Nabu Casa Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 vs Sonoff Dongle Max

For Zigbee and Thread the Sonoff Dongle Max is more versatile, cheaper and able to run over USB, Ethernet or PoE for flexible placement. The Nabu Casa Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 is a Z-Wave-only controller, higher-rated in its lane, and the choice for Z-Wave devices.

Protocol and placement. The Sonoff Dongle Max handles Zigbee/Thread over USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi or PoE with an experimental dual-network mode, while the Nabu Casa Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 is a USB-only Z-Wave controller with no Zigbee or Thread.

No. The Sonoff Dongle Max is Zigbee/Thread only, and the Nabu Casa Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 is Z-Wave only. Running both would mean using one of each device.

The Sonoff Dongle Max has an edge for placement, since you can mount it centrally or in an outbuilding over Ethernet or PoE, with two +5dBi antennas. The Nabu Casa Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 relies on its external antenna and amplifier from the host's USB port, but delivers strong Z-Wave range.

Buy the ZWA-2 if you run Z-Wave and want a highly rated, official controller with excellent range and fully local Z-Wave JS control. It has no Zigbee or Thread.

Buy the Sonoff Dongle Max for a flexible Zigbee/Thread coordinator you can place away from the server over Ethernet or PoE to cover distant rooms. Note dual-network is still experimental, and it has no Z-Wave.