You can connect Zigbee sensors, lights and other devices directly to Home Assistant without having to use each companys proprietary hubs. This unlocks a wide variety of automations by mixing and matching different Zigbee sensors and equipment. You also get more privacy as information about your smart home isn't being sent to a companies cloud servers meaning no-one can track you.
All you need to get started is a USB Zigbee Dongle and this video!
Linked Videos:
Setting up Home Assistant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PRGrwuk4rw&list=PL4ed4sZb-R_-tNhFmT6YR9zaKcVX-B8XCWhat is Zigbee?:
https://youtu.be/Yrp4LU5n7mcSegments:
00:00 - Intro
00:20 - Why use Zigbee with Home Assistant directly?
01:35 - Installing Zigbee Home Automation (ZHA) in Home Assistant
02:27 - Choosing a Zigbee USB Dongle (aka Hub/Coordinator)
03:06 - Installing the ZHA Integration
04:17 - Adding Zigbee Devices to ZHA
08:54 - Using Zigbee Devices in Automations
11:07 - Visualizing your Zigbee Mesh Network