# Homey Bridge alternatives **URL:** \ **Category:** Homey Self-Hosted Server\ **Tags:** z-wave, zigbee, homey-bridge\ **Created:** [March 14, 2026, 7:18am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453 "2026-03-14T07:18:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChrisG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/chrisg/32/8825_2.png) [@ChrisG](https://community.homey.app/u/ChrisG)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 7:18am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/1 "2026-03-14T07:18:26Z")
I’ve found a few other alternatives to Homey Bridge: > **[SLZB-06 vs SMHUB: SMLight Coordinators Compared](https://smarthomescene.com/top-picks/slzb-06-vs-slzb-mr-vs-smhub-all-smlight-coordinators-compared/)** > > Detailed comparison of all SMLight coordinators, including SLZB-06, SLZB-07, SLZB-MR and the new SMHUB range. Which one is best for Zigbee & Thread in 2026? ---
**Author:** ![smarthomesven](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/smarthomesven/32/79712_2.png) [@smarthomesven](https://community.homey.app/u/smarthomesven)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/2 "2026-03-14T09:32:27Z")
You can’t use those in Homey SHS, because the Homey SHS and Homey Bridge use a proprietary protocol that’s only supported by the Homey Bridge. The Homey Bridge is the only way to get native ZigBee/ZWave/IR/RF/BLE on Homey SHS ---
**Author:** ![ChrisG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/chrisg/32/8825_2.png) [@ChrisG](https://community.homey.app/u/ChrisG)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/3 "2026-03-14T15:06:33Z")
@DirkG > [@smarthomesven](#): > > The Homey Bridge is the only way to get native ZigBee/ZWave/IR/RF/BLE on Homey SHS Sorry, but in my opinion, what you’re saying isn’t correct. You can connect the SMHUB nano directly to the SHS via Zigbee2MQTT. In addition, you can integrate ZigBee devices directly into the Matter ecosystem. In my opinion, the hub is the perfect solution if you don’t want to or can’t install a Homey Bridge. BTW: I’ve attached another post (sorry, only in German) by simon24 that gives you a brief overview of the hub’s capabilities. > **[SMLight SMHUB Nano](https://community.simon42.com/t/smlight-smhub-nano/74985)** > > Hallo Gemeinde Ich habe mir mal den SMHUB Nano auf SMLIGHT angesehen. Da dachte ich mir, lass das Ding mal übersetzen und poste das hier. Wenn ich vielleicht einen bekomme, werde ich natürlich einen Praxistest dazu beitragen. SMHUB Nano MG24 Der... > **[SMLIGHT SMHUB Nano Test und Einrichtung](https://community.simon42.com/t/smlight-smhub-nano-test-und-einrichtung/77951)** > > SMHUB Nano Der SMHUB Nano (speziell das Modell MG24) von SMLIGHT ist ein ultrakompakter, Linux-basierter Smart-Home-Hub, der als Brücke zwischen verschiedenen Protokollen und Plattformen dient. Er richtet sich vor allem an Nutzer, die eine... ---
**Author:** ![smarthomesven](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/smarthomesven/32/79712_2.png) [@smarthomesven](https://community.homey.app/u/smarthomesven)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/4 "2026-03-14T16:14:24Z")
> [@ChrisG](#): > > You can connect the SMHUB nano directly to the SHS via Zigbee2MQTT. But that means it’s not a Homey Bridge **alternative**. It needs a different system (Zigbee2MQTT) which is AFAIK completely independent of the Homey apps and only works with devices that are also supported by Zigbee2MQTT. If that would be a Homey Bridge alternative, then I would say that the Hue bridge, Tuya bridge, eWeLink bridge, IKEA DIRIGERA, etc. are also Homey Bridge alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/chrisg/32/8825_2.png) [@ChrisG](https://community.homey.app/u/ChrisG)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/5 "2026-03-14T16:40:50Z")
> [@smarthomesven](#): > > It needs a different system (Zigbee2MQTT) which is AFAIK completely independent of the Homey apps There’s even a Homey app > **[Zigbee2MQTT | Homey](https://homey.app/de-ch/app/com.gruijter.zigbee2mqtt/Zigbee2MQTT/)** > > Verwenden Sie Zigbee-Geräte über MQTT > [@smarthomesven](#): > > .. only works with devices that are also supported by Zigbee2MQTT Zigbee2MQTT currently **5219** devices are supported from **557** different vendors > **[Zigbee2MQTT](https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/supported-devices/)** > > Zigbee to MQTT bridge, get rid of your proprietary Zigbee bridges That should be enough ..🤷‍♂️.. ---
**Author:** ![smarthomesven](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/smarthomesven/32/79712_2.png) [@smarthomesven](https://community.homey.app/u/smarthomesven)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/6 "2026-03-14T17:18:08Z")
> [@ChrisG](#): > > There’s even a Homey app Yes, but Philips Hue also has a Homey app. It supports any device with basic on/off, dim or color control clusters. > **[Philips Hue | Homey](https://homey.app/en-us/app/nl.philips.hue/Philips-Hue/)** > > Transform the way you experience light > [@ChrisG](#): > > Zigbee2MQTT currently **5219** devices are supported from **557** different vendors Yes, but the Tuya bridge also supports thousands of devices. They also have an official Homey app > **[Tuya | Homey](https://homey.app/en-us/app/com.tuya2/Tuya/)** > > Smart Life. Smart Living. Still, all of these bridges only work with devices that their platform/ecosystem was designed for. In case of the Tuya bridge, that would be all Tuya devices. In case of Zigbee2MQTT, that would be any device that happens to be in their DB of supported devices. It does not natively integrate with Homey apps, so some devices might be missing in the bridge that are supported in Homey with a Homey Bridge. So it’s not a _true_ alternative to the Homey Bridge in my opinion, since they work in a completely separate platform which you might need to install yourself or register with a service to use the device. That platform then works separately from Homey: you might be able to integrate its devices with Homey, but you can’t manage/add/change device settings in Homey, that still has to be done in the other platform’s app/website. I’m just trying to say that there are no alternative **bridges** to the Homey Bridge, there might be alternative **platforms** like Philips Hue, Tuya, eWeLink or Zigbee2MQTT, but those need to be managed separately and are not compatible with Homey’s existing/built-in Zigbee functionalities/apps ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/7 "2026-03-14T17:49:46Z")
> [@smarthomesven](#): > > In case of Zigbee2MQTT, that would be any device that happens to be in their DB of supported devices. It does not natively integrate with Homey apps, so some devices might be missing in the bridge that are supported in Homey with a Homey Bridge. I doubt you’ll find many (if _any_) devices that are supported by Homey but not by Z2M. Also, Z2M has pretty good generic device support, a device doesn’t have to be “in their DB” to be supported by it. Which is probably why Athom chose to implement Matter support they way they did: built into the core, instead of requiring apps for anything but the most basic of devices, like with Zigbee. ---
**Author:** ![smarthomesven](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/smarthomesven/32/79712_2.png) [@smarthomesven](https://community.homey.app/u/smarthomesven)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/8 "2026-03-14T20:58:26Z")
> [@robertklep](#): > > I doubt you’ll find many (if _any_) devices that are supported by Homey but not by Z2M. Also, Z2M has pretty good generic device support, a device doesn’t have to be “in their DB” to be supported by it. I’ve never seen any lights that work with Homey but not with the Hue bridge, but does that make the Hue Bridge an alternative to the Homey Bridge? No, because it doesn’t support _every_ ZigBee device in that’s supported by the Homey Bridge, and it isn’t supported natively so you’ll have to manage it via a completely separate app/platform. You’re only integrating a platform into Homey, you’re not managing it from Homey. ---
**Author:** ![s73nm](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/s73nm/32/110438_2.png) [@s73nm](https://community.homey.app/u/s73nm)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 9:02pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/9 "2026-03-14T21:02:36Z")
> [@smarthomesven](#): > > So it’s not a _true_ alternative to the Homey Bridge in my opinion, since they work in a completely separate platform which you might need to install yourself That is a very narrow interpretation of _alternative_. By that definition, a car and public transportation would not be alternatives for one another as you need to drive the car yourself, but the bus is driven for you. So it might be true for someone without a drivers license, but not for someone with a drivers license. While managing an additional service might not be suited for less technical users, and therefore not a viable alternative for them, it is an potential alternative for someone with ore technical skills, which is not unthinkable for those running Homey SHS. After all, this topic was started in the Homey SHS section. For those looking at an alternative way of connecting zigbee devices to Homey SHS, a decent zigbee dongle combined with zigbee2mqtt can even offer advantages such as: - Larger number of devices in your zigbee network - Fewer apps running on Homey - Simultaneous connectivity to different platforms (e.g. Homey and Home Assistant) - OTA updates > [@smarthomesven](#): > > you can’t manage/add/change device settings in Homey It is true that you first need to add the device to zigbee2mqtt, but why would you not be able to manage or change device settings in Homey? ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 6:10am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/10 "2026-03-15T06:10:56Z")
> [@smarthomesven](#): > > I’ve never seen any lights that work with Homey but not with the Hue bridge, but does that make the Hue Bridge an alternative to the Homey Bridge? No, because it doesn’t support _every_ ZigBee device in that’s supported by the Homey Bridge. OP never said the Hue bridge was a viable alternative 🤔 And yes, Z2M does not integrate with Homey’s SDK, but many people don’t care as long as they get a much better, more stable Zigbee platform in return. Adding and configuring a device is a one-time operation, after that is should Just Work (which is why many people are considering an alternative for Homey’s rather poor Zigbee implementation, not in the last place because the Zigbee hardware on the Bridge is woefully outdated). ---
**Author:** ![DirkG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/dirkg/32/118897_2.png) [@DirkG](https://community.homey.app/u/DirkG)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 11:08am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/11 "2026-03-16T11:08:22Z")
To be honest, I agree with @smarthomesven that no matter what bridges, USB sticks, etc., are used, they are not “true” alternatives to the Homey Bridge, because they require a second “system.” Sorry for the layman’s explanation. And that has absolutely nothing to do with whether a third-party manufacturer’s Zigbee is better or worse—that’s not the point. Besides, the Homey Z2M app doesn’t support by far all devices. I’m not just saying this because it’s actually stated in the description in the Homey App Store… ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/b/5/b5d57b774de76f23d382a012bbcb9e878c5bfdd4.png) …but because I’m running Z2M myself. While I was able to “import” most Zigbee devices using the Homey Z2M app, I had to “import” some devices using the Homey HA Community app because those devices aren’t supported. I’ve even paired a handful of Zigbee devices directly with my HP, because I couldn’t get them to import with all their features, no matter if I used the Z2M or the HAC app. Furthermore, it’s harder and more time-consuming (for non-techies) to write flows. You have to learn way more about Z2M than if these devices were integrated directly via the Homey Bridge and the corresponding app. ---
**Author:** ![Jaapvw](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/jaapvw/32/114021_2.png) [@Jaapvw](https://community.homey.app/u/Jaapvw)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-bridge-alternatives/152453/12 "2026-03-18T12:10:10Z")
Have a multi protocol SBlight device (Zigbee/Thread and ZWave through USB) and was going to try it out. My home setup is a combination of Thread and Z-Wave. From what I understand OTBR is not a Matter Hub and Homey will only accept Hub - Hub sync of Matter devices. So you would have to run 2 additional services. For my Z-Wave devices I did not come up with a great solution, seems I can run Z-WaveJS and then try and sync to Zigbee2Mqtt. And that will probably not end well with all functionality inside Homey like scene activation. So while I agree with the topic starter that I wish we would be able to use a wired network solution (Homey Pro 2023 or Bridge with a dongle) instead of the wifi solution. But until then I will stick with a Homey Bridge for my Z-Wave and run all my Thread devices through Apple when i decide to move to SHS in a few weeks time. Also currently I get a better result from Apple Thread then directly connecting to Homey 2023 with my thread devices and I get updates through Apple which I never saw on Homey.