Winner
Updated October 2026
Data from Amazon and official Smlight and Zooz sites.
2026 verdict
A network gateway against a USB stick is the shape of this pair, and the Smlight SLZB-MR5U comes out ahead of the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick.
It runs Zigbee and Thread together on two EFR32MG24 radios, adds a Bluetooth proxy, and connects over Ethernet with PoE, USB or Wi-Fi, while the Zooz is a dedicated Z-Wave 800 controller with no Zigbee, Thread or Bluetooth and no network connection. Both work with Home Assistant, and the Zooz carries a five-year warranty against the Smlight's one, the longest coverage of the two. Choose the Smlight SLZB-MR5U for a Zigbee and Thread home that wants the radio off the server, and the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick if your devices are Z-Wave and you want the simplest controller.
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| Feature | Smlight SLZB-MR5U | Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $119.99 | $39.95 | Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick |
| Rating | 5.0 | 4.6 | Smlight SLZB-MR5U |
| Warranty | 1 year | 5 years | Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick |
| Power | USB, PoE | USB | Smlight SLZB-MR5U |
| Connectivity | USB, Ethernet, 2.4 GHz WiFi | USB | Smlight SLZB-MR5U |
| Zigbee Router | YES | NO | Smlight SLZB-MR5U |
| Z-Wave Controller | NO | YES | Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick |
| Thread Border Router | YES | NO | Smlight SLZB-MR5U |
| Dual Network | YES | NO | Smlight SLZB-MR5U |
| Bluetooth Proxy | YES | NO | Smlight SLZB-MR5U |
| Matter Bridge | NO | NO | Tie |
What the differences mean
Protocol
The Smlight SLZB-MR5U speaks Zigbee and Thread; the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick speaks Z-Wave. The right choice follows the devices you already own, because neither speaks the other's protocol.
Placement
The Smlight SLZB-MR5U connects over Ethernet with PoE, USB or Wi-Fi, so the radio can sit centrally. The Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick is USB-only and stays beside the host.
Bluetooth and Thread
The Smlight SLZB-MR5U adds a Bluetooth proxy and a Thread border router to its two Zigbee and Thread radios. The Zooz stick offers neither, so Thread and BLE devices would need separate hardware.
Warranty
The Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick carries a five-year warranty and the Smlight SLZB-MR5U one, a meaningful edge for a controller that is expected to run untouched.
Chipset and migration
The Smlight SLZB-MR5U uses two Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 radios with +20 dBm of transmit power and no Texas Instruments option. A migration that depends on a TI CC-series stack, like the one many older Zigbee meshes use, is not the same story here, and the Zooz is a fresh Z-Wave network anyway.
Which one to buy if
- your devices are Zigbee and Thread
The Smlight SLZB-MR5U runs both on dedicated radios and adds a Thread border router and Bluetooth proxy.
- your devices are Z-Wave
The Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick is the Z-Wave 800 controller, and the Smlight has no Z-Wave radio.
- you want the coordinator off the server
Ethernet with PoE lets the Smlight SLZB-MR5U move to the middle of the house, where the USB-only Zooz cannot.
- you want long coverage on the hardware itself
The Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick carries a five-year warranty, the longest of the pair.
Winner
$119.99
- + Rating: 5.0
- + Power: USB, PoE
- + Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, 2.4 GHz WiFi
- - Price: $119.99 vs $39.95
- - Warranty: 1 year vs 5 years
- + Price: $39.95
- + Warranty: 5 years
- + Z-Wave Controller: YES
- - Rating: 4.6 vs 5.0
- - Power: USB vs USB, PoE
What owners say
Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick owners point to an install that takes care of itself: plug it into a Mac Mini, Raspberry Pi, mini-PC or Proxmox host and it is recognized instantly, then Home Assistant detects it through Z-Wave JS with no driver step. It adopts thermostats, locks and plugs without compatibility errors, stays rock-solid for a year or more, and reaches across a two-story home and backyard. Owners value its S2 security and its open, ecosystem-free approach for locks and sensors. The caveats they raise are its limits, not its faults: true Long Range thins out on very large properties, the US band is region-specific and will not work in Europe, and the endpoint count is a little tight for very large networks.
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.
- Smlight SLZB-MR5U
- Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better overall: Smlight SLZB-MR5U or Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick?
They serve different networks. The Smlight SLZB-MR5U is a Zigbee and Thread coordinator with Ethernet placement and a Bluetooth proxy. The Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick is the right controller only for Z-Wave homes, where it is plug-and-play and carries a five-year warranty.
What is the biggest difference between the Smlight SLZB-MR5U and the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick?
The protocol and the position. The Smlight SLZB-MR5U speaks Zigbee and Thread and can sit on the network, while the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick is a USB Z-Wave-only controller. Everything else follows from matching the radio to your devices.
Does the Smlight SLZB-MR5U support Z-Wave?
No. The Smlight SLZB-MR5U is a Zigbee and Thread coordinator with a Bluetooth proxy, but no Z-Wave radio. A Z-Wave home needs a controller like the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick.
Do the Smlight SLZB-MR5U and the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick both work with Home Assistant?
Yes. The Smlight SLZB-MR5U works through Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA, and the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick works through Z-Wave JS or Z-Wave JS UI. Both are recognized without drivers.
Who should buy the Smlight SLZB-MR5U?
A Home Assistant home running Zigbee and Thread that wants both protocols at once, the radio on the network, and Bluetooth sensors relayed without an extra adapter.
Who should buy the Zooz Z-Wave Long Range Stick?
A Z-Wave-only home that wants a straightforward, plug-and-play 800 Series controller for locks, sensors and thermostats, and values the five-year warranty.
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- Smlight
SLZB-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- Zooz
Z-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
AeotecZ-Stick 7
$39.99
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
