Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2

Quick verdict

The ZBT-2 is Nabu Casa's successor to the ZBT-1, a first-party USB stick that can run either a Zigbee or a Thread network with native Home Assistant support. It uses a newer, more powerful radio than the ZBT-1. Like any coordinator it runs one radio role at a time and benefits from a USB extension cable, but as the least-drama first-party option it is an easy recommendation.

Standout: First-party Zigbee and Thread coordinator built on the EFR32MG24, the successor to the ZBT-1.

Notes last checked May 25, 2026.

Compatibility snapshot

Why it stands out

• first-party Nabu Casa hardware with native Home Assistant support for both Zigbee and Thread
• newer, more powerful EFR32MG24 radio than the ZBT-1
• runs either a Zigbee or a Thread network, both fully local

Reasons to hesitate

• runs one radio role at a time: Zigbee or Thread, not both simultaneously
• USB placement (use an extension cable away from USB 3.0 ports) matters for performance
• a coordinator alone cannot fix poor mesh planning in large homes

Best for

• Home Assistant users building a new local-first Zigbee or Thread network
• ZBT-1 owners wanting a more capable first-party coordinator

Avoid if

• you specifically need an Ethernet-attached coordinator for placement flexibility
• you want to run Zigbee and Thread simultaneously on one stick

Privacy and local-control notes

First-party Nabu Casa radio dongle. All radio control happens locally inside Home Assistant; there is no vendor cloud in the control path.

Home Assistant support: supported · integration path: native ZBT-2 support (ZHA / OpenThread).

Buying reality check

Price notes: MSRP $49 USD / 45 EUR, confirmed on the Home Assistant product page 2026-09-01, which lists ameriDroid, CloudFree, Seeed Studio and Apollo Automation among its North American sellers. The Amazon listing has now read Currently unavailable on three consecutive checks (2026-08-31, 2026-09-01 and 2026-09-06), and on the last of those both US direct sellers were dry as well: CloudFree sold out and ameriDroid out of stock, each listing $48.95. This is a stock squeeze, not an end-of-life, and the product page carries no discontinued notice. If every channel is still dry when you need a coordinator, the SONOFF ZBDongle-P is the buyable Zigbee-only fallback (it does not do Thread).

Compare side by side: see coordinator comparisons →

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