This is pretty normal. Philips also uses ZigBee for Hue and you can't connect non-Philips ZigBee devices to it. This is the major reason I started using Home Assistant. I use Home Assistant Yellow which has a built-in ZigBee radio but ZigBee radios can be added via USB to any setup running Home Assistant. ZBT-2 is pretty great for high performance unit. Sonoff have a cheaper dongle.
this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2026
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I've got the Sonoff dongle and it works pretty well. I've got lights from ThirdReality and sensors from Aqara, ThirdReality, and Sonoff. Everything works seamlessly in Home Assistant
Speaking of devices, I'm actually still using an ancient Conbee II and it's rock solid. I thought about changing it recently and ordered a ZBT-2 for a more up to date product, but then I realised I was insane and set it up as a Thread Border Router instead, so I have both now.
I just got ZBT-2 for my first Matter/Thread device and hooked it up to my HA Yellow. This thing now does ZigBee, Thread and Z-Wave. 😆
Nabu Casa's own documentation says the ZBT-2 does NOT support multi-protocols. The zbt-2 does work with Matter, but then won't support Zigbee.
https://www.home-assistant.io/connect/zbt-2
"Connect ZBT-2 cannot do both Zigbee and Thread simultaneously. This technology is often called “multiprotocol” or “MultiPAN”. Though it is theoretically possible with the hardware within Connect ZBT-2, in our experience, this functionality doesn’t work well, and we don’t plan to implement it. We previously thoroughly tested multiprotocol with our Connect ZBT-1 adapter and found its operation to be inconsistent, often causing device stability issues. We do not believe multiprotocol is suitable for operation in the home, and strongly recommend dedicating a device to each protocol."
I didn't mean to imply it does. I use the built-in ZigBee radio on the HA Yellow. The ZBT-2 is only doing Matter/Thread. I also got a Z-Wave radio hooked to the Yellow's GPIO.
Fair enough. I just didn't want others who read your post to be misinformed.
Winning at protocol mastery. I commend thee.
When you go deep down the rabbit hole, you learn that in versions prior to Zigbee 3.0, there are all sorts of zigbee application profiles (like bluetooth profiles, if you've ever wondered why it matters that a bluetooth headset can be connected for calls, music, or both). Two prominent ones are Zigbee Light Link (LL) and Zigbee Home Automation (HA). There's also Zigbee Smart Energy. and numerous proprietary profiles.
Hubs solely designed for Zigbee LL ecosystems don't talk to Zigbee HA devices, and hubs designed solely for Zigbee HA ecosystems don't talk to Zigbee LL devices, to say nothing of any propriety profiles they may also support.
Obligatory: https://xkcd.com/927/
Just to point this out for anyone seeing this thread, the aqara hubs with thread still let you use them as a thread for third party devices
I believe no company who makes there own hub allows 3rd parties? That's why I have a zigbee dongle in HA
Do many companies let you use their hubs to connect to devices from competitors? I always assumed of you bought X brand, you could only connect to X brand.
If you are gettng a refund, would you consider using Zigbee2MQTT with a suitable dongle from Home Assistant, Sonoff etc.? Then you can connect your Aqara stuff and pretty much any other brand you want, without any of their hubs.
Apologies if I'm missing something subtle here but it seems normal that Aqara would want to tie you into their products only.
Even hue, on their own platform allows third party ZigBee devices without complaints.
Really? I wasn't able to connect Ikea bulbs to my Hue hub when I still used it. 🤔
I haven't tried IKEA, but osram plugs and some Danish brand switches work just fine. New stuff gets plugged directly into home assistant though (via a zonoff ZigBee dongle).
Interesting. I night have been dreaming or just skill issue connecting those.
Fortunately there are plenty of Zigbee dongles that are compatible with HA, and just as fortunately they will all support Aqara sensors using MQTT with very little effort.
It is not per se "locking out other devices". More likely, it does only know it's own devices and how to use them.