SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus MG24: The Coordinator That Talks to Everything

The SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus MG24 is a USB stick that gives a home automation hub a Zigbee and Thread radio. It is built for people running Home Assistant or Zigbee2MQTT who need a dependable coordinator, and for anyone who wants one stick that can handle both Zigbee devices and Thread border router duties. This review covers what the hardware does, how the EFR32MG24 chip changes the job, and where the dongle falls short. Readers ready to buy can jump straight to the price check.

Features and Specifications

Type: USB Zigbee 3.0 coordinator and router
Radio Chipset: Silicon Labs EFR32MG24
Protocols: Zigbee 3.0 and Thread
Intended Use: Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT
Form Factor: USB dongle
Model: Dongle-PMG24

The headline here is the EFR32MG24 radio. It is a newer Silicon Labs part than the chips found in many older coordinator sticks, and it brings Thread support into the same enclosure as Zigbee. That matters because Thread is the transport under Matter, so a single dongle can serve a Zigbee mesh and a Thread border router at once rather than forcing two separate sticks into a hub.

The rest of the specification list is deliberately plain. This is a USB dongle, it runs Zigbee 3.0, and it is aimed squarely at the Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT crowd. There is no Wi-Fi bridge, no vendor cloud, and no app to install. The stick hands raw radio traffic to software the user already runs, which is exactly what that audience wants.

Build, Radio and Protocol Coverage

The physical package is a USB stick, and that shapes everything about how it lives in a setup. It plugs into a USB port on the machine running Home Assistant, or into a USB extension cable if the host sits in a metal case or a rack. Buyers who have fought with coordinators know the extension cable trick: keeping the radio away from the host’s USB bus and power supply reduces interference, and a dongle this small is easy to relocate.

The EFR32MG24 is the part that separates this model from the older Dongle-P and Dongle-E sticks in the SONOFF line. It is a more modern radio with Thread support built in, so a buyer who is planning for Matter devices gets a path forward without buying a second coordinator later. For a Zigbee-only household the extra capability is dormant, but it is there when the Thread devices arrive.

Zigbee 3.0 is the current generation of the protocol, and it is what lets one coordinator talk to sensors, switches, bulbs, plugs and buttons from a wide range of manufacturers. The dongle is described as a coordinator or a router, which means it can serve as the head of a mesh or as a repeater depending on how the firmware is flashed and how the network is built. That flexibility is useful for buyers who run more than one hub or who want a spare radio on hand.

Setup, Software and Maintenance

This is not a plug-and-play consumer gadget. The dongle ships as bare hardware, and the buyer supplies the software: Home Assistant with the ZHA integration, or Zigbee2MQTT running alongside a broker. Getting from a fresh stick to a working mesh involves flashing firmware, identifying the serial port, and pairing devices one at a time. Buyers who already run either platform will recognize the routine; buyers who have never touched a YAML file will find the first evening frustrating.

The payoff for that setup work is local control. There is no cloud account, no vendor app and no subscription. Once the coordinator is running, the mesh belongs to the household, and automations keep working when the internet does not. For a smart home built around privacy and reliability, that is the whole point of choosing a stick like this over a branded hub.

Maintenance is light but not zero. Firmware updates for the dongle arrive through the community tooling rather than an app store, and a backup of the coordinator’s network key is worth taking before any update. Buyers who treat the stick as infrastructure, with a labeled cable and a note in the dashboard, will have a smoother time than those who tuck it behind a shelf and forget where it lives.

Who It Suits and Who It Does Not

The dongle suits the buyer who has already chosen Home Assistant or Zigbee2MQTT and wants a current-generation radio that covers Zigbee and Thread. It also suits the buyer who is replacing an older coordinator and wants the newer Silicon Labs chip without changing platforms. The price sits in the budget-to-mid tier for coordinator hardware, which makes it an easy upgrade rather than a considered purchase.

It does not suit anyone who wants a smart home that works out of the box. There is no app, no wizard and no support line for pairing a bulb. Buyers who are not comfortable with a terminal, a firmware flash and a serial port should look at a branded hub instead, even though that means giving up local control and paying more over time.

Trade-off: The dongle is bare hardware with no software or setup guidance in the box, so the first evening demands comfort with flashing firmware and editing configuration files, and buyers who want a plug-and-play hub will find it the wrong tool.

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FAQ

1. What is the SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus MG24 used for?
   It gives a computer or hub a Zigbee 3.0 and Thread radio, so software like Home Assistant or Zigbee2MQTT can act as the coordinator for a smart home mesh.

2. Does this dongle work with Home Assistant?
   Yes. It is intended for Home Assistant, either through the built-in ZHA integration or through Zigbee2MQTT, and it presents itself as a USB serial radio to the host.

3. What is the difference between the MG24 and older SONOFF dongles?
   The MG24 uses the Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 chipset and adds Thread support alongside Zigbee 3.0, while older sticks in the line are Zigbee-only with earlier radios.

4. Can this dongle act as a router instead of a coordinator?
   It is described as a coordinator or router, so it can serve either role depending on the firmware and how the network is set up.

5. Does it need a USB extension cable?
   It is not required, but a short extension cable is common practice because it moves the radio away from the host’s USB ports and power supply, which can reduce interference.

6. Is a cloud account or subscription needed?
   No. The dongle is local hardware, and the software that drives it runs on the buyer’s own machine, so there is no vendor cloud in the loop.

7. Will it work with Zigbee devices from other brands?
   Zigbee 3.0 is a cross-vendor standard, so the dongle can coordinate devices from many manufacturers as long as the software supports them.

8. Does the MG24 support Thread and Matter?
   The chipset supports Thread, and Thread is the transport under Matter, so the dongle can serve as a Thread border router for a Matter setup when the software is configured for it.

9. What should be done before updating the dongle’s firmware?
   Back up the coordinator’s network key and configuration first, because a lost key means re-pairing every device on the mesh.

10. Who should not buy this dongle?
    Buyers who want a plug-and-play smart home hub with an app and support should choose a branded hub instead, since this stick assumes the buyer supplies and maintains the software.

Bottom Line

The SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus MG24 is the right coordinator for a Home Assistant or Zigbee2MQTT household that wants a current Silicon Labs radio, Thread support and local control at a budget-tier price. It asks for setup work and a little maintenance in return, and buyers who are not comfortable with firmware and configuration files should pass. For everyone else, it is a small, sensible upgrade that covers Zigbee today and Thread tomorrow.

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