Video summary

Die unerzählte Wahrheit: ZHA vs. Zigbee2MQTT - Endgültige Empfehlung enthüllt!

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Overview: ZHA vs Zigbee2MQTT (ZB2MQTT)

The video compares ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) vs Zigbee2MQTT (ZB2MQTT)—both used as manufacturer-independent Zigbee control centers with Home Assistant—and explains why the speaker ultimately recommends Zigbee2MQTT for beginners.

Core premise / problem statement

Both ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT aim to solve the same issue: avoiding vendor lock-in, where manufacturers rely on their own hubs/apps.

Without a neutral Zigbee “center,” users may end up controlling devices through multiple central apps (the speaker mentions roughly 3–7 systems).

Migration complexity

Switching between ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT is possible, but often very complicated. In most cases, it requires completely re-pairing all devices, which the speaker frames as unnecessary effort.

Zigbee2MQTT (ZB2MQTT) overview (as used in Home Assistant)

Installation in Home Assistant

Zigbee2MQTT is presented as a Home Assistant add-on:

  • Install via Settings > Add-ons > Zigbee2MQTT

User interface / experience

The UI is described as:

  • Clean and easy to browse, with:
    • Device names
    • Availability
    • Recently added devices
    • Device-specific detail pages
  • A status view that can include metrics such as:
    • Measured power / energy consumption (where supported)
  • A map of the Zigbee network
    • Said to load faster on ZHA (though still available in Zigbee2MQTT)
  • Support for OTA updates with user control
  • A learning mode for adding new devices:
    • Can be default or targeted to a specific device/channel

Hardware adapter guidance (important feature)

The speaker emphasizes choosing the right adapter:

  • Prefer adapters with CC2652 / CC1352 chips
  • Network-based bridges are generally not recommended due to possible WLAN ↔ Zigbee interference
  • “Experimental dongles” might work, but they aren’t the safe baseline

Version specificity matters

  • Use the correct “Zigbee Dongle P”
  • Other variants can be different chip versions and are only experimentally supported

Independence from Home Assistant (practical advantage)

Zigbee2MQTT runs as an add-on independent of Home Assistant integrations. The speaker’s practical point:

  • If Home Assistant is restarted (developer tools), the MQTT-side Zigbee network doesn’t automatically go offline.

Contrast with ZHA

  • ZHA runs as an integration inside Home Assistant
  • Therefore, restarting Home Assistant can temporarily make the Zigbee network unavailable and require devices to reconnect

Device support visibility (“database” advantage)

Zigbee2MQTT is described as having a supported-device database, allowing users to check:

  • Whether specific devices are supported (e.g., from IKEA or remotes)
  • What features are exposed

The speaker claims ZHA lacks an equivalent official “definitive” support database.

ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) analysis

“Standard-first” approach and quirks

ZHA is framed as relying primarily on Zigbee standard behavior:

  • If devices behave according to Zigbee spec, they work without extra work
  • If not, ZHA uses “quirks” files (custom logic) for special cases

The speaker’s negative view of quirks:

  • They intend to explain quirks creation, but say they don’t fully understand it well enough to teach it
  • They only achieved success via copy/paste
  • If quirks are required, it becomes a programming effort, not suited to most consumers

Two practical issues highlighted

  1. Support coverage and pace

    • ZB2MQTT is older/wider with a larger community, so new devices get supported faster
    • ZHA can work without quirks in some cases, but when quirks are needed, it’s slower

  2. Uncertainty when buying devices

    • For ZHA, users can typically check only an unofficial community database:
      • zby.blackadder.com
    • It’s voluntary, may be inaccurate, and may not clearly list which advanced functions work—only that devices are “reported as working.”

Concrete example of missing advanced functionality

The speaker gives an example using a bedroom strip:

  • Some “effect” settings adjustable in Zigbee2MQTT are not available with ZHA

Explanation offered:

  • Advanced functions may rely on “undocumented endpoints” in the Zigbee specification
  • That can require specialized quirks
  • The speaker argues those extended settings often aren’t implemented, so users lose functionality

Reconfiguration pain

If a user later wants unsupported advanced features:

  • With ZHA, it may mean reconfiguring the central unit or learning to write quirks
  • Both are presented as impractical for most users

“Showstopper” for ZHA: Zigbee Green Power (ZB GP)

A major decisive point:

  • Zigbee Green Power devices are said to be not supported in ZHA

Hue-related example mentioned:

  • Some Philips Hue battery-powered dimmer/switch devices (paired via a Hue bridge) may use Zigbee Green Power

Claim:

  • Zigbee2MQTT does support Zigbee Green Power
  • Those devices work there, but won’t work in ZHA

Practical consequence described:

  • If you start with ZHA and later want Green Power switches/dimmers, you may have to switch to Zigbee2MQTT and re-pair

Trade-offs acknowledged

Zigbee2MQTT’s MQTT “middle layer”

The speaker admits ZHA’s advantage: avoiding the MQTT “middle layer.”

They explain Zigbee2MQTT’s architecture:

  • Zigbee2MQTT sends device data to an MQTT broker (mentioned: Mosquitto/Mosquito Broker)
  • Home Assistant consumes that via MQTT to determine device status/capabilities

Argument:

  • This middle layer is mostly invisible in day-to-day use
  • Therefore, it shouldn’t outweigh Zigbee compatibility benefits

Future possibility

The speaker notes ZHA could improve over time as it becomes more widespread:

  • The recommendation could theoretically change in 2–5 years

Final recommendation and related guidance

Conclusion

The speaker’s recommendation:

  • Recommend Zigbee2MQTT for everyone and not ZHA anymore, especially for beginners

Next step if you don’t already have a central unit

  • Watch the speaker’s setup guide for Zigbee2MQTT

Ongoing testing

  • The speaker will continue testing device compatibility with ZHA
  • They may include screenshots when relevant

Main speakers / sources

  • Main speaker: Simon Oberstedt (named in the subtitles)
  • Referenced sources/tools/communities:
    • Zigbee2MQTT (project/add-on)
    • ZHA (Home Assistant Zigbee integration)
    • Unofficial compatibility database: zby.blackadder.com
    • MQTT broker: Mosquitto
    • Philips Hue ecosystem (Hue bridge / Green Power devices mentioned)

Original video