Home Assistant SkyConnect in 2026: the Connect ZBT-1 and the Best Zigbee & Thread Coordinators for UK Homes

If you are shopping for a Home Assistant SkyConnect in 2026, the first thing worth knowing is that the name changed, not the hardware. The adapter Nabu Casa crowdfunded through Crowd Supply in 2022 now ships as the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 — the SkyConnect and the Connect ZBT-1 are identical hardware under two badges, and the product has not been discontinued. Nabu Casa’s own product page at nabucasa.com/connect-zbt1 (checked mid-2026) is the canonical source, and as of mid-2026 that page still lists the Connect ZBT-1 as the company’s current first-party Zigbee and Thread coordinator, with no confirmed successor announced on official pages.

What follows is a buyer’s guide rather than a personality contest. The ZBT-1 shares its silicon with cheaper rivals, and one of those rivals has a genuine hardware advantage in awkward radio environments — so the useful question is not “is it good?” but “is it the right coordinator for the home you actually live in?” This guide covers what the stick is, how Zigbee and Thread differ on it, how it compares with the Sonoff ZBDongle-E, ZBDongle-P, the SMLIGHT SLZB-06 family and the ConBee III, and the UK-specific practicalities — stockists, prices, import VAT and the Z-Wave frequency trap that catches out anyone importing American kit.

Quick picks

What the Connect ZBT-1 actually is

Hardware in brief

According to Silicon Labs’ product page for the part, the Connect ZBT-1 is built around the Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 system-on-chip. That matters for two reasons. First, it is the same die used in the Sonoff ZBDongle-E and the SMLIGHT SLZB-06M, so the three are closer cousins than their prices suggest. Second, it means the radio’s capabilities are broadly a known quantity rather than a first-generation gamble.

The stick presents as a USB 2.0 Type-A device that plugs straight into a Raspberry Pi, a mini PC, an Intel NUC or a NAS, and it is bus-powered, so there is no separate power supply to find a socket for — a small thing until you are hunting for a free plug behind a crowded TV cabinet. A short USB extension cable is included in the box, and as covered below that cable is functional, not filler.

One physical difference is worth flagging early: the ZBT-1 uses an internal PCB antenna, whereas the Sonoff ZBDongle-E uses an external SMA antenna. In a normal UK home that distinction is academic. In a dense RF environment — a flat surrounded by dozens of neighbouring networks, or a rack full of servers and switches — an antenna you can angle away from the chassis can make the difference between a stable mesh and one that drops devices when the microwave runs.

Zigbee and Thread are alternatives, not a pair

The radio can do one of two jobs:

• Act as a Zigbee coordinator for Home Assistant’s ZHA integration or for Zigbee2MQTT, talking to smart plugs, sensors, bulbs and buttons from ecosystems such as Aqara, Philips Hue, IKEA TRÅDFRI and Sonoff.
• Act as a Thread border router — the bridge a Matter-over-Thread device needs before it can reach your network at all. Home Assistant’s Thread integration recognises the stick and can form or join a Thread network with it.

On the firmware Nabu Casa currently recommends, you choose one role. This is the single most misunderstood point about the hardware, and it catches out buyers who reasonably assume one purchase covers both protocols.

The multiprotocol story, and why it ended

Home Assistant did once offer an experimental multiprotocol firmware that ran Zigbee and Thread simultaneously on the one radio, launched around 2022. It worked after a fashion, but the experience was fragile: channel conflicts, devices dropping off, and recovery procedures that were not for the faint-hearted. Nabu Casa has since published a deprecation notice on the Home Assistant blog and community forum and now steers users towards single-protocol firmware, a position reflected on the Home Assistant multiprotocol documentation page.

The practical consequence for a 2026 buyer is straightforward. If you want a robust Zigbee mesh and a Thread border router, either buy two adapters or pair the ZBT-1 with a consumer Thread border router you may well already own — see the partner-device list further down. Multiple Thread border routers cooperate happily on the same network rather than fighting, so adding one is not a conflict.

How to choose a Zigbee and Thread coordinator

The chip inside

Two silicon families dominate this category. The Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 inside the ZBT-1, the ZBDongle-E and the SLZB-06M is the current-generation choice. The alternative is the Texas Instruments CC2652P, used in the Sonoff ZBDongle-P, which has a longer, well-documented track record in the community but is older silicon. Neither will embarrass you in a typical home. The chip is the foundation, but it is rarely the deciding factor — support, firmware pathway and placement usually are.

Antenna: internal or external

An internal PCB antenna keeps the stick compact and impossible to knock out of alignment; an external SMA antenna lets you reposition the radio for a better signal, at the cost of a longer, snaggable stick. If your Home Assistant host lives in a metal rack or a cupboard, an external antenna is a genuine advantage. If it sits on a shelf in open air, it rarely earns its keep.

Firmware updates: the Update entity versus manual flashing

This is the clearest citable differentiator between the ZBT-1 and the Sonoff ZBDongle-E, and it deserves its own paragraph. On the ZBT-1, firmware is updated through Home Assistant itself, via the Update entity in the interface — the mechanism is described in Home Assistant’s ZHA integration documentation, and it means no manual flashing, no third-party flashing add-on, and no risk of bricking the stick with a mistyped command. The ZBDongle-E, by contrast, requires a manual flash via a third-party add-on to update its firmware. If you enjoy that sort of thing, fine. If you want a coordinator that behaves like an appliance, this single distinction may settle the purchase before price is considered.

Placement, USB noise and Wi-Fi channels

The included extension cable exists to move the radio away from USB 3.0 port RF noise, which pollutes the 2.4 GHz band — the same band Zigbee uses. Plugging a coordinator directly into a USB 3.0 port next to a busy SSD or hub is a classic cause of mysterious dropouts. Nabu Casa’s documentation and Silicon Labs’ own RF guidance both point the same way: use a USB 2.0 port or a powered USB 2.0 hub, and put the stick on the end of the extension lead rather than flush against the chassis.

The second half of the equation is channel planning. Zigbee shares 2.4 GHz with Wi-Fi, and specifically with Wi-Fi channels 1, 6 and 11 in the UK’s crowded 2.4 GHz space. If your Zigbee network is being stepped on, coordinating the Zigbee channel so it sits away from your router’s Wi-Fi channel — and keeping the stick away from the router itself — fixes problems that no amount of re-pairing will.

Which Home Assistant install are you running?

If you want the ZBT-1 to serve as a Thread border router, you need the OpenThread Border Router add-on, and add-ons are only available on Home Assistant OS or Supervised installations. A Container (Docker) install cannot use the plug-and-play Thread path — the add-on simply is not there. Zigbee still works fine under Container, so this caveat bites hardest for Matter-over-Thread adopters. It is documented on Home Assistant’s add-on documentation pages and is worth checking before you buy rather than after.

Do you also need Z-Wave?

Z-Wave is a separate radio on a separate frequency, so it is a separate purchase. UK and EU Z-Wave devices operate at 868 MHz — and that number is not a technicality. Zooz adapters, frequently recommended in American forums and videos, are built for the US 908 MHz band and should not be recommended or bought for a UK home; the hardware will not talk to UK Z-Wave devices. For a UK/EU coordinator, look at the Aeotec Z-Stick 7 in its EU/UK SKU, which Aeotec’s product page confirms operates at 868 MHz. It is also worth checking Nabu Casa’s own Z-Wave adapter, the ZWA-2, for an EU frequency variant before assuming it matches your region.

The reviews

1. Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 (formerly SkyConnect) — best overall for most people

Best for: the majority of Home Assistant users who want a coordinator that simply works, with first-party support behind it.

What you get: a Silicon Labs EFR32MG21-based USB 2.0 Type-A stick, bus-powered, with an internal PCB antenna and a short USB extension cable in the box. It supports both Zigbee (ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT) and Thread border router roles — one at a time on the recommended single-protocol firmware — and it is recognised directly by Home Assistant’s own integrations.

Standout strength: the firmware experience. Updates arrive as an Update entity inside Home Assistant, so keeping the radio current is a click rather than a flashing procedure — a genuine difference from the manual, third-party-add-on flashing route the Sonoff ZBDongle-E requires. Add Nabu Casa’s warranty and support channel as the manufacturer, and you are buying a supported product rather than a bare board in a plastic shell.

Honest caveat: the internal antenna is a compromise against an external SMA design in RF-dense homes, and the ZBT-1 typically costs more than the Sonoff ZBDongle-E despite sharing a chip family. It also cannot be a Zigbee coordinator and a Thread border router at the same time on current firmware.

Verdict: the zero-friction default, and the easiest recommendation for anyone who values support over saving a few pounds.

Where to buy: The Pi Hut typically lists the Connect ZBT-1 at around £29–£32 (check nabucasa.com and thepihut.com for current pricing). Nabu Casa also sells direct at nabucasa.com/connect-zbt1, but note that direct orders ship from the EU, so UK buyers may face import VAT post-Brexit.

2. Sonoff ZBDongle-E — best budget Zigbee coordinator

Best for: buyers who want the same silicon family as the ZBT-1 for less money and are comfortable flashing firmware themselves.

What you get: a Zigbee USB coordinator built on the same EFR32MG21 chip family as the ZBT-1 and the SLZB-06M, fitted with an external SMA antenna you can angle away from your host.

Standout strength: the antenna. In a rack, a cupboard or a Wi-Fi-saturated flat, being able to reposition the aerial is a real engineering advantage, and it is the one place where the cheaper dongle is unambiguously better equipped than the first-party stick.

Honest caveat: firmware updates require a manual flash via a third-party add-on rather than the click-to-update pathway Home Assistant provides for the ZBT-1. For a newcomer that is a meaningful hurdle; for an experienced user it is a minor chore.

Verdict: the value pick, and the right answer if you value the external antenna more than the convenience of first-party updates.

Where to buy: approximately £20–£24 at Amazon UK and via AliExpress UK-dispatched listings, which avoids the import-VAT question that comes with EU-direct sellers.

3. Sonoff ZBDongle-P — best for Zigbee2MQTT power users

Best for: long-time Zigbee2MQTT users who want the chip with the deepest community documentation behind it.

What you get: a coordinator built on the Texas Instruments CC2652P, the previous-generation workhorse of the Home Assistant Zigbee world, with a long and well-documented track record in community guides and forum threads.

Standout strength: maturity. When something misbehaves, the accumulated documentation for CC2652P-based coordinators is extensive, and that institutional knowledge has real value in a category where troubleshooting eats evenings.

Honest caveat: it is older silicon than the EFR32MG21 family, and — like the ZBDongle-E — it does not offer the in-Home-Assistant update pathway that makes the ZBT-1 so easy to live with.

Verdict: the considered choice for a Zigbee2MQTT veteran, not the obvious one for a first-time buyer.

Where to buy: Sonoff hardware is typically stocked through mainstream UK online marketplaces and AliExpress UK-dispatched listings; check current Sonoff retail channels for availability.

4. SMLIGHT SLZB-06 and SLZB-06M — best for racks and remote placement

Best for: homes where the Home Assistant server sits nowhere near the middle of the house.

What you get: a coordinator that connects over Ethernet and PoE, so the radio can live wherever a network cable reaches rather than wherever your server happens to be. The SLZB-06M variant uses the same EFR32MG21 chip family as the ZBT-1 and ZBDongle-E; the standard SLZB-06 is a separate model in the same family.

Standout strength: placement freedom. Zigbee mesh quality is dominated by where the coordinator sits, and a PoE-powered radio on the first-floor landing will outperform a USB stick wedged behind a server in the loft every time. It is also the neatest option for a rack, where cable management matters and a dangling USB stick does not.

Honest caveat: at around £50–£60, it is the most expensive option here — roughly twice the ZBDongle-E — and buying direct from smlight.tech means EU dispatch, so UK buyers should check whether import VAT applies to their order.

Verdict: the specialist choice, and worth the premium for anyone who can run a cable to a better spot for the radio.

Where to buy: direct from smlight.tech, typically around £50–£60.

5. ConBee III — the alternative to research before committing

Best for: buyers who want to weigh a further established coordinator option before deciding.

What you get: a Zigbee coordinator that appears alongside the models above in Home Assistant coordinator comparisons. Beyond that we are deliberately drawing a line: this guide quotes manufacturer-attributed specs and hedged, dated prices, and we do not carry verified figures for the ConBee III to publish here.

Standout strength: it is a name that recurs in the same buying conversations as the sticks above, which is reason enough to check it rather than ignore it.

Honest caveat: because we cannot attribute hard figures to a manufacturer page for this one, treat it as a research lead rather than a recommendation — verify the current spec sheet and pricing directly with the vendor before ordering.

Verdict: worth a look if you are determined to compare the whole field; not the place to start.

Where to buy: typically stocked through specialist smart-home retailers and mainstream online marketplaces; check the vendor’s own page for current specification and availability.

Thread border routers you may already own

If you only need Thread — or you need it alongside Zigbee and would rather not buy two sticks — a consumer border router may already be sitting in your living room. Per the vendors’ own specification pages, Thread support is present on:

• Apple TV 4K, 2nd generation (2021) and 3rd generation (2022 and later)
• HomePod mini (all models)
• Google Nest Hub, 2nd generation
• Amazon Echo, 4th generation

The corollary is just as important: earlier generations of these devices do not support Thread. An original HomePod, a first-generation Nest Hub or an early Echo will not do the job, no matter how new the firmware. Check the model generation before you assume you are covered.

Multiple Thread border routers cooperate on a single Thread network, so adding a ZBT-1 alongside an Apple TV 4K strengthens rather than complicates your mesh.

UK buying notes: why EU dispatch matters

Two of the routes above — Nabu Casa direct and smlight.tech direct — ship from the EU. Since Brexit, goods arriving from the EU can attract import VAT and, depending on the courier, a handling charge collected before delivery. That does not make either seller a bad choice, but it does mean the sticker price is not always the final price. Buying through a UK-based stockist such as The Pi Hut, or through Amazon UK and AliExpress UK-dispatched listings, keeps the transaction domestic and removes the variable.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to replace my original SkyConnect-branded stick with a Connect ZBT-1? No. The SkyConnect and the Connect ZBT-1 are the same hardware under two names, so your existing unit still receives firmware and integration support. The rebrand followed the original Crowd Supply campaign and changed the badge, not the board.

Does the Connect ZBT-1 need its own power supply, and will it work on a Raspberry Pi or NAS? It is bus-powered over USB 2.0 Type-A, so it draws power from the host and needs no separate adapter. That covers a Raspberry Pi, a mini PC, an Intel NUC or a NAS running Home Assistant — provided the Thread side of things is compatible with your installation type.

Can I use the Connect ZBT-1 as a Thread border router if Home Assistant runs in a Docker container? Not for plug-and-play Thread. The OpenThread Border Router add-on is only available under Home Assistant OS or Supervised, so Container installs cannot use that pathway. Zigbee operation is unaffected; the limitation is specific to Thread.

If I already own an Apple TV 4K or a HomePod mini, do I still need a second Thread border router? Not necessarily — Thread devices only need one border router on the network to reach it, and multiple border routers cooperate rather than compete. What matters is generation: the Apple TV 4K 2nd gen (2021) and 3rd gen (2022+) support Thread, along with all HomePod mini models, the Nest Hub 2nd gen and the Echo 4th gen, while earlier generations do not.

Why does the box include a USB extension cable, and does it really matter? It matters more than most accessories. USB 3.0 ports emit RF noise in the 2.4 GHz band, which is the same band Zigbee uses, so moving the radio a short distance away from the port reduces interference. Nabu Casa’s guidance, echoed by Silicon Labs’ RF documentation, is to use a USB 2.0 port or a powered USB 2.0 hub and to keep the stick on the end of the extension lead rather than pressed against the chassis.

Is the Connect ZBT-1 still worth buying in 2026, or is a successor imminent? As of mid-2026, Nabu Casa’s official pages list the Connect ZBT-1 as the current first-party Zigbee and Thread coordinator and announce no confirmed successor. That makes it a safe purchase rather than a stopgap — and because firmware arrives through the Home Assistant Update entity, an existing unit keeps pace with the software regardless.

Is the Connect ZBT-1 worth the premium over a Sonoff ZBDongle-E? The comparison comes down to two features, and both figures are worth holding side by side: the ZBT-1 typically sells for around £29–£32 against approximately £20–£24 for the ZBDongle-E, while the ZBDongle-E counters with an external SMA antenna. If you want Update-entity firmware updates, a manufacturer support channel and a device that works out of the box with no flashing, the ZBT-1 earns its premium. If your radio lives in a dense RF environment where an adjustable antenna matters more than convenience, save the difference and buy the Sonoff.

The bottom line

For most UK Home Assistant users, the Connect ZBT-1 remains the sensible default: identifiable hardware, an in-app update path, and a support channel behind it. Buy the Sonoff ZBDongle-E if budget or antenna positioning wins. Reach for the Sonoff ZBDongle-P if you are a Zigbee2MQTT veteran who values documentation depth. Step up to the SMLIGHT SLZB-06 if your server lives in the wrong room and you can run Ethernet to the right one. And whichever you choose, buy on the UK frequency — 868 MHz for Z-Wave, never the 908 MHz American kit — and keep the stick off a USB 3.0 port.