

On November 18, 2025, the Connectivity Standards Alliance announced the release of Zigbee 4.0 and stated it will be back-compatible with Zigbee 3.0. Nabu Casa is currently reviewing the specification, and while they feel the ZBT-2 can be upgraded, they will still need to add support to Home Assistant.

Can one USB adapter run Zigbee and Thread at the same time?

This does not apply to the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2. According to the ZBT-2 FAQ from Nabu Casa, the ZBT-2 either supports Zigbee or Thread but cannot support both at the same time. Therefore, they recommend using two separate adapters to support both protocols.

Do I need a subscription to move Zigbee devices to a new Hubitat hub?

To use your Zigbee devices without having to re-add them into your new hub, you will need a cloud backup from one of Hubitat’s available options, either Hub Protect or Cloud Extend. If you are migrating Zigbee devices from a C-7 or later hub into a C-8 or C-8 Pro device, or from a C-5 using its built-in radio, you can simply carry over your devices as long as you have a cloud backup. If you do not have either of those backup options, you will have to manually re-add your devices.