[{"content":"","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/series/home-assistant/","section":"Series","summary":"","title":"Home Assistant","type":"series"},{"content":"","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/homeassistant/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Homeassistant","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/homelab/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Homelab","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/series/","section":"Series","summary":"","title":"Series","type":"series"},{"content":"","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/smarthome/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Smarthome","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tutorial/","section":"Tutorials","summary":"","title":"Tutorials","type":"tutorial"},{"content":"","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/zigbee/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Zigbee","type":"tags"},{"content":" Introduction # I\u0026rsquo;ve been testing Zigbee2MQTT for a few months now, and I’m finally ready to give you my opinion.\nIf you prefer to watch rather than read, you can check out my full video breakdown below:\nIn this post, I’m going to provide an overview of the Zigbee2MQTT interface, compare it to Zigbee Home Automation (ZHA), and let you know whether I’ve decided to keep using it or switch back to my old setup.\nTwo paths for Zigbee in Home Assistant # If you’re running Home Assistant, there are two main ways to locally and directly control your Zigbee devices:\nZigbee Home Automation (ZHA): The native Home Assistant solution, and exactly what I’ve been using for many years. Zigbee2MQTT (Z2M): A standalone software that bridges your Zigbee network to an MQTT broker. An MQTT broker is necessary for Z2M since all communication with Home Assistant is handled via MQTT messages. I decided to install Zigbee2MQTT in a Docker container and use the Mosquitto add-on in Home Assistant.\nMy docker compose setup # If you are going the Docker route, here is the docker-compose.yml snippet you can use to spin up Zigbee2MQTT.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re interested in an installation and setup tutorial, let me know on my socials. I also suggest checking out the official Zigbee2MQTT documentation.\nservices: zigbee2mqtt: container_name: zigbee2mqtt image: ghcr.io/koenkk/zigbee2mqtt restart: unless-stopped volumes: - ./data:/app/data - /run/udev:/run/udev:ro ports: # Frontend port - 8080:8080 environment: - TZ=Europe/Berlin devices: # Make sure this matches your adapter location # Use ls -l /dev/serial/by-id to find your adapter - /dev/ttyUSB0:/dev/ttyACM0 Exploring the Zigbee2MQTT GUI # The Z2M graphical interface is available as a standalone webpage. The home screen immediately shows an overview of your network and all connected devices.\nThe main dashboard provides a clean look at your entire Zigbee network\nOn the left, you have your primary navigation bar. At the bottom, there’s a prominent button to let new devices join the network. Clicking this triggers a countdown window (adjustable up to about four minutes), giving you a clear indication of how much time is left before you have to restart the pairing process.\nOnce a new device joins, you can name it directly in the GUI and automatically push that name change to the Home Assistant entity. While the dashboard is fantastic for pairing and debugging, in day-to-day use, you\u0026rsquo;ll still mostly interact with your devices through your standard Home Assistant dashboards.\nZHA vs. Zigbee2MQTT: key differences # While experimenting, I noted a few distinct differences between ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT.\nHardware Disclaimer: For this testing period, I also switched my Zigbee coordinator. I can\u0026rsquo;t be absolutely sure how much the new dongle impacted the overall stability results versus the software change. You can get the zigbee dongles I used for this test on Amazon using my affiliate links: Conbee II (the old one) here or SONOFF Zigbee Dongle-P (the new one) here\nHere is a quick breakdown of how they compare:\nFeature ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) Zigbee2MQTT Integration Native to Home Assistant Standalone (+ MQTT Broker) Entities Discovery Immediate upon pairing Requires triggering actions first Device operations Some actions not working Perfect OTA Updates Basic, sometimes finicky Reliable, easy to manage and more complete Stability (My Setup) Good Excellent Two quirks to keep in mind with Zigbee2MQTT # The MQTT Integration: Running Zigbee2MQTT will group all your devices under the MQTT integration in Home Assistant rather than a dedicated Zigbee tab. It feels odd at first, but it\u0026rsquo;s just a matter of getting used to it. Action Discovery: Entities and actions are discovered by Home Assistant only after they\u0026rsquo;ve been triggered for the first time. For example, if you add a new smart remote, you might not see all the actions associated with the buttons until you manually short-press, long-press, and double-press every single button to register them on the network. Honestly, those are the only annoyances I\u0026rsquo;ve noticed.\nWhy Zigbee2MQTT is winning (the pros) # Despite those minor quirks, my Zigbee network has been more reliable than ever.\nDevices that were previously acting weirdly are now working perfectly. A great example is the IKEA SYMFONISK remote, which gave me plenty of trouble in the past but is now functioning without a hitch.\nAdditionally, Over-The-Air (OTA) update management is significantly better. I updated almost all my devices without a single issue or the need for special configurations. Out of twenty devices on my network, there\u0026rsquo;s only one stubborn remote that refuses to update.\nConclusion # Overall, I\u0026rsquo;ve found Zigbee2MQTT to be a superior experience to ZHA. The performance and reliability entirely compensate for the slight hassle of setting up and managing a third-party Docker container and an MQTT broker.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve decided to stick with Zigbee2MQTT for the time being.\nI am, however, keeping a secondary instance of ZHA to monitor its evolution. Whenever possible, I’ll feature ZHA alongside Zigbee2MQTT in future tutorials to keep things balanced.\nHow about you? What is your experience with Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA? Let me know on my socials below!\nQuestions or thoughts? Catch me on these platforms for troubleshooting help, behind-the-scenes content, or any suggestions you have for the lab! YouTube Instagram ","date":"30 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tutorial/zigbee2mqtt-vs-zha/","section":"Tutorials","summary":"","title":"Zigbee2mqtt vs Zha","type":"tutorial"},{"content":"Hi, I am a self-taught tech enthusiast, PC builder, and homelabber based in Italy 🇮🇹.\nMy goal is to make clear, step-by-step tutorials to help you automate your house, host your own services, and build custom PCs.\nHere, you will find deep dives into: Smart Home Integrations, Homelabbing Adventures and PC Modding\nRead my full story Support the Hobby ☕ # If my guides have ever helped you fix a frustrating tech problem, consider buying me a coffee to support the next project and keep we awake troubleshooting!\nSupport via PayPal More Ways to Help ","date":"1 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/","section":"About Me","summary":"","title":"About Me","type":"page"},{"content":"Hi, I\u0026rsquo;m the creator behind ioblings! I am a self-taught tech enthusiast, PC builder, and homelabber based in Italy 🇮🇹.\nWhat started as a passion for retro gaming and building custom water-cooled PCs naturally evolved into a full-blown obsession with automating my house and hosting my own services. If it has a motherboard, an IP address, or runs in a Docker container, I probably want to tinker with it.\nWhy I started this blog \u0026amp; YouTube channel # I realized that setting up Home Assistant, configuring a Zigbee network, or deploying home servers via Ansible can be incredibly frustrating. The tech space is full of overwhelming technical terms, and I wanted to bridge the gap between \u0026ldquo;enterprise-level IT\u0026rdquo; and everyday DIY usability.\nMy mission is to document my journey and provide clear, step-by-step tutorials that actually make sense, save you hours of troubleshooting and avoid my mistakes. Here, you will find deep dives into:\nSmart Home Integrations: Specifically Home Assistant. Homelabbing Adventures: From networking and virtualization to deploying Docker containers and writing Ansible playbooks. PC Modding: Behind-the-scenes looks at my custom water-cooled builds. Fun fact: I actually built this very site from scratch using Hugo just to document the process!\nLet\u0026rsquo;s Connect # When I\u0026rsquo;m not writing code, configuring a switch, or bending hardline tubing, I\u0026rsquo;m probably hanging out on Instagram sharing my latest desk setup or retro tech finds. You can also catch my full video tutorials over on YouTube.\nSupport the Hobby ☕ # If my guides have ever helped you fix a frustrating tech problem, consider buying me a coffee to support the next project and keep we awake troubleshooting!\nSupport via PayPal More Ways to Help ","date":"1 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/about/","section":"About Me","summary":"","title":"About Me","type":"page"},{"content":" Why this exists # This blog and YouTube channel are purely a personal hobby, fueled by a passion for tinkering and technology. I love building PCs, over-engineering my home network, and sharing my documentation with all of you—but as any enthusiast knows, hardware isn\u0026rsquo;t cheap!\nIf my tutorials saved you a headache or helped you pick the right parts, you can help keep the lab running with a small contribution. There is zero obligation—I\u0026rsquo;m just happy to have you here.\nSupport via PayPal 🛠️ Support via Affiliate Links # If you are planning a purchase, using one of the affiliate links below comes at no extra cost to you, but it is another fantastic way to help keep the lab running. I only list hardware and tools that I personally use and recommend for my builds.\nConbee II zigbee dongle: Buy on Amazon SONOFF Zigbee Dongle-P: Buy on Amazon # Important Amazon Associate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support the creation of free content and tutorials on this site without any additional cost to you.\nNote: Contributions are entirely voluntary and help cover hardware costs. They do not include additional services or private technical support. ","date":"1 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/support-the-hobby/","section":"About Me","summary":"","title":"Support the Hobby","type":"page"},{"content":" Introduction # Home Assistant is a great tool that we can host in our homes to control locally almost all smart home appliances and gadgets, without depending on external services and internet connectivity.\nIn this article I\u0026rsquo;m explaining how to integrate the Ikea STYRBAR Remote Control in Home Assistant and what actions and entities are exposed in order to use it for local control.\nThe full video walk trough is on youtube.\nWhat You Need # ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) integration. It should be already installed and configured. A zigbee coordinator (e.g Conbee II USB dongle or or SONOFF Zigbee Dongle-P). It\u0026rsquo;s the device that\u0026rsquo;s going to control our zigbee devices directly, without any cloud integration.\nYou can get them on Amazon using my affiliate links: Conbee II here or SONOFF Zigbee Dongle-P here Procedure # Go inside the ZHA integration. In order to do this we need to select:\nSettings -\u0026gt; Devices \u0026amp; services -\u0026gt; click on Zigbee Home Automation Settings main page Click on the devices section Main ZHA settings On the bottom right of the page click on Add device ZHA add device button While Home Assistant is looking for device, we have to put the remote in paring mode. In order to do that we need to remove the back cover and press quickly the pairing button 4 times in row. When the remote enters the pairing mode, the led on top is blinking. Location of the pairing button Wait for Home Assistant to find and configure the remote ZHA searching for new devices Let\u0026rsquo;s add a name for the remote and an area, or complete this operation later in the device section. Styrbar remote discovered Close this section because the pairing is completed. Entities exposed: # Now that the remote has been added we can take a look at the entities that are exposed to Home Assistant and that we can use to control our smart home. In particular the most relevant are:\nDevice offline Battery level \u0026ldquo;Turn on\u0026rdquo; pressed \u0026ldquo;Turn off\u0026rdquo; pressed \u0026ldquo;Dim up\u0026rdquo; continuously pressed \u0026ldquo;Dim up\u0026rdquo; release after long press \u0026ldquo;Dim down\u0026rdquo; continuously pressed \u0026ldquo;Dim down\u0026rdquo; release after long press \u0026ldquo;Left\u0026rdquo; pressed \u0026ldquo;Left\u0026rdquo; continuously pressed \u0026ldquo;Right\u0026rdquo; pressed \u0026ldquo;Right\u0026rdquo; continuously pressed Oddly not all buttons have the same actions available.\nConclusion # We’ve covered the pairing process and mapped out the entities, so you now know in advance which pieces are available for building your next automation! Time to start building!\nWhat’s your first automation going to be? Found a unique use for one of these entities?\nQuestions or thoughts? Catch me on these platforms for troubleshooting help, behind-the-scenes content, or any suggestions you have for the lab! YouTube Instagram ","date":"6 July 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tutorial/styrbar-remote-homeassistant/","section":"Tutorials","summary":"","title":"How to add the IKEA Styrbar Remote in Home Assistant","type":"tutorial"},{"content":"","date":"6 July 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/series/smart-home/","section":"Series","summary":"","title":"Smart Home","type":"series"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/authors/","section":"Authors","summary":"","title":"Authors","type":"authors"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Categories","type":"categories"},{"content":" YouTube Instagram Discord Read the Blog ","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/links/","section":"About Me","summary":"","title":"Links","type":"page"}]