I use several different platforms inside home assistant for my various devices so this list is divided by what protocols the devices work with.
Zigbee – Zigbee devices have short to mid range capability so they are ideal for most homes. They are very reliable and I prefer using these types of devices when I don’t need to stream data.
The network isn’t ideal for constant streams of data such as video, sound or data from power readings. Its designed for small packet transmissions that are repeated amongst the various devices on the network. It is basically a large mesh network and becomes stronger the more devices that are added. But it doesn’t pass the packets very fast and requires the packets to be fairly small. Thus the reason its not ideal for fast paced data transmission like a video or sounds.
First item you HAVE to buy is a coordinator.
This gadget is the hub of your entire zigbee network. Isn’t optional. You can’t have a zigbee network without one. There are several different coordinators you can buy. This is the one I chose based on being able to grow to a large network and it can be used as a coordinator, a repeater(allowing you to use one of these to extended a coordinator you already had or the first one of these you bought) and as a bluetooth repeater.
SMLIGHT SLZB-06M – A Zigbee 3.0 to Ethernet, USB, and WiFi Adapter with PoE Support, Works with Zigbee2MQTT, Home Assistant, ZHA
$64.99
Zigbee IR Blaster – This infrared transmitter can learn any ir type remote and send the signals out to control anything in a room that works with an infrared remote control. This particular one is also battery powered. Which makes it ideal for placing out of the way since no cords are needed. It runs on 2 AAA batteries and has a very long battery life. Love these. I have them in several rooms mainly to control my wall mounted heat pumps. This allows Beth to maintain ideal temperatures at all times based on our daily activities. Rooms are adjusted based on what we are actually doing and what Beth predicts we will do during a given day based on previous choices.
Tuya Smart Zigbee IR Remote Controller
Temperature Sensors
THIRDREALITY Zigbee Temperature and Humidity Sensor Lite,Smart Thermometer and Hygrometer
I prefer this particular brand over others I have bought because you can program how often it sends readings. Some of the sensors I had bought in the past could go hours before sending new readings. I can make these update quite often. Also they run on 2 normal AAA batteries. Most house equipment that runs on batteries use funny coin cell batteries which are not cheap and are not rechargeable. I use rechargeable batteries in these so it cost me nothing to keep them going over time. They are very good on battery life too.
Amazon – Zigbee Temperature Sensor
$19.99
This next gadget is a MUST have item to get. Its not what it does like the above items as much as how it keeps everything working flawlessly 🙂
THIRDREALITY Multi-Function Night Light, Zigbee Repeater, 3-in-1 Combines a Motion Sensor, a Illumination Sensor and RGB Color Night Light
As you can see it has a light sensor and a motion sensor (you will need this to turn on lights and such when someone enters a room) and a nightlight which is very handy. But what it really does is act as a repeater. This will extended the range and strengthen of your zigbee mesh network. These are the best repeaters I have found so far. HIGHLY recommend getting as many of these as possible to keep everything working right.
$29.99