Hubs & Bridges
Browse all articles in hubs & bridges
Home Assistant Notifications: Push Alerts to Your Phone
Send reliable Home Assistant push alerts to your phone: Companion App setup, the correct notify targets, groups, actionable buttons, local push, and troubleshooting.
Smart Home Devices: The No-Subscription, Local-Control Starter Guide (2026)
Build a smart home with no monthly fees: Home Assistant Green, Zigbee sensors, and local automations. A no-subscription starter architecture, step by step.
Home Assistant OS: Installation & Backup Guide
Step-by-step Home Assistant OS install on Green, Raspberry Pi, mini-PC, or Proxmox, plus encrypted backups, emergency kit, and disaster recovery.
Home Assistant Remote Access: Nabu Casa Cloud vs Tailscale vs VPN (2026)
Nabu Casa, Tailscale, or a self-hosted VPN: compare cost, setup effort, CGNAT compatibility, and security to pick the right way to reach Home Assistant remotely.
Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition: Setup Guide & What It Can Do
Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition setup steps, pipeline choices, real capabilities, common bugs and fixes, and whether it can replace Alexa.
Best Smart Home Hubs (2026): Which One Do You Actually Need?
8 smart home hubs compared for local control, Z-Wave support, and Home Assistant compatibility — no cloud speakers mistaken for hubs, no hidden subscriptions.
Smart Home Hub Compatibility: Apple, Google & Alexa (2026)
Which Echo, Nest, HomePod or Apple TV actually works as a Matter controller or Thread border router? A full compatibility breakdown, decoded.
Home Assistant HomeKit Bridge: Setup Guide
Set up Home Assistant's native HomeKit Bridge correctly: install-type prerequisites, the 150-accessory limit, Docker/VLAN networking, and real fixes for No Response errors.
Home Assistant Alexa & Google Home Integration Guide
Connect Home Assistant to Alexa and Google Home the right way — Nabu Casa, free AWS Lambda, or a local Matter bridge — with real fixes for sync failures.
Home Assistant vs SmartThings vs Other Smart Home Hubs (2026)
Home Assistant, SmartThings, Hubitat, Homey Pro, Apple Home — compared on local control, protocols, cost and automation ceiling to help you pick right.
Home Assistant Dashboards: Design Ideas & Examples (2026)
Room-by-room Home Assistant dashboard ideas built on the Sections view, Mushroom, and Bubble Card — plus which wall tablet or panel actually fits each build.
Home Assistant Automations: A Practical Guide with Real Examples
Learn Home Assistant automations the right way in 2026: triggers, conditions, actions, blueprints, templates, and real Zigbee, Z-Wave examples explained.
Zigbee vs Z-Wave vs Matter (2026): Full Comparison
Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Matter compared for real Home Assistant setups — radio range, interference, security, and which combination actually belongs on your network.
Matter Explained: What It Means for Your Smart Home (2026)
Matter promises one device that works with Apple, Google, Amazon and Home Assistant. Here's what it actually requires in 2026, and what still doesn't work.
Zigbee2MQTT: The Complete Setup Guide (2026)
Set up Zigbee2MQTT the right way in 2026: pick a coordinator, install via Home Assistant or Docker, configure MQTT, and avoid the pairing mistakes everyone makes.
Zigbee Explained: How It Works and Why It Matters for Smart Homes
How Zigbee's mesh network really works, why it still matters next to Matter and Thread, and which coordinators, hubs and devices are worth buying today.
Home Assistant Green vs Yellow: Which Should You Buy? (2026)
Home Assistant Yellow is discontinued. Here's an honest, spec-by-spec breakdown of Green vs Yellow so you know exactly what to buy in 2026.
Home Assistant Hardware Compared (2026): Green vs Yellow vs Raspberry Pi vs Mini PC
Home Assistant Green, the discontinued Yellow, Raspberry Pi 4/5, or a mini PC with Proxmox — a clear 2026 buying guide for which box should actually host your smart home.
Home Assistant Matter Integration: Setup Guide (2026)
Install Matter in Home Assistant step by step — Matter Server setup, Thread Border Router picks, and real fixes for the commissioning errors most guides skip.
Best Zigbee Hubs Compared (2026)
Coordinator or standalone hub? We compare the best Zigbee hubs for Home Assistant, Alexa and Apple Home — with honest notes on lock-in and local control.
HACS: How to Install the Home Assistant Community Store
Install HACS correctly for your Home Assistant setup — HAOS, Supervised, Container or Core — plus fixes for the two most common install failures.
Zigbee Devices Compatibility List for Home Assistant (2026)
A curated Zigbee compatibility list for Home Assistant: coordinators, sensors, lights, plugs, locks and TRVs — with ZHA vs Zigbee2MQTT status and router warnings.
Home Assistant Green: Full Review & Setup Guide (2026)
A hands-on look at Home Assistant Green: real specs, the eMMC wear debate, dongle picks, full setup steps, and an honest verdict vs Yellow and mini PCs.
Home Assistant: The Complete Beginner's Guide (2026)
What Home Assistant actually is, which hardware to buy, and whether you need a subscription — a clear, no-fluff starting point for 2026.
Home Assistant Yellow: Full Review & Setup Guide (2026)
Home Assistant Yellow is discontinued — here's the honest 2026 verdict, a full setup walkthrough, and the SSD, radio, and PoE fixes owners actually need.
Best Zigbee Coordinators & Dongles for Home Assistant (2026)
ZBT-2, Sonoff, ConBee or SMLIGHT? A compatibility-first comparison of the Zigbee coordinators that actually hold up on real Home Assistant networks.