Home Assistant ZBT-2 vs ZBT-1: buy, keep, or migrate in 2026?
ZBT-2 or your old SkyConnect? Compare Zigbee vs Thread, migration risks, USB placement and when keeping a working coordinator makes more sense.
Considered Gear
Plain-English reviews and buying guides for running your own technology at home — local AI you own, the maker workshop, and home automation that answers to you, not the cloud.
Run real AI on a box in your own house — no monthly bill, no company reading your chats. What it costs, what it can do, and what to buy.
Explore Local AI 02Four local-AI hardware approaches, with configuration, software and complete-cost checks to make before buying.
Find your setup 03Lights, sensors, locks and voice that keep working when the internet does not — because the brains live in your house.
Explore Home AutomationThe current pick
Already use Apple Home? Learn when Home Assistant is worth adding, which hub or computer you actually need, and how HomeKit Bridge, HomeKit Device and Matter sharing differ before you move anything.
Read more →ZBT-2 or your old SkyConnect? Compare Zigbee vs Thread, migration risks, USB placement and when keeping a working coordinator makes more sense.
Choose reliable Home Assistant hardware in 2026. Compare Green, Raspberry Pi 5, N100 or N150 mini PCs, used desktops and Proxmox without guessing prices.
Choose a local AI setup that fits your computer. Compare Ollama, LM Studio and Open WebUI by privacy, ease of use, hardware, local APIs and upkeep.
Work out whether a local LLM fits an 8GB, 12GB, 16GB or 24GB GPU. Real model sizes, context-memory math and an Ollama check before you buy.
Compare a SER8 8845HS with 32 GB/1 TB against a used RTX 3090 in an existing compatible desktop or a new build. A dated research guide, not a benchmark.
Open weights make Clef worth investigating for local automation. The hardware and software deserve a closer look before you buy anything.