Dedicated Ethernet (W5500), not just Wi-Fi — the bridge between thermostats, relay controllers and the boiler module, with local Home Assistant integration, no cloud required.
The connectivity bridge for the entire ZAO ecosystem — links thermostats, relay controllers and boiler modules to the local network, through a dedicated Ethernet connection (W5500), not just Wi-Fi. Removes the stability problems of Wi-Fi-only gateways.
The gateway bridges the home's Zigbee devices — thermostats, relay controllers, boiler modules — to the local network through a dedicated Ethernet connection (W5500), not just Wi-Fi. This choice removes the common stability problems of Wi-Fi-only gateways, especially in homes with a busy network or an unstable signal.
Built on an ESP32-C6-MINI-1 with an integrated Zigbee 3.0 radio, the gateway connects directly to Home Assistant via ZHA, keeping all data and automations on the local network, with no dependency on third-party cloud servers. The extra external flash memory provides more room for firmware and logging.
An addressable LED ring gives visual status indicators — connection, network activity, errors — useful especially on day one, when you're pairing thermostats and zone controllers, but also later, if you want a quick check on whether the Zigbee network is healthy.
Designed specifically for the ZAO heating ecosystem, the gateway is optimized for long-term stability in installations with many Zigbee nodes — 10+ relays, multiple thermostats per room, and boiler modules, all active at once on the underfloor heating automation.
The ESP32-C6 has a single 2.4GHz radio, shared between Wi-Fi and Zigbee — running both at once means radio contention and instability. A dedicated Ethernet chip (W5500) takes over the network connection, leaving the radio free exclusively for Zigbee. The result: no intermittent drops, especially in homes with a busy Wi-Fi network.
The gateway is optimized for installations with many Zigbee nodes — 10+ relays, multiple thermostats per room, and boiler modules, all connected simultaneously and stably on the same mesh network.
Yes. The gateway integrates directly into Home Assistant via ZHA, and all data and automations stay on the local network. If the internet drops, the underfloor heating automation keeps working locally.
It gives visual status indicators — network connection, Zigbee activity, errors — useful especially during setup and troubleshooting, without opening Home Assistant for a quick status check on the coordinator.
Want to see the whole automation system together? Check the complete underfloor heating automation guide.
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