Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 is the new name for Home Assistant SkyConnect. Though it’s a new name and look, they have the exact same hardware, capability, and support.
We launched Home Assistant SkyConnect in late 2022, a device designed to be the easiest, most stable way to connect Zigbee and Home Assistant together. It also came with Thread connectivity support, which was (and still is) pretty groundbreaking at its price point. All these years later, it continues to receive strong support and is a community favorite.
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 is the same great product we all know and love. Going forward, whenever we mention updates or features for Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1, this will also apply to Home Assistant SkyConnect-branded devices. Keep reading to learn why we changed the name.
Why change the name?
At Home Assistant, we love open standards because they allow you to connect and control devices locally while offering broad compatibility and longevity. In our roadmap, we explained how we are improving our already strong support of open standards, and this name change is just one necessary step in that direction.
We are working towards building a new line of Connect products, specifically we are working on an upcoming Z-Wave Connect product. In future, if we see any product gaps with open standards, which require a more seamless and stable experience, they may join the Connect line.
What has changed?
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 packaging 🤤.
As I said nothing has changed internally - the listed specs are identical. You do get new packaging, which we’re pretty proud of. The device itself has been updated visually with our current logo and has the new ZBT-1 name.
Which one should I buy?
Whichever is in stock, as they are the same. Retailers will continue to sell Home Assistant SkyConnect-branded devices while supplies last. Regardless of what you buy, you will still get the same long-term support, updates, plug-and-play experience, and great range.
Learn more about where you can buy Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 here.
I just wished you could have got the multi-protocol working, TBH that is the only reason I purchased the SkyConnect so I could have Zigbee and Thread on a single stick.
Soooo… Because you want open standards, the name has to change to some kind of codename?
Either the article is not clear, or you need to look for a new marketing department. It’s just idiotic to replace an easy recognizable name like this, unless you infringe on other rights - which is not stated in the article.
If there is no legal reason to do this, I congratulate you on the most stupid waste of time I have seen HA do in the few months I have it running. Unless there is a better explanation, I question your intelligence.
I would still like to see an official EFR32MG24 or better yet an EFR32MG26 based dongle with external antenna and better electromagnetic shielding of the board as a Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 ”Elite” or something similar soon as an upgraded variant
A bit curious, but does ZBT-1 device prom id’s remain the same as SkyConnect?
For example, in dmesg, SkyConnect shows up as:
usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=10c4, idProduct=ea60, bcdDevice= 1.00
usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
usb 2-1: Product: SkyConnect v1.0
usb 2-1: Manufacturer: Nabu Casa
This is possibly the stupidest waste of time post I’ve seen.
Firstly, they’re keeping the ‘Connect’ branding.
Secondly, if anything they’re making it clearer. “Sky Connect” said nothing about what the radio was. With them working towards releasing a Z-Wave radio what would you propose they call that? AirConnect?
The new name Connect ZBT-1 indicates its Zigbee/Thread and first generation hardware, and I’m sure the Z-Wave radio will be called the Connect ZW-01 indicating that it’s Z-Wave and first generation hardware.
Ah yes ZBT stands for stuff the general audience will completely relate to an add-on they need, because it’s obvious to them it stands for certain technologies. It’s now completely clear what the radio is and does… To whom? The audience that didn’t need the clarification. Bravo.
HA was on the road to become accessible to the general audience. What they look for is an understandable description related to the things they understand. This name change does nothing for anybody but add confusion.
It’s a choice, plain and simple.
You do things like this, you confuse the general audience and you emphasize the path is not to improve adoption with the general non-tech audience.
Come on, make me chuckle more on your waste of time post statements. Hobbyist consumers wasting their time on organization’s fuzzy release communcations. Oh no!
Come on then, big guy. Point out the name change reasons with this post and the references. Because there is nothing clarifying this change. It’s just weird and adds nothing. Tell me how the Z for Zigbee is going to make clear it’s so different from a Z-wave dongle that obviously doesn’t have anything with a Z in it that can be confusing.
If you want to add things, just add to the known brand. SkyConnect Thread. SkyConnect Z-wave, SkyConnect IR, SkyConnect RF. It’s not difficult.
I thought ZBT stood for Zigbee BlueTooth
Unless it’s for Zwave BlueTooth
Wait! It’s ZigBee Thread
Oh well, it could have been worse and have been called SLZB-06Mg24
ZBT could stand for Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Thread since the EFR32MG21 SoC (MCU and radio chip) this USB dongle is based was specificly designed to primarly supports Silicon Labs protocol stack SDK for Zigbee, Thread and Bluetooth mesh + Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), though Nabu Casa does not make a Bluetooth Mesh or Bluetooth LE firmware for their dongle. So renaming it ”Home Assistent SkyConnect ZBT-1” would not no unlogic even if still cryptic.
Whereas the stick is a step in the right direction, I personally would love to see an easy to use, Multi-Protocoll Satellite Hardware that I can connect over Ethernet anywhere in my house, analogous to the Homey Bridge.
Background for me is that I have my server in the basement, only selectively use Zigbee e.g. in the first floor and do not want to put repeaters everywhere. Sure there are solution like socat, USB over IP, zigbee2mqtt and similar, but a plug-and-play solution would be awesome!
Only thing I found in this direction (also Zigbee only) is this, so probably an opportunity within the market landscape
FYI, seems like Nabu Casa might be considering testing some kind of experimental Bluetooth RCP (Radio Co-Processor) firmware for it so the ”B” could very well stand for Bluetooth.
Unclear what such a firmware for Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 radio SoC could be capable of, if it might only be for Bluetooth commissioning of Thread baded Matter devices, or for just BLE, or other as Silabs have several different Bluetooth SDKs meant for various use cases.
They probably were threatened by Sky (TV), they are very litigious, that’s the only reasonable reason for this change. If they did it for any other reasons, they would have stated why in the blog post.
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 packaging 🤤.
