Zigbee is the backbone of a reliable smart home. Unlike Wi-Fi devices that clog your router and depend on cloud servers, Zigbee devices communicate locally, use almost no power, and form a mesh network that gets stronger as you add more devices. If you’re running Home Assistant — and you should be — Zigbee is where most of your sensors and switches should live.
I run all my Zigbee devices through Home Assistant with ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation), but everything here also works great with Zigbee2MQTT if that’s your preference.
First: Get the Right Coordinator
Before buying any Zigbee devices, you need a Zigbee coordinator — our hub guide covers the best options for running one. The SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus-E (~$30) is the go-to recommendation. It’s based on the EFR32MG21 chip, works perfectly with both ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT, and has excellent range.
If you bought a Home Assistant Yellow, you already have a Zigbee radio built in. Lucky you.
Avoid: Cheap Tuya Zigbee gateways. They lock you into the Tuya app. You want a coordinator that works with Home Assistant directly.
Best Zigbee Sensors
Aqara Door/Window Sensor (~$16)
The Aqara Door/Window Sensor is the workhorse of my smart home. I have over a dozen of them on doors, windows, cabinets, and the mailbox. They’re tiny, the battery lasts 2+ years, and they report instantly in Home Assistant.
Use them to trigger automations: turn on the pantry light when the door opens, get an alert when a window is left open, or arm your security system when the front door closes.
Pairs with: ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT without issues.
Aqara Motion Sensor P1 (~$25)
The Aqara P1 is a major upgrade over the original Aqara motion sensor. It has adjustable sensitivity, a faster reset time (as low as ~5 seconds with Zigbee2MQTT), and better detection range.
I use these in hallways, bathrooms, and the garage to trigger lights automatically. The P1’s quick reset means lights turn off promptly when you leave — no more waiting 60+ seconds.
Pro tip: Mount them at knee height pointing across the room for the most reliable detection. Ceiling mount works but reduces sensitivity.
SONOFF SNZB-02D Temperature & Humidity Sensor (~$10)
The SONOFF SNZB-02D has a built-in display, which is surprisingly useful. You get temperature and humidity readings in Home Assistant and a physical readout on the device. Great for bathrooms (trigger the fan when humidity spikes), wine storage, or server closets.
At $10, these are cheap enough to put everywhere. Battery life is about 18 months.
Aqara Water Leak Sensor (~$18)
Don’t skip water leak sensors. Stick one under every sink, behind the washing machine, near the water heater, and next to the sump pump. When they detect water, you’ll get an instant Home Assistant notification. The Aqara leak sensor is reliable and the battery lasts ages.
Best Zigbee Smart Plugs
Third Reality Zigbee Smart Plug (~$13)
The Third Reality Smart Plug is compact, cheap, and reports energy usage — rare at this price point. They work flawlessly with ZHA and also act as Zigbee router devices, strengthening your mesh network.
I use them for Christmas lights, lamps, fans, and monitoring power draw on appliances (like getting an alert when the dryer finishes). At $13 each, buy a bunch.
SONOFF S31 Lite Zigbee (~$11)
Another solid option. The SONOFF S31 Lite is slightly larger than the Third Reality but equally reliable. No energy monitoring on the Lite version, but the standard S31 Zigbee has it.
Best Zigbee Bulbs
IKEA TRÅDFRI Bulbs (~$8-12)
Here’s a hot take: don’t use smart bulbs in most places. Use smart switches (like Lutron Caseta — see my review). Smart bulbs fail when someone flips the physical switch, and guests will always flip the switch.
That said, IKEA TRÅDFRI bulbs are great for lamps and fixtures where you don’t have a wall switch. They’re Zigbee, they’re cheap, and they act as router devices. The color temperature bulbs (~$10) are my pick — warm white to cool white covers 90% of use cases.
Innr Zigbee Bulbs (~$15-25)
If you want full RGB color, Innr makes solid Zigbee bulbs with better color accuracy than IKEA. They pair reliably with Home Assistant and have good dimming range.
Best Zigbee Buttons & Remotes
IKEA SYMFONISK Sound Remote (~$15)
This rotary dial is fantastic as a smart dimmer. Pair it with Home Assistant and use it to control any light, adjust volume on speakers, or trigger scenes. The rotation is smooth, it looks good, and it’s battery-powered so you can put it anywhere.
Aqara Mini Switch (~$18)
A tiny Zigbee button that supports single press, double press, and long press. I use these as bedside toggles, doorbell triggers, and “goodnight” buttons that kill all the lights.
Building a Strong Zigbee Mesh
A few tips from experience:
- Router devices matter. Every mains-powered Zigbee device (plugs, bulbs, repeaters) acts as a router, extending your mesh. Spread them around your home.
- Don’t mix Zigbee channels with Wi-Fi. Zigbee channel 25 avoids most Wi-Fi interference. ZHA lets you set this during setup.
- Start with the coordinator centrally located. Use a USB extension cable to get the SONOFF dongle away from your server’s USB ports — USB 3.0 generates interference on the 2.4 GHz band.
The Bottom Line
Zigbee is the best protocol for sensors and small devices in a Home Assistant setup. Start with a SONOFF coordinator, add Aqara sensors for doors and motion, Third Reality plugs for smart outlets, and build from there. Every device strengthens the mesh, and everything runs locally — no clouds, no subscriptions, no latency.
Buy a few of each, automate aggressively, and your home will start to feel like it reads your mind.