Introduction
SONOFF iHost is a local smart-home hub that runs entirely on your LAN without relying on the cloud. It packs a built‑in Zigbee 3.0 radio and Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth radio, so it can natively talk to Zigbee sensors and LAN/Wi-Fi devices (and even serve as a Matter bridge). After iHost V2.5.1, we introduced HA Over iHost project to run Home Assistant OS on iHost using just a Micro SD card—no need to disassemble the device or extra dongles, making full use of the hardware capabilities of iHost. You can expand it with custom add-ons (like Node-RED flows, ESPHome, etc.) or use its open API for truly flexible home automation.
Key Benefits
Built‑in Zigbee Hub: iHost has a built-in Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 Zigbee 3.0 radio. You can connect up to 128 Zigbee devices directly—no need to buy an extra dongle. It even supports third-party Zigbee brands (Philips Hue, IKEA, Aqara, etc.) via ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT.
LAN & Matter Compatibility: It includes a wired Ethernet port for stable local connectivity. And it carries an official Matter certificate (CSA‑certified), so when used as a Matter bridge, it can integrate devices in Home Assistant into Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and other Matter-compatible platforms.
Add‑on Expandability: With Home Assistant OS on iHost, you can install community add-ons (Node-RED, ESPHome, Matter Server, etc.) just like on a Raspberry Pi. The iHost project even provides dedicated add-ons (Matter Bridge, Hardware Control, eWeLink-Remote) for powerful use.
Prerequisites
- SONOFF iHost Smart Home Hub is required. (Ensure your iHost system version is 2.5.1 or later.)
- An Application Class 2 (A2) card, with a minimum capacity of 32GB, is recommended for better performance, especially on small read and write operations.
- An SD card reader: any standard USB card reader will work if your laptop doesn’t have a built-in SD card reader.
Built-in Features
1. Built-in Zigbee
SONOFF iHost comes with a Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 chipset, supporting Zigbee 3.0 natively—no external dongle required. It handles up to 128 Zigbee devices (e.g. SNZB sensors, ZBM5 smart switches) with full mesh support.
You can also install the SONOFF Dongle Flasher add-on to flash alternate firmware (e.g. Thread, Multi-PAN) directly to the module via HA UI—enabling Thread networking or multiprotocol support.
iHost's on-board Zigbee chip allows you to add Zigbee devices to Home Assistant via ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT.
Follow the step-by-step tutorial:
How to Use iHost on-board Zigbee Chip to Add Zigbee2MQTT or ZHA in Home Assistant
2. Built-in Matter Bridge
iHost can act as a Matter bridge to sync devices in Home Assistant with Matter ecosystems like Apple Home, Google Home, or Alexa. The Matter Bridge Add-on is based on iHost built-in Matter Bridge and has passed Matter certification to ensure protocol compatibility and cross-platform integration.
3. Built-in Speaker
iHost features an onboard speaker and microphone, which can be leveraged in Home Assistant via the VLC Add-on or custom audio automation workflows. For example, you can set up voice prompts, alarms, or play music stored on iHost using the VLC add-on UI. In community forums, users have also shared an 'audio download' plugin that saves and plays custom sound files, ideal for personalized alerts.
Run Home Assistant over iHost
This project brings the full Home Assistant Operating System to the SONOFF iHost platform, offering users a powerful new way to run Home Assistant locally on iHost hardware.
Here we'll walk through two flashing methods: using Balena Etcher or Raspberry Pi Imager.
Follow the tutorial here:
How to Run Home Assistant over SONOFF iHost
Video tutorial:
CoreBox: Easier Offline Install for Home Assistant on iHost
SONOFF now offers a special CoreBox image for iHost, which comes with the latest Home Assistant Core (2025.05.03) built in.
With CoreBox, you no longer need to wait during initial installation for the device to download HA Core from GitHub. Instead, you can directly boot from the built-in HA Core version, achieving startup within 3 minutes or even faster.
Illustration: Flashing the SONOFF iHost CoreBox image to a microSD card (offline, no network needed).
Key benefits of CoreBox:
- Fully offline setup: The entire Home Assistant OS is on the SD card image, so you don’t need Wi-Fi or Internet during installation.
- Preloaded HA Core: CoreBox already contains Home Assistant Core v2025.5.3. This means iHost boots up Home Assistant in seconds (often under 3 minutes) without waiting to download anything.
- Faster, reliable installs: Since there’s no network dependency during setup, you avoid common installation failures due to poor connectivity.
- Easy updates: Once Home Assistant is running, it will check for and install newer versions as usual via the Settings > System > Updates page. You get the convenience of a quick, plug-and-play install and the ability to update like any normal HA system.
Video demo:
https://youtube.com/shorts/84cuVr6CxJM?si=FyrFid1ynz-P8y4G
Add-ons Setup in Home Assistant
These add‑ons are specifically built and optimized for the SONOFF iHost platform:
|
iHost‑Exclusive Add‑On |
Core Functionality |
Benefits |
Setup Guide |
|
Matter Bridge |
Integrates devices in Home Assistant into Matter ecosystem, like Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, etc. |
Enable multi-platform management by bridging your Home Assistant devices to Matter-compatible platforms. |
|
|
eWeLink‑Remote Gateway |
Integrates SONOFF eWeLink‑Remote sub-devices (e.g. R5, R5W, S‑Mate, S‑Mate2) into Home Assistant as local triggers. |
Create local, one-tap automation with SONOFF scene controllers. Turns button presses into powerful triggers for your Home Assistant setup—no cloud. |
|
|
SONOFF Dongle Flasher |
Online firmware flashing for the iHost MG21 chip. Supports switching between Zigbee, OpenThread, and MultiPAN firmware via a simple web interface. |
Flash firmware quickly and safely without disassembly or complex tools. This add-on simplifies the process, making it easy to flash your iHost in just a few clicks. |
|
|
Hardware Control |
Exposes built-in iHost hardware (buttons, LEDs) as Home Assistant entities to allow you to customize its hardware functions. |
Use iHost's physical button presses and LED indicator colors as triggers in your Home Assistant automations, expanding the various capabilities of iHost's hardware. |
These are official or community add‑ons available in the general HA Supervisor Add‑on Store, designed for broad compatibility across multiple devices (e.g. Raspberry Pi, NUC), also available for iHost.
|
HA Add‑On |
Core Functionality |
Setup Guide |
|
Matter Server |
Acts as a Matter controller in HA—useful for debugging, advanced Matter workflows, or integrating custom Matter devices. |
|
|
ESPHome |
Lets you build and compile ESPHome firmware for your own IoT devices (ESP8266/ESP32) directly in HA. |
https://github.com/iHost-Open-Source-Project/hassio-ihost-addon/tree/master/hassio-ihost-esphome |
|
Node‑RED |
A powerful flow-based visual automation editor embedded inside HA. The iHost-specific add-on includes node-red-contrib-ihost nodes for directly controlling iHost features. |
https://github.com/iHost-Open-Source-Project/hassio-ihost-addon/tree/master/hassio-ihost-node-red |
|
OpenThread Border Router |
Allows you to form or join a Thread network and make Home Assistant a Thread Border Router. |
These add-ons turn iHost from a smart hub into a powerful automation platform—all managed easily through Home Assistant’s interface.
FAQ
Q1: Do I still need an external Zigbee dongle when using iHost?
A: No. iHost’s built-in EFR32MG21 chip serves as the Zigbee coordinator. You can optionally use Dongle Flasher add-on to flash alternate firmware (Thread or Multi-PAN) but no external dongle is needed.
Q2: Can Matter Bridge sync all HA devices?
A: Matter Bridge supports most common entity types such as lights, plugs, sensors, thermostats, buttons, and curtains. Some complex devices like HVAC may have limited compatibility depending on Matter support.
Q3: What can I do with the built-in iHost speaker?
A: Through the VLC Add-on or community plugins, you can play music, alarms, TTS, or custom audio files directly on the iHost. Also integrate these into HA automations for alerts or voice prompts.
Q4: How do I enable Home Assistant on iHost?
A: Update to system firmware V2.5.1 or later, prepare a microSD card with the “HA over iHost” image (or CoreBox), and insert the pre-flashed card into the iHost SD Card slot. Then boot iHost by pressing the Mute button—no disassembly needed.
Q5: What if HA ends 32-bit support in the future?
A: Home Assistant will indeed end 32-bit support in six months, after which new HA releases won’t run on 32-bit systems like today’s iHost. Your device will continue operating but won’t receive those newer HA versions. We’re aware of this timeline and are developing a next-generation iHost with 64-bit support to meet HA’s evolving requirements. Stay tuned for its release later this year.
Win a Free iHost
To celebrate the growth of the HA over iHost project and to thank our amazing community for your continued support and feedback, here we're hosting "Win a Free iHost" event in Home Assistant community that everyone can participate in: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/get-a-free-smart-home-hub-for-home-assistant-with-built-in-zigbee-matter/917240
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