Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2

Quick verdict

The ZWA-2 is Nabu Casa's first-party Z-Wave 800 controller, built by the same team behind Z-Wave JS. The tuned antenna and Z-Wave Long Range support make it a strong, future-proof choice, and setup and migration in Home Assistant are about as smooth as Z-Wave gets. It is Z-Wave only, so pair it with the ZBT-2 if you also need Zigbee or Thread.

Standout: First-party Z-Wave 800 series controller designed by the Z-Wave JS and Home Assistant team, with a tuned antenna and Z-Wave Long Range support.

Notes last checked Sep 1, 2026.

Compatibility snapshot

Why it stands out

• first-party Z-Wave 800 (Silicon Labs ZG23) controller with a precisely tuned antenna for range
• designed by the Z-Wave JS and Home Assistant team for smooth setup and migration
• supports both Z-Wave mesh and Z-Wave Long Range

Reasons to hesitate

• Z-Wave only, no Zigbee or Thread (use the ZBT-2 for those)
• USB placement still matters; an extension cable away from USB 3.0 ports helps
• a controller alone cannot fix a poorly planned mesh

Best for

• Home Assistant users building or migrating a local-first Z-Wave network
• anyone wanting a first-party Z-Wave 800 controller with strong range

Avoid if

• you need Zigbee or Thread, which this does not provide
• you want an Ethernet-attached controller rather than USB

Privacy and local-control notes

First-party Nabu Casa Z-Wave controller. All control happens locally through Z-Wave JS inside Home Assistant, with no vendor cloud in the control path.

Home Assistant support: supported · integration path: Z-Wave JS.

Buying reality check

Price notes: First-party Z-Wave 800 controller. Designed by the team behind Z-Wave JS. MSRP $69 USD / 59 EUR on the Home Assistant product page (verified 2026-09-01). The Amazon buy box read $79 the same day, so that listing carries a retailer markup; ameriDroid ($68.95) and Apollo Automation ($68.99) sell at about MSRP. Quote $69 as the price and name the Amazon gap separately - do NOT write $79 as the list price.

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