Comparison of Home Assistant's ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT
Source: 老王杂谈说 Public Account (Lao Wang Zatanshi Talk)
In Home Assistant (HA), there are two main ways to integrate Zigbee devices: ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) and Zigbee2MQTT. They each have their pros and cons and are suitable for different use cases. This article will compare their similarities and differences to help you choose the right Zigbee solution.
ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation)
ZHA Features
- ✅ Official Integration: ZHA is a component natively supported by Home Assistant, configured directly within Home Assistant, without requiring an additional MQTT server.
- ✅ Simple Installation: Just enable ZHA in Home Assistant and connect a Zigbee gateway (such as Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle, ConBee II, etc.).
- ✅ Direct UI Configuration Support: Device management, grouping, binding, etc., can all be directly operated from the HA frontend interface.
- ✅ Native API: ZHA interacts directly with HA without additional bridging, resulting in lower latency.
ZHA Disadvantages
- ❌ Weaker Device Compatibility: ZHA relies on the
zigpylibrary, which has poor support for some devices, potentially requiring extra debugging or not supporting certain functions. - ❌ Limited Debugging Tools: ZHA primarily relies on HA's logs and lacks the detailed debugging information and Web interface provided by Zigbee2MQTT.
- ❌ Limited Supported Coordinators: Although it supports multiple coordinators (such as EZSP, ZNP, ConBee), not all can operate stably.
Zigbee2MQTT
Zigbee2MQTT Features
✅ Strong Device Compatibility: Supports a large number of Zigbee devices, including many brands not in the official ZHA support list, such as Aqara, Tuya, etc.
✅ Powerful Web Interface: Provides an independent Web UI for conveniently viewing the Zigbee network topology, device status, logs, etc.
✅ More Advanced Debugging Capabilities: Can directly view and modify Zigbee device attributes, customize device parameters, and even perform OTA firmware upgrades.
✅ Independent from Home Assistant: Zigbee2MQTT runs as an independent service and can be integrated with HA or other systems (such as Node-RED).
Zigbee2MQTT Disadvantages
❌ Requires MQTT: Needs an MQTT broker configured (such as Mosquitto), which adds extra installation steps and complexity.
❌ More Complex Initial Configuration: Requires manual modification of
configuration.yamlto enable Zigbee devices, with a higher learning curve.❌ Slightly Higher Resource Usage: Compared to ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT consumes more system resources when running.
ZHA vs Zigbee2MQTT Detailed Comparison
| Comparison Item | ZHA | Zigbee2MQTT |
|---|---|---|
| Installation Difficulty | Simple (HA Built-in) | Requires MQTT installation & configuration |
| Device Compatibility | Average (affected by zigpy) | Strong (supports more devices) |
| Web UI Management | HA Built-in Interface Only | Provides an independent Web UI |
| Debugging Tools | Relies on HA Logs | Provides detailed logs and device debugging functions |
| MQTT Dependency | None | Requires an MQTT Broker |
| Response Speed | Fast | Slightly Slower (due to MQTT forwarding) |
| Network Topology Visualization | None | Supported |
| Advanced Features | Supports device binding | Supports OTA, device parameter modification, etc. |
| Suitable for Beginners | Yes | Requires some experience |
Recommended Use Cases
- If you are new to Home Assistant and want to use Zigbee simply and directly, it is recommended to choose ZHA. It is easy to install, does not require extra MQTT configuration, and is suitable for most common devices.
- If you have a large number of Zigbee devices from different brands, or need stronger debugging capabilities, it is recommended to use Zigbee2MQTT. It offers better device compatibility, debugging tools, and a Web management interface.
- If you are already running MQTT in Home Assistant and want to centralize the management of all your IoT devices, Zigbee2MQTT is a better choice.
Conclusion
ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT each have their pros and cons. The choice between them primarily depends on your needs and usage habits. If you prefer a simple, hassle-free approach, ZHA is a good option. If you enjoy tinkering and want higher flexibility and compatibility, Zigbee2MQTT is more suitable for you. Hope this article helps you! 🚀