Zigbee2MQTT vs ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) - Which should you use for your Smart Home?

What's better for connecting Zigbee devices directly to Home Assistant - Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation)?

Links:

I look at both of these platforms and rank them against each other in the following categories:
00:00 - Intro
01:31 - Zigbee Device Compatibility
03:08 - Functionality of the Platform
05:35 - Performance and Stability
06:32 - Ease of Use
07:41 - Who wins?

#HomeAssistant #Zigbee #SmartHome #HomeAutomation

[javuda]

Moved from ZHA to Zigbee2MQTT about 2 months ago because a power meter wasn't compatible with ZHA. I saw in the ZHA that they are adding it, but I'm liking Zigbee2MQTT more than ZHA so far (even though ZHA is more user friendly)

[GetGib]

I love your videos. Been tremendously helpful as I enter the HA game. And I started on ZHA but went to MQTT when I took everything I learned and started a fresh HA .... MQTT is soooo much better. The interface in groups and bindings and letting you know what is going on makes it a hands down favorite -for me. Keep up the great work

[TvistoProPro]

Z2M is also the winner in my book because it allows for a cleaner separation, as well as a common interface for more than just Zigbee. With Tasmota support for MQTT, as well as several other micro systems, having one broker setup for all devices just makes sense. It also allows for having other control software for mocking up simple automations, like Node Red, and for correcting and integrating devices that don't follow actual Zigbee spec, which Tuya and Aqara seem to love to do. I also run Mosquito, outside of the HA instance, for more stability there as well. It may add a slight layer of complexity, but in the end it buys a lot more flexibility.

[pxn]

nice video 👍🏼
I prefer Z2M because I feel like having more control, I can interact with my devices by publishing JSON payloads to MQTT topics
Furthermore, there's lots of info and logs in the Mosquitto broker and Z2M add-ons
Getting started with ZHA seems easier but you may feel it's boring after a while

[MrRosenknut]

Been waiting for a video like this. Have around 80 units running ZHA and finally everything seems to work. I have used Deconz but since some annoying bugs i switched to ZHA, don't regret it at all. But now I'm tempted to try ZigBee2MQTT as well 🤓

[claudiof.barbano]

If all manufacturers would adhere to standard ZHA would be the best choice, but since manufacturers do as they pleased, zigbee2mqtt is the way to go, for maximum capability

[mshakeshaft]

After a short time on ZHA I changed to Z2M. Whilst the initial setup was a bit more complicated, I have found I get more control over devices/enterties. With ZHA I was struggling with some Ikea products and a Neo Siren.

[davidheron]

I like the clear way you compare and contrast. Many thanks.

[espressomatic]

Z-Wave is rock solid and the pinnacle of home automation mesh networks (and will remain the backbone of my home), but... Zigbee devices are CHEAP and totally usable once you filter out all the junk and problematic ones. It seems that long-term it's better to hitch your horse to ZHA, especially if you're starting down this road for the first time or have only few devices that would require rebinding. Make it a point to shop for devices that are known working with ZHA today, thanks to the table online, that's not difficult to do.

[arksilvarum]

Good video, but a comparison could have been more in depth. I.e. comparing support for different dongles/controllers, or how Z2M allows you to physically separate ZigBee controller from a HA host, or that Z2M is not tied to Home Assistant specifically etc

[ManfredBartz]

Given that both systems support more or less the same devices and dongles the choice comes down to being locked-in to Home Assistant or not. I prefer to keep my options open, therefore Zigbee2MQTT and Mosquitto, both running in a separate VM from my HA VM, is my choice.

[kojocisco]

Thank you for this video and Blakadder list.

[MatTeague]

Thanks for the video, was a great comparison. I’ve just started with HA and ZHA basically auto installed itself. I’ve got 7 devices so I’m deciding whether to switch from ZHA to Z2M to try it out. I was surprised by your answer of preferring ZHA after you mentioned that some devices like the Aqara Cube have more functionality with Z2M

[TempusWarrior]

I actually am considering switching from ZHA to zigbee2mqtt because the October update broke Zigbee for me. There is a thread on the forums about this. The "solution" so far is just rolling back to a Sept release.

I feel burned over this because it took me a full day to track down the problem. I thought I had burned out my zigbee stick or that I had too much congestion (with.... 7 routers and 12 battery devices) but nope, reverting to 2021.9.7 restored reliability for me

[segar]

Great Video mate.. I have tried both platforms but got frustrated when ZHA had limited functionality for alot of devices esp Ikea Switches forcing me to move to Z2M. In terms of Ease of Use, Z2M since simple is pairing devices as long the device gets started on pairing mode, Z2M can automatically pickup the device. 1 Disadvantage which i think you did not highlight on ZHA was that during pairing mode it gives certain brand devices a default name e.g. Aqara sensors always gets named Lumi and we have to manually get it changed which is kinda annoying. But to be honest Z2M was a pain in getting setup especially when you are moving paltforms from ZHA.

[EsotericArctos]

Personally I don't think one is better than the other. It depends on what products you use and what supports them. I have used Deconz, ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT and for my devices, which are detected successfully by all 3, there was absolutely no difference in performance. The Deconz Conbee stick, however, does have lower performance than a lot of other sticks. Honestly, use what is best for you. There is no one better than the other.

[sillvvasensei]

Other than my Phillips Hue lights/sensors which are linked to my Phillips Hue bridge, I have a grand total of 4 Zigbee sensors/switches. And all of them are compatible with ZHA. My place is quite small, so I don't need that many. I'm fine on ZHA for now.

[EmilePolka]

the main reason why I have two zigbee radios, majority of my stuff runs on ZHA while the incompatible stuff is on z2m. but once they are compatible with ZHA, ill just basically reset that device and pair it to ZHA.

its just much better if you can skip the mqtt stuff and have a direct communication on the IOT device it self.

[kenneth_jensen]

One of the biggest reasons to use Zigbee2MQTT is the broker. When you restart HA because of an update, your Zigbee network are still working while updating.

[IronCondorSimulations]

Does ZHA work with a UNRAID server running Home Assistant? Has anyone tried plugging in the USB stick to an UNRAID server to test? Nice video!