Updated October 2026
Data from Amazon and official Aeotec and Smlight sites.
2026 verdict
For a Zigbee-based Home Assistant setup, the Smlight SLZB-06p7U is the stronger of these two dongles, and the better rated of the pair.
It coordinates and routes Zigbee, connects over Ethernet, PoE or 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi instead of USB alone, and adds a Thread border router, a Bluetooth proxy and much higher transmit power with an external antenna. The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 answers with a lower price and a Z-Wave controller the Smlight SLZB-06p7U does not have at all, since the two run different radios: this comparison only makes sense once you know which protocol your devices speak. Both work with Home Assistant and both carry a one year warranty. Pick the Aeotec Z-Stick 7 for a Z-Wave network on a budget, and the Smlight SLZB-06p7U for a Zigbee network that wants network placement, a stronger radio and room to add Thread and Bluetooth.
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| Feature | Aeotec Z-Stick 7 | Smlight SLZB-06p7U | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $39.99 | $78.99 | Aeotec Z-Stick 7 |
| Rating | 4.5 | 4.6 | Smlight SLZB-06p7U |
| Power | USB | USB, PoE | Smlight SLZB-06p7U |
| Connectivity | USB | USB, Ethernet, 2.4 GHz WiFi | Smlight SLZB-06p7U |
| Zigbee Router | NO | YES | Smlight SLZB-06p7U |
| Z-Wave Controller | YES | NO | Aeotec Z-Stick 7 |
| Thread Border Router | NO | YES | Smlight SLZB-06p7U |
| Transmit Power | +9.3dBm | +20dBm | Smlight SLZB-06p7U |
| Bluetooth Proxy | NO | YES | Smlight SLZB-06p7U |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year | Tie |
| Matter Bridge | NO | NO | Tie |
| Dual Network | NO | NO | Tie |
What the differences mean
Radio protocol
The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 is Z-Wave only, with no Zigbee, Thread or Matter of its own. The Smlight SLZB-06p7U is the opposite: a Zigbee coordinator and router with a Thread border router built in, but no Z-Wave. Whichever devices you already own decides this pairing before anything else does.
Connection options
The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 only plugs in over USB. The Smlight SLZB-06p7U adds Ethernet and Power over Ethernet, plus 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, so it can sit anywhere on the network instead of tethered to whatever server runs it.
Radio strength
The Smlight SLZB-06p7U carries much higher transmit power with an external antenna. The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 has no external antenna at all, which is part of why its own review notes range that sometimes needs a USB extension cable.
Bluetooth proxy
The Smlight SLZB-06p7U can relay Bluetooth Low Energy sensors to Home Assistant as a Bluetooth proxy. The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 has no Bluetooth capability at all.
USB-over-Ethernet passthrough
The Smlight SLZB-06p7U can share a second USB device, such as another dongle, over the network. The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 has no such passthrough, since it is itself the USB device being shared.
Which one to buy if
- your devices are Z-Wave
The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 is a Z-Wave controller; the Smlight SLZB-06p7U has none at all.
- your devices are Zigbee and the mesh keeps dropping
Moving the coordinator onto Ethernet or PoE, away from the server, is what owners credit with fixing large Zigbee meshes.
- you want to keep the coordinator plugged straight into a Raspberry Pi or NUC
The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 is a small USB stick built for exactly that; the Smlight SLZB-06p7U is a standalone box meant to sit on the network.
- you also want a Bluetooth proxy or a Thread border router from the same box
The Smlight SLZB-06p7U does both; the Aeotec Z-Stick 7 does neither.
- budget is the deciding factor and you only need Z-Wave
It is the more affordable of the two dongles and does the one job it needs to do.
- + Price: $39.99
- + Z-Wave Controller: YES
- - Rating: 4.5 vs 4.6
- - Power: USB vs USB, PoE
Winner
- + Rating: 4.6
- + Power: USB, PoE
- + Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, 2.4 GHz WiFi
- - Price: $78.99 vs $39.99
- - Z-Wave Controller: NO vs YES
What owners say
Owners of both dongles agree that neither works cleanly out of the box. Aeotec Z-Stick 7 owners describe a stick that often ships with old, buggy firmware, sometimes set to the wrong region, a fiddly two-step update that has bricked at least one unit, but say the reward afterward is years of dropout-free Z-Wave service. Smlight SLZB-06p7U owners face a different snag: some units arrive already opened or flashed with the wrong firmware, and with no simple factory reset, recovery can mean opening the case to force flashing mode. Past that step, they credit moving the coordinator onto Ethernet or PoE with ending dropped Zigbee devices on large, mixed-brand meshes, something the Aeotec Z-Stick 7's USB-only design cannot offer.
Price history compared
Every price change of both, in the same store, so the gap between the two lines is what one costs more than the other.
- Aeotec Z-Stick 7
- Smlight SLZB-06p7U
Loading price history...
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better overall: Aeotec Z-Stick 7 or Smlight SLZB-06p7U?
The Smlight SLZB-06p7U, for a Zigbee-based Home Assistant setup: it is the better rated of the two, adds Ethernet or PoE placement, a Thread border router and a Bluetooth proxy. The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 wins only when what you actually need is Z-Wave, which the Smlight SLZB-06p7U cannot do at all.
What is the biggest difference between the Aeotec Z-Stick 7 and the Smlight SLZB-06p7U?
The radio protocol. The Aeotec Z-Stick 7 is a Z-Wave 700 controller with no Zigbee, Thread or Matter. The Smlight SLZB-06p7U is a Zigbee coordinator and router with a Thread border router built in, but no Z-Wave at all.
Can the Smlight SLZB-06p7U replace a Z-Wave stick?
No. It has no Z-Wave controller of any kind, only Zigbee coordination and routing plus a Thread border router. A Z-Wave network still needs a dedicated controller like the Aeotec Z-Stick 7.
Does the Aeotec Z-Stick 7 support Zigbee or Thread?
No. It is a dedicated Z-Wave 700 Series controller with no Zigbee, Thread or Matter radio, so a Zigbee network needs a separate coordinator such as the Smlight SLZB-06p7U.
Who should buy the Aeotec Z-Stick 7?
Anyone who specifically needs a Z-Wave controller for Home Assistant, openHAB or ioBroker and wants the more affordable of these two dongles, and is willing to update its shipping firmware before adding devices.
Who should buy the Smlight SLZB-06p7U?
Anyone building a Zigbee network for Home Assistant who wants to place the coordinator over Ethernet or PoE instead of tethered to a server, plus a Thread border router and Bluetooth proxy on top.
Full comparison table
Compare all 36 Dongles side by side
You are looking at two of them. The full table lines up all Dongles in the catalog with the same specs, so you can filter by what you need and sort by price or rating.
- 36 Dongles
- 32 specs compared
- 29 filters
SmlightSLZB-MRW10
$100.00
SmlightSLZB-06 U
$72.99
SmlightSLZB-MR3
€158.13
SmlightSLZB-MR5U
$119.99
SmlightSLZB-07
$34.99
SmlightSLZB-MR1U
$102.99
SmlightSLZB-07p7
$36.99
SonoffZBDongle-E
$24.90
SonoffDongle Plus MG24
$35.90
Nabu CasaHome Assistant Connect ZBT-2
$65.00
SonoffZBDongle-P
16% OFF$39.99$33.47
ZoozZ-Wave Long Range Stick
$39.95
Nabu CasaHome Assistant Connect ZWA-2
$79.00
SonoffDongle-PZG23
$39.90
SmlightSLZB-06M
$72.99
SonoffDongle Plus PP10
$35.90
SmlightSLZB-06p7U
$78.99
SmlightSLZB-MR2
€111.97
SonoffDongle Lite MG21
$24.90- Aeotec
Z-Stick 7
$39.99
DonglesAeotecZ-Stick 10 Pro
4.5(182)$59.99- DonglesAeotec
Z-Stick 7
4.5(256)$39.99 
DonglesAeotecZi-Stick
4.0(26)14% OFF$34.95$29.95
Door & Window SensorsAeotecDoor Window Sensor 7
4.2(47)$34.99
Door & Window SensorsAeotecMultipurpose Sensor
4.5(366)$38.99
Door & Window SensorsAeotecRecessed Door Sensor 7
3.8(353)5% OFF$39.99$37.99
Energy MonitorsAeotecHome Energy Meter 8
4.2(24)$95.99
HubsAeotecSmart Home Hub 2
3.9(42)$129.99
HubsAeotecSmart Home Hub
4.2(2,139)$159.99
Motion SensorsAeotecMotion Sensor
4.6(422)$48.99
Motion SensorsAeotecMultiSensor 7
3.8(112)29% OFF$69.99$49.99
Motion SensorsAeotecTriSensor 8
3.6(38)$39.99
PlugsAeotecSmart Switch 7
4.1(115)$69.94
RelaysAeotecPico Duo Switch
3.8(4)$34.95
RelaysAeotecPico Switch
3.6(13)$34.95
SirensAeotecSiren 6
3.4(380)50% OFF$79.99$39.99
Temperature & Humidity SensorsAeotecaerQ Temperature & Humidity Sensor
3.5(173)14% OFF$35.99$30.99
Temperature & Humidity SensorsAeotecMultipurpose Sensor
4.5(366)$38.99
Temperature & Humidity SensorsAeotecTriSensor 8
3.6(38)$39.99
Wall SwitchesAeotecIllumino Dimmer Switch
3.6(25)23% OFF$47.99$36.99
DonglesSmlightSLZB-06 MG24
4.5(6)$82.99
DonglesSmlightSLZB-06 MG26
3.4(7)$84.99- DonglesSmlight
SLZB-06 U
5.0(5)$72.99 
DonglesSmlightSLZB-06
4.2(182)$72.99- DonglesSmlight
SLZB-06M
4.6(111)$72.99 
DonglesSmlightSLZB-06P10
4.4(11)$85.99
DonglesSmlightSLZB-06p7
4.4(11)$79.99- DonglesSmlight
SLZB-06p7U
4.6(33)$78.99 
DonglesSmlightSLZB-07 MG24
3.3(5)$45.99
DonglesSmlightSLZB-07 MG26
4.5(86)- DonglesSmlight
SLZB-07
4.9(20)$34.99 
DonglesSmlightSLZB-07P10
3.0(1)$48.99- DonglesSmlight
SLZB-07p7
4.8(8)$36.99 
DonglesSmlightSLZB-MR1
4.4(11)$103.99- DonglesSmlight
SLZB-MR1U
4.8(16)$102.99 - DonglesSmlight
SLZB-MR2
4.6(8)€111.97 - DonglesSmlight
SLZB-MR3
5.0(1)€158.13 
DonglesSmlightSLZB-MR4
4.0(5)$130.00- DonglesSmlight
SLZB-MR5U
5.0(1)$119.99 - DonglesSmlight
SLZB-MRW10
5.0(11)$100.00