Adiós a Home Assistant? SMHub Nano TODO EN 1

<section class="review-transcript"> <p><strong>This is the new SMHUB Nano Mg24.</strong> On the outside it looks like the well-known SLZB style device, but on the inside there are major changes. To start with, this device runs a small <strong>Linux system</strong> inside, which means it can run Linux applications such as <strong>Zigbee2MQTT</strong>, <strong>Node-RED</strong>, <strong>Matter Bridge</strong>, an <strong>MQTT Broker</strong>, <strong>WireGuard</strong>, <strong>Tailscale</strong>, and more. In other words, it can run many of the applications you would normally run inside Home Assistant, so it could become an <strong>all-in-one smart home center</strong>.</p> <p>First, let’s visit the product website to see everything it can do (including diagrams that are easy to understand). Then we’ll do a demo by adding a couple of sensors and exploring the web administration interface.</p> <p>This is the SMHUB Nano website. If I didn’t say it earlier: it’s from the same people behind the SLZB devices — <strong>SMLIGHT</strong>. Here you get an overview of what the Nano can do. Basically, it’s a small black stick with an antenna, running a Linux-based operating system so it can run applications like Zigbee2MQTT, an MQTT broker, WireGuard, Tailscale, Matter Bridge, and others.</p> <p>That allows it to integrate in many different ways — with <strong>Home Assistant</strong>, <strong>OpenHAB</strong>, <strong>Homeseer</strong>, and other smart home systems you may have. If you combine Zigbee2MQTT with Matter Bridge, you can bring devices that are originally Zigbee into a Matter network. For example, Zigbee sensors from Sonoff or Aqara could be added into <strong>Apple Home</strong>, <strong>Google Home</strong>, or any Matter network, and you could build automations there as well.</p> <p>Let’s look at some capabilities. You can run Zigbee2MQTT directly on the device and connect it to Home Assistant. You also have an MQTT broker, which means you can use Node-RED to create automations directly on the device without needing anything else. You can expose Zigbee devices to Matter via Matter Bridge, which is also running on the device.</p> <p>You can also use it like a classic coordinator (like an SLZB-06): just point Home Assistant to the IP/ports, run Zigbee2MQTT, and you’re done. But if that’s your only use case, then this device may not be worth it — an SLZB-06 would likely be cheaper.</p> <p>Another very interesting feature is USB expansion. You can connect other USB devices — for example, a Z-Wave controller — and use it through Home Assistant or through applications on the device. And because it’s Linux, you can potentially add drivers and support for more USB devices over time: external storage, 4G modems, printers, cameras, and much more.</p> <p>You can even install and run your own applications — for example in Python or Node.js. What’s especially helpful here are the diagrams, because they show clearly how everything can be configured and what options are possible.</p> <p>In one diagram, the SMHUB Nano Mg24 runs Zigbee2MQTT, connects Zigbee devices, and then sends everything to MQTT in Home Assistant. That means Home Assistant doesn’t need to run Zigbee2MQTT itself — it’s already running on the device.</p> <p>Another option is running both Zigbee2MQTT and MQTT inside the SMHUB Nano Mg24, then connecting to MQTT on Home Assistant using bridge mode. This can help with scaling and resilience.</p> <p>There are also multi-hub setups: you can run multiple SMHUB units, each running Zigbee2MQTT locally, and connect them into one Home Assistant via MQTT — useful for very large homes or remote locations. In such cases, you could connect hubs through VPN tools like WireGuard or Tailscale.</p> <p>Another powerful option is using Matter Bridge: add all Zigbee devices to Zigbee2MQTT on the SMHUB Nano Mg24, then Matter Bridge exposes those devices to Matter. That means Google Home, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Home Assistant, or any Matter-compatible platform can see and control them, run automations, and more.</p> <p>You can also use Node-RED on the device to run local automations. For example, a motion sensor could trigger a light — entirely inside the device — without relying on Home Assistant.</p> <p>This “killer feature” concept is local automations plus integrations: Zigbee2MQTT for Zigbee devices, MQTT bridging to Home Assistant, Node-RED for logic and services, and Matter Bridge to expose devices to Apple, Google, and Alexa. It can be complex, but it’s possible.</p> <p>The SMHUB Nano Mg24 also supports Thread. Since it has a Thread-capable chip, you can install an OpenThread Border Router app and run Matter-over-Thread devices. You can also scale this with multiple hubs operating as Thread nodes and connecting to a central system.</p> <p>Now let’s explore the admin interface. On the dashboard it says it’s an early-adopter product. Support confirms it’s already fairly stable, but still under continuous development. For example, Tailscale isn’t available yet, but they are working on it.</p> <p>In settings, you can configure authorization (username/password for the web panel), time and hostname, Ethernet and Wi-Fi details, USB options, 4G parameters, MQTT credentials, remote bridge configuration, and radio mode (Zigbee coordinator/router or Thread). You can also handle updates, restore functions, channel selection, and WireGuard configuration.</p> <p>There’s also a Linux console built into the web UI. The OS is built using Buildroot. System resources look modest (for example around 512 MB RAM and a single core), but in practice it appears to have enough performance headroom even with multiple services running.</p> <p>The Apps section works like an app store where you can install, update, and manage apps such as Matter Bridge, Zigbee2MQTT, Node-RED, Node.js, OpenThread, and SMLIGHT services. Node-RED is ready for automations, and Matter Bridge shows Zigbee devices that you add through Zigbee2MQTT.</p> <p>Now for the demo. In Zigbee2MQTT, I enable <strong>permit join</strong> and put two devices into pairing mode: a button and a temperature/humidity sensor (both Zigbee). After pairing, I rename them and confirm they appear correctly.</p> <p>When I open Matter Bridge, those Zigbee devices appear there too. I then start pairing to generate a QR code and add the Matter Bridge aggregator to Home Assistant’s Matter integration. After adding it, Home Assistant shows the coordinator, the button, and the temperature sensor as Matter devices.</p> <p>So what we’ve done is take Zigbee devices, pass them into a Matter network, and now they can be used not only in Home Assistant but also potentially in Google Home, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and other Matter ecosystems.</p> <p><strong>Overall, this is a super interesting device with many use cases.</strong> If it fits your needs, it can open up a lot of options.</p> </section>