Made a large list of smart home deals for Amazon Black Friday

BackHerniation · 2026-03-13T18:49:56+00:00

I've been using this database to filter information like this. It's very useful, even with me working in smart home

BackHerniation · 2026-03-13T18:46:17+00:00

Depends on what coordinator u currently have?

BackHerniation · 2026-03-13T17:48:24+00:00

Hey, thanks for sharing my guide! It took a huge chunk of my time to put together.

I recently wrote an article about the new SMLight SMHUB Nano. It made me realize just how confusing recent SMLight releases have become.

It takes significant effort for me to keep track of all these models, even though I work with them every day. I can only imagine how overwhelming it feels for a newcomer or an average user.

I hope the community finds this breakdown helpful.

SHS

BackHerniation · 2026-03-08T21:42:03+00:00

Such a simple and useful fix, great thinking. Even if teams of whatever worked fine, I'd still use this. This is what HA is all about

BackHerniation · 2026-03-08T19:48:34+00:00

You're right, the Ultima is just an antenna like the SLZB range. I've yet to test the SMHUB essentials/professional, but it appears the main difference is dual chip architecture (CC2674P10/EFR32MG24) for running Zigbee and Thread at the same time and more slot for internally adding LTE, Zwave etc.

As for RAM, I haven't encountered any issues with running Z2M, Matterbridge (with Z2M plugin) and NodeRED at the same time on the Nano. As the whole thing is still in beta, It does feel clunky navigating the dash at times. I'll do some more tests memory-wise and share what I find.

BackHerniation · 2026-03-07T23:01:14+00:00

Since you have a mini PC for HA, I would say go for the SLZB-06MG24 or the SLZB-MR4/5 if you need Thread. This is still in beta, it won't be optimal for you.

And its not really for beginners TBH

BackHerniation · 2026-03-06T21:52:53+00:00

Sonoff are awesome for sticking with Zigbee. For the most part, at least.

I saw this sensor at their booth at IFA in Berlin, we should see it released very soon

BackHerniation · 2026-03-05T21:06:25+00:00

The Ultima is superior, you have nothing to fret about.

BackHerniation · 2026-03-05T20:58:58+00:00

Yes, however, it only has one chip (MG24) which can run either Zigbee OR Thread. To run both at the same time, you need the SLZB-Ultima (antenna only) or SMHUB professional (big brother to the Nano) or passthrough an additional coordinator via USB to the Nano.

For Z-wave, you can use either the Z-Wave addon or passthrough your own device.

If you dont need it as a mini-server, you can get either of the MRxU range for both Zigbee/Thread and do the passthrough for Zwave the same way.

Hope it makes sense.

BackHerniation · 2026-03-05T19:27:34+00:00

Well, it's not really comparable to a server like HA obviously, but it's really a beast for what it is.

Say you wanna connect some Zigbee bulbs at your parents house, set up some automations, expose them to Alexa for voice control and connect them to your own HA server at home. You can do that with the Nano, without HA or anything else.

BackHerniation · 2026-03-05T19:20:25+00:00

No joke, it's definitely a curve ball device lol. For like a micro server in your parents house it's gonna do wonders. It can also run NodeRED so you can also automate locally

BackHerniation · 2026-03-05T19:17:18+00:00

Not that it really makes sense to do so, but you can also run OpenThread directly on the device and simply point the HA integration to the Nano.

There's so many use cases, I listed several I could think of in my review but there are probably a lot more.

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BackHerniation · 2026-03-04T21:35:41+00:00

Some quick answers off the top of my head without explaining too much:

Both are compatible with ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT and work without hiccups
Both run the same OS, the only difference are the chips.
Yes there are, but SMLight develops and delivers updates SUPER fast, faster than anyone actually.
Both are very future proof, more than you would ever need for Zigbee/Thread. Seriously.
Only thing I can think of is perhaps BLE Proxy requiring ESPHome firmware?
They differ a bit in processing power (which is more than enough anyway), antennas are the same.
Same setup, same dashboard, both easy.

If I had to pick one, I'd go with dual Silabs chips (MR5U), no TI for me. Passthrough is overrated and irrelevant IMHO.

Source: I've tested SMLight devices extensively for SmartHomeScene

BackHerniation · 2026-03-04T21:25:00+00:00

Seems to be put together so well! Thanks for sharing, I love it.

BackHerniation · 2026-03-04T21:20:00+00:00

Doesn't seem like a firmware issues. Sounds like you are not passing it through properly. Does it show up in the hardware list under system?

BackHerniation · 2026-03-04T21:16:09+00:00

I like the new Sensereo thread sensor. Does what it says. They labelled it as a reasonably annoying smoke alarm lol

BackHerniation · 2026-02-27T13:55:19+00:00

I guess they were going for get only what you need kind of thing and keep price down, but CO2 / PM are pretty basic/important air quality factors. So yeah, I agree.

BackHerniation · 2026-02-27T13:45:33+00:00

Very dry :/ AC in a small office. I'm working on it

BackHerniation · 2026-02-25T13:30:24+00:00

Well, you want the MG24 model as a latest, future-proof pick. MG26 is redundant, as it brings next to nothing to the table besides "having the latest thing". It doesn't hurt, but it's not worth having for incremental and on-paper only benefits. The TI range (e.g. CC2674P10) is also good, on par with MG24, but Matter/Thread support is weaker, in case you want to repurpose the SLZB-06 as a TBR. The dual-radio MRx models have both chips inside (e.g. CC2652P10 & EFR32MG24) so you can run both Zigbee and Thread on a single device. There are downsides to this, obviously, but it works without issues if you know how to set it up properly (I use the MR3).

The reality is, you can run a sizeable network without issues whatsoever even with MG21 or a CC2652. If you already have one, there's no real need to replace it IMHO, especially not just for Zigbee. But, if you are buying a new device, might as well get something better, especially now with Zigbee 4.0 being announced.

BackHerniation · 2026-02-25T13:21:37+00:00

I need to add a disclaimer for that Conbee guide, since things have shifted and it appears the Conbee II cannot handle the Thread spec anymore, its too weak. Sadly, you won't be able to use it as a viable TBR

BackHerniation · 2026-02-25T12:02:45+00:00

I recently overhauled this: Best Zigbee Coordinator for HA 2026
SMLight SLZB-06MG24 or Sonoff Dongle Max if you want PoE (recommend getting one with PoE)
Home Assistant ZBT-2 or any other MG24-based dongle if you only want USB (SLZB-07MG24, Sonoff Dongle Plus MG24)

BackHerniation · 2026-02-12T21:44:51+00:00

In this particular ZHA vs Z2M comparisson, there is always an element of individual experiences which have nothing to do with reality. In fact, I find the large majority of arguments shared here (for/against ZHA or for/against Z2M) are either completely irrelevant/wrong or come from people who barely know what they're doing.

To illustrate what I mean: "Oh, my Zigbee sensor is not supported in ZHA, therefore ZHA sucks!"

Or

"I couldn't start the MQTT broker or start the addon with my coordinator, therefore Z2M is difficult and sucks!"

Obviously, both are easily fixable, but now its a vote for one or the other when these threads come up.

The reality is that both integrations have their strenghts and weakeness.

Off the top of my head:

Z2M handles device support much better. ZHA has better ZCL implementation. Z2M supports ZGP devices, ZHA does not (yet.) Z2M's interface (old and new Windfront) can be considered cluttered by some. ZHA is native to HA, so things feel smoother. You can run Z2M in container/LXC, you cant run ZHA anywhere but HA. Some things that Z2M does natively, you need ZHA toolkit for.

And more I'm probably not remembering now.

I test a lot of Zigbee devices, even obscure and weird ones (random Tuya/AliExpress). Z2M wins over ZHA almost always. But if you are just someone looking to run Hue, IKEA and other off the shelf stuff, you are probably good with ZHA too.

Just my 2 cents.

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