Unlock the full potential of your smart home with the latest advancements in self-hosting! We’re thrilled to announce Shelly’s Z-Wave devices are now officially ‘Works with Home Assistant’ certified, bringing robust, local control to your fingertips. This exciting partnership empowers tech-savvy users to integrate powerful smart switches and relays into their existing infrastructure, transforming “dumb” devices into intelligent components. Discover how these energy-efficient solutions enhance your DIY smart home experience, offering unparalleled control, privacy, and long-term reliability for advanced home automation.
Elevate Your DIY Smart Home with Shelly Z-Wave Devices
Shelly, a name synonymous with innovation in the smart home world, has formally certified a selection of its Z-Wave devices for the ‘Works with Home Assistant’ program. This collaboration is a game-changer for anyone building a robust, self-hosted smart home. Their retrofit smart switches and relays excel at transforming everyday “dumb” appliances, from light fixtures to ceiling fans, into intelligently controllable devices. The ‘Works with’ certification signifies rigorous in-house testing, guaranteeing seamless integration and an optimal user experience with Home Assistant.
The extensive settings and advanced functionalities, including precise energy monitoring, make these devices a favorite within the Home Assistant community for ambitious smart retrofits, such as integrating an old garage door opener or motorized shutters. This not only upgrades your home but also promotes sustainability by extending the life of non-smart devices, keeping them out of landfills for years to come.
Why Z-Wave is Ideal for Local Control
Originally launched in Bulgaria in 2017, Shelly gained prominence for its WiFi smart switches and relays, known for their easy local usability. Now, their Z-Wave line takes center stage in this certification. If you’re new to Z-Wave, it’s a well-established, low-powered wireless technology purpose-built for smart homes. It operates on a different radio spectrum than Wi-Fi, minimizing interference and excelling at penetrating thick walls and covering longer distances. With the recent Long Range iteration, communication can extend even further.
Given Home Assistant’s steadfast focus on local control, Z-Wave devices are perfect for those who want to minimize cloud dependency. Home Assistant acts as your Z-Wave controller via the Z-Wave JS add-on (an excellent Open Home Foundation project). All you need is a Z-Wave adapter. If you haven’t acquired one yet, consider waiting for an upcoming hardware announcement that promises to pair perfectly with Z-Wave partners, enhancing your self-hosting capabilities.
The Power of Home Assistant for Self-Hosted Solutions
Shelly mirrors Home Assistant’s dedication to interoperability, offering devices across various protocols and global availability. These Z-Wave devices are particularly beneficial for the energy-conscious homeowner, featuring low power consumption and accurate power metering. Designed to sit discreetly behind your existing switches, they blend seamlessly with your current home decor.
Unique Tip for Self-Hosters: When building your Z-Wave network for a self-hosted Home Assistant setup, the quality of your Z-Wave adapter is paramount. Invest in a reputable USB stick (like models from Aeotec or Zooz) to ensure a stable, responsive network. A robust adapter minimizes latency and maximizes the reliability of your local automations, which is the cornerstone of a truly powerful open-source smart home.
Beyond the Badge: Shelly’s Commitment to the Open Home
The Home Assistant team has frequently collaborated with Shelly, most notably when Shelly showcased their integration with Home Assistant at the Las Vegas Mob Museum during the annual ‘State of the Open Home’ event. Furthermore, Shelly generously hosted a Community Day in South Florida this past May. It’s truly inspiring to see partners in the ‘Works with’ program not just view it as a mere badge, but as a genuine opportunity to engage with and contribute to the vibrant Home Assistant community.
“Many of our users already rely on Home Assistant to power their smart homes, and we’ve seen firsthand how important local control, privacy, and flexibility are to them. By joining the Works with Home Assistant program, we’re reinforcing our commitment to open, reliable smart home solutions. With the upcoming launch of our Shelly Wave Long Range devices—offering wireless coverage of up to 1 kilometer — we’re pushing the boundaries of what smart home technology can do. Combined with Home Assistant’s powerful platform, this will be a market-leading solution, capable of covering use cases no other ecosystem today can reach. Together, we’re building the future of smart homes: open, powerful, and ready for real-world demands.”
– Leon Kralj, CTO at Shelly
Certified Devices: Unlocking Advanced Home Automation
The ‘Works with Home Assistant’ program sets itself apart by rigorously testing products in-house, ensuring seamless out-of-the-box functionality. Participating companies commit to providing long-term support and firmware updates, actively contributing to the Home Assistant community. Operated by the Open Home Foundation, this initiative is proudly funded by Home Assistant Cloud subscribers, whose support fuels these vital partnerships and certifications.
Retrofitting for Sustainability and Efficiency
While the Shelly Wave Pro 1PM is designed for electrical boxes, the other certified devices discreetly fit behind standard plugs, switches, or other appliances. This makes them an incredibly cost-effective method for retrofitting, which in turn significantly reduces e-waste. The Mini series, true to its name, is exceptionally compact, fitting into most tight spaces even for low-profile installations. The Shelly Wave 1PM Mini holds the distinction of being the world’s smallest Z-Wave smart switch.
Note: In some regions, professional installation by a qualified electrician may be required. Always verify your local regulations. For confident DIYers, Shelly provides extensive helpful guides on their website to walk you through the installation process.
The Future of Self-Hosted Smart Homes with Z-Wave Long Range
These initial devices mark the beginning of Shelly’s journey with the ‘Works with Home Assistant’ program, with many exciting developments, particularly concerning Z-Wave Long Range, on the horizon. Keep an eye out for our forthcoming hardware announcement, designed to integrate perfectly with our Z-Wave partners, further solidifying Home Assistant’s position as a leading self-hosting platform.
Your continued support, through Home Assistant Cloud subscriptions and official hardware purchases, directly enables the Open Home Foundation to forge these crucial partnerships and certify new devices for the ‘Works with Home Assistant’ ecosystem. Thank you for helping us build the future of the open home.
FAQ
Question 1: If I have a device that is not listed under ‘Works with Home Assistant’ does this mean it’s not supported?
Answer 1: No! It simply means the device hasn’t completed a testing schedule with our team yet or doesn’t meet the current program requirements. It might function perfectly well and could be added to the testing schedule later, or it might operate via a different connectivity type not currently tested under the program. It could also have a missing feature in Home Assistant that we are actively working to implement.
Question 2: Ok, so what’s the point of the Works with program?
Answer 2: The program highlights devices known to work seamlessly with Home Assistant and identifies brands committed to long-term support. The certification agreement explicitly requires devices to function flawlessly within Home Assistant, operate locally without cloud dependency, and maintain this functionality over time.
Question 3: How were these devices tested?
Answer 3: All devices on this list were tested using a standard Home Assistant Green Hub, a Z-Wave adapter, and our Z-Wave integration. While other hubs, adapters, or integrations are not problematic, we test against these as they represent the most effective certification pathway within our ecosystem.
Question 4: Will you be adding more Shelly devices to the program?
Answer 4: Absolutely. Shelly boasts a vast array of product lines and plans to expand its Z-Wave Long Range offerings. We anticipate their continuous stream of devices will keep our testers quite busy!