Smlight SLZB-06p7U vs Sonoff ZBDongle-P

The Smlight SLZB-06p7U is the more capable of the two, because it adds Ethernet with PoE, a Thread border router, a Bluetooth proxy and USB-over-Ethernet passthrough. The Sonoff ZBDongle-P is the better value, far cheaper with a two-year warranty, and remains the safest pick for a plain USB Zigbee network.

How the radio reaches the server. The Smlight SLZB-06p7U connects over Ethernet with PoE, Wi-Fi or USB, so it can be placed centrally, while the Sonoff ZBDongle-P is a USB stick that must stay with the host. That single difference is what lets the Smlight fix a mesh that keeps dropping devices.

Yes. Both are Zigbee 3.0 coordinators that work with Home Assistant through Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA, and both also serve as Zigbee routers. The Smlight SLZB-06p7U has the newer Texas Instruments CC2652P7 chip, the Sonoff ZBDongle-P the CC2652P, but the software story is the same.

No. The Sonoff ZBDongle-P is a Zigbee 3.0 coordinator only, with no Thread or Matter support. If you want Thread border routing alongside Zigbee, the Smlight SLZB-06p7U is the one of this pair that carries it, though neither bridges devices to Matter.

Home Assistant users with a PoE switch or a network cable near the center of the home, and anyone whose Zigbee network is unreliable because the coordinator is stuck next to the server. It also suits homes adding Thread or Bluetooth sensors.

Anyone starting a Home Assistant Zigbee network who wants a proven, cheap coordinator that works out of the box, and buyers who do not need Ethernet placement, Thread or a Bluetooth proxy.