Buying guides · Radios
Best Zigbee coordinator for Home Assistant: ZBT-2 vs SLZB-06 vs Sonoff
Which Zigbee coordinator to buy for Home Assistant: ZBT-2, SMLIGHT SLZB-06 and MR1, and Sonoff dongles compared on ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT, USB vs PoE and Thread.
Home Assistant
Guides, automations, integrations, AI, dashboards, and the release notes that change a real install. Home Assistant is the system this site is built around.
This is the flagship section. A guide that says Tested in our lab was run. Everything else is sourced research, and the page says so.
Buying guides · Deals
Black Friday 2026 smart home deals: what to watch, by budget
Black Friday 2026 smart home picks by budget: outdoor plugs, Christmas lights, sensors and Thread hubs, with notes on which ones work locally in Home Assistant.
Buying guides · Hubs
Mini PC vs Raspberry Pi 5 vs Home Assistant Green: what to run Home Assistant on
Which hardware to run Home Assistant on: Home Assistant Green, a Raspberry Pi 5 or an Intel N150 mini PC, compared on setup, specs, power draw and room to grow.
Buying guides · Ecosystems
Smart home gifts under $25, $50 and $100 (that work with the assistant they already have)
Smart home gift ideas by budget, filtered by Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home and Matter, with no-subscription picks and notes on which ones grow into Home Assistant.
Standards · Matter
Why Matter-over-Thread devices won't pair with Home Assistant, and how to fix them
Stuck at 'Checking network connectivity'? Why Matter-over-Thread pairing fails in Home Assistant, IKEA's known issues, and a fix-it checklist in order.