Control Zigbee devices via Amazon Alexa with Homey
Some Amazon Echo (and eero) devices have Zigbee built-in, so certain Zigbee devices can be paired directly to Alexa. If your Alexa device doesn’t have Zigbee, or if you want more advanced automation and broader device support, you can pair your Zigbee devices with Homey instead. Homey then exposes those devices to Alexa, so you can still use Alexa for voice control while Homey remains the “brain” for your automations.
So when does Homey come in?
Homey is most useful when you want:
- One place to manage everything (Zigbee plus other brands/protocols)
- More advanced automation than Alexa routines (conditions, logic, multi-step flows)
- Better control consistency across devices that may show up as “basic” in Alexa
- A setup where Homey remains the brain, and Alexa is the voice layer
This article explains the Homey approach step-by-step.
What you need
To control Zigbee devices via Amazon Alexa, you need:
- A Homey Pro, Homey Pro mini or Homey Self-Hosted Server. Note that Homey Self-Hosted Server requires Homey Bridge to add Zigbee support
- One or more Zigbee devices paired with Homey
- An Amazon account and the Alexa app
Zigbee devices must always be paired with Homey first, before they are added to Amazon Alexa.
What “exposing devices” means
When Homey exposes a Zigbee device to Amazon Alexa, it means Homey shares that device with Alexa.
The device:
- stays paired with Homey
- is still controlled by Homey
- becomes visible in the Alexa app
Amazon Alexa does not communicate with Zigbee devices directly. All commands go through Homey. A simple way to think about it is that Homey translates between Zigbee and Alexa.
How to expose Zigbee devices to Amazon Alexa with Homey
To control Zigbee lights, plugs, or sensors with Alexa, you need a smart home hub that supports Zigbee and can expose those devices to Amazon’s platform. Homey acts as that hub.
Zigbee devices stay paired with Homey, and Alexa accesses them through the Homey integration.
The process works like this:
- Pair Zigbee devices with Homey
Make sure the Zigbee devices you want to use are already added to Homey and working correctly. - Connect Homey to Amazon Alexa
In the Homey app, enable the Amazon Alexa integration and sign in with your Amazon account to link Homey to Alexa. - Discover devices in the Alexa app
Open the Alexa app and start device discovery. Alexa automatically discovers the supported Homey devices and adds them to your smart home.
After this, your Zigbee devices appear in the Alexa app without any additional pairing steps. The devices remain paired only with Homey. All Zigbee communication between devices and Homey runs locally over the Zigbee network.
How the connection works
Behind the scenes, the setup works in three steps:
- Zigbee devices connect to Homey
Homey acts as the Zigbee hub and controls the devices locally. - Amazon Alexa connects to Homey
Alexa communicates with Homey, not with Zigbee devices directly. - Homey forwards commands
When you control a device with Alexa, Homey translates the command and sends it to the Zigbee device.
What you can do with Amazon Alexa
Once exposed, Zigbee devices usually appear in Alexa as standard smart home devices, such as:
- Lights (on/off, dimming, sometimes color)
- Switches and plugs
- Sensors (for status and simple routines)
You can:
- Control devices using Alexa voice commands
- Control devices in the Alexa app
- Assign devices to rooms
- Use them in Alexa routines
What to keep in mind
A few important points:
- Zigbee devices must stay paired with Homey
- Not all Zigbee features are available in Alexa
- Advanced automation and logic stay in Homey
- Removing a device from Homey also removes it from Alexa
Use Amazon Alexa for voice control and simple routines and Homey for automation and logic.
In short
If your Alexa device doesn’t have Zigbee, or if you want more advanced automation and broader device support, you can pair your Zigbee devices with Homey
Homey exposes them by making them visible and controllable in Alexa, while keeping all Zigbee communication and automation inside Homey.
Amazon Alexa becomes another way to interact with your devices and Homey stays in control.
Discover more about Homey by connecting additional devices through the Homey App Store. Control them with the Homey App and create your own automations with Flows and Advanced Flows. Monitor your smart home using Dashboards, and gain deeper understanding with Homey Energy and Insights.
Smart home technologies and platforms supported by Homey
Smart homes often use multiple wireless technologies and platforms. As a powerful smart home hub, Homey supports a wide range of communication standards, including Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Thread, KNX, 433 MHz, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Infrared.
Homey also integrates with popular smart home platforms such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple Home. By combining multiple technologies and platforms in one system, Homey allows devices from different ecosystems to work together in one flexible smart home setup.
