One of the most powerful features of SLZB-MR1U is its USB passthrough capability over TCP/IP. This allows you to connect external USB devices — such as Z-Wave sticks, additional Zigbee coordinators, or custom UART-based modules — and access them over Ethernet just like they were locally plugged into your PC or smart home server.

✅ Compatible USB-to-UART chipsets:

• CP210x (Silicon Labs)

• PL2303 (Prolific)

• CH340 / CH341 (WCH)

• CH9102 (WCH, newer alternative to CH340)

These are the most commonly used chipsets in USB Zigbee, Z-Wave, or Thread dongles — making MR1U compatible with virtually all modern USB-based smart home radios.

💡 Use Case Example:
Plug a Z-Wave USB stick into the MR1U, and connect it from Home Assistant using tcp://192.168.1.100:6638 – no local USB ports needed!

⚠️ Power Considerations

Some USB devices (especially high-powered dongles or hubs) may require external power to function reliably.
If you’re connecting:

• Power-hungry radios like Z-Wave long-range sticks

• Or USB sticks with internal LEDs or extra features

👉 We recommend using a powered USB hub to ensure stable operation.

⚠️ Can I power the device using both PoE and USB-C at the same time?
A: ❌ No — never power the SLZB-MR1U with both PoE and USB-C simultaneously.

Unlike the SLZB-MR1, the SLZB-MR1U features a direct internal connection between PoE power and the USB port. This design enables USB passthrough to function correctly when powered via PoE — delivering power to connected USB devices.

If you add USB-C power while PoE is already active, you risk damaging the board due to conflicting power sources.

🔌 Use only one power method at a time:

• PoE (if available),

• or USB-C (when PoE is not available).

Protect your hardware — never combine both

Q: 💡 Wait… I can actually connect a USB Z-Wave stick to this and use it over Ethernet?
A: ✅ Yes — just plug the stick into the MR1U, and connect to it using tcp://:8638 from Z-Wave JS or Home Assistant. No drivers, no tricks. It works.

Q: 💡 Will it work with my Zigbee dongle based on CH340 or CP2102?
A: ✅ Absolutely. The MR1U supports the most common USB-UART chipsets: CH340/CH341, CP210x, PL2303, CH9102.

Q: 💡 Can I use more than one USB device at the same time?
A: ❌ Not now.

Q: 💡 I don’t have PoE. Can I still use Ethernet mode if I power the device via USB-C?
A: ✅ Yes — absolutely!
You can run the SLZB-MR1U in Ethernet mode while powering it through USB-C.

Here’s how to do it right:
🔌 Use a powered USB hub — plug your USB stick (e.g., Z-Wave) into the hub, and also connect a power supply to the hub’s power input.
Then plug the hub into the MR1U’s USB port. Ethernet stays active — no PoE needed.

Q: 💡 Is this just some sort of trick or tunneling workaround?
A: ✅ No tricks. The passthrough is native. The USB device becomes available over TCP just like with ser2net or USBIP, but embedded directly into the SLZB-MR1U hardware.

Q: 💡 Will I need to install anything special on the USB device?
A: ✅ No. The MR1U presents the device exactly as-is. If it works over USB on your PC, it’ll work over the network with MR1U.

Q: 💡 Do I need to configure anything to make this work?
A: ✅ Very little — simply enable USB passthrough in the web interface, and connect using the exposed IP:Port. That’s it.

Q: 💡 Can I flash devices like Z-Wave via this USB port?
A: ✅ Technically yes — but flashing over TCP is more sensitive to timing. For production or critical flashing, we still recommend direct USB.

Q: 💡 What happens if my USB stick draws too much power?
A: ✅ Use a powered USB hub. MR1U provides limited current via USB – high-power devices (like long-range Z-Wave sticks) may need external power.

Q: ⚠️ Can I power the device using both PoE and USB-C at the same time?
A: ❌ No — never power the SLZB-MR1U with both PoE and USB-C simultaneously.

Unlike the SLZB-MR1, the SLZB-MR1U features a direct internal connection between PoE power and the USB port. This design enables USB passthrough to function correctly when powered via PoE — delivering power to connected USB devices.

If you add USB-C power while PoE is already active, you risk damaging the board due to conflicting power sources.

🔌 Use only one power method at a time:

• PoE (if available),

• or USB-C (when PoE is not available).

Protect your hardware — never combine both

Yes, you can. You can set up as many SLZB-MR1U coordinators as you want with one Home Assistant. For that, you just need to run a separate instance of Zigbee2MQTT for each coordinator. We have now received feedback from our lovely Customers about using 6 items with one Home Assistant. Please also note that you can connect to devices that are outside your LAN network, e.g., somewhere in another location with access to the internet. More details can be found in this Article of the official manual.

Overall system architecture with multiple adapters looks like this:

The device can be switched between USB or Ethernet either through a web-interface or by button. Just short press – and the work mode changed. Switching by web interface allows changing the work mode distantly. Please note, simultaneous power by PoE and Type-C is not allowed in SLZB-MR1U

POE powering and Type-C power should not be ON at the same time. Please choose either Type-C or PoE, but not both.

Yes, you can. Both main chips used in SLZB-MR1U (CC2652P, EFR32 and ESP32) can be updated distantly from the other global point. That makes the device suitable for installation in rare-visited locations or installation places.

Yes, it does. The device support POE standard IEEE 802.3af. That is the “basic” POE widely used standard. Just plug and use; you do not need any other additional power cables and plugs. Please do not use Type-C powering and POE at the same time!

That is for “Pro” users who want to flash SLZB-MR1U with the type-C connection. ESP32 Autoboot means that the device contains a built-in programmer and schematic that allows flashing ESP32 without any additional activities: you do not need to press buttons to make ESP32 in flash mode, and you do not need to plug in additional programmers. The only thing you need – just to plug in type-C and start flashing. Easy.

Yes. The device contains optoelectronic isolation between USB and Ethernet parts. So you can plug in SLZB-MR1 to both RJ45 and type-C at the same time. However, please note, do not use POE and Type-C at the same time!

The enclosure of the device contains vent holes, and when close to the ears, you can hear little noise from the POE transformer. The normal is if you can’t hear it more than 50 centimeters from the device.