Which NAS runs Home Assistant OS as a virtual machine with a Zigbee stick? (2026)

Updated 2026-11-12 · Pick: UGREEN NASync DXP2800: $389.99 on ai.ugreen.com (checked 2026-11-03): https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp2800

Short answer. The NAS that runs Home Assistant OS as a virtual machine with a Zigbee stick for the least money is the UGREEN DXP2800: UGOS passes the USB stick through, and its 8 GB leaves 6 GB after the 2 GB HAOS VM. A stock Synology DS225+ (2 GB) can't start a VM.

Searched as: Synology Virtual Machine Manager USB passthrough Home Assistant Zigbee USB dongle DS923QNAP Virtualization Station USB passthrough Zigbee Home Assistant OS

How this table was made: each figure comes from the maker's own US product page or manual, or from the reviewer named next to it, checked 2026-11-08. Dealectric does not test units itself. Rows with a Buy link are products Dealectric lists: the links are affiliate links, and their codes are re-tested in the brand's own cart every day (last check 2026-11-13).

What the differences mean

• UGREEN DXP2800: 8 GB − 2 GB for the Home Assistant OS VM = 6 GB left for UGOS, Docker and file sharing. raspberry.tips gave HAOS 4 GB and 2 cores (8 − 4 = 4 GB left) and measured 15–17 W at the wall with the VM idle.
• QNAP TS-264: 8 GB is above QNAP's 4 GB minimum for Virtualization Station, and 8 − 2 = 6 GB is left after the VM.
• UGREEN DXP4800 Plus: 8 − 2 = 6 GB as shipped. KitGuru lists two SO-DIMM slots taking up to 64 GB, so 64 − 2 = 62 GB.
• Synology DS925+: 4 − 2 = 2 GB left for DSM as shipped. At its 32 GB maximum, 32 − 2 = 30 GB.
• Synology DS225+: the 2 GB fitted is not "more than 2 GB", so Virtual Machine Manager runs no VM. With Synology's D4NS01-4G module, 6 − 2 = 4 GB.
• UGREEN price step: $619.99 − $389.99 = $230 more for the DXP4800 Plus's two extra bays (UGREEN store, 2026-11-08).

Use	Fits
Cheapest NAS that runs the HAOS VM with a USB Zigbee stick and 6 GB to spare	UGREEN DXP2800 $389.99: https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp2800
USB passthrough documented by the maker, with spare USB 2.0 ports	QNAP TS-264-8G buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLJ97L82?tag=dealectric-20
4 bays and room to grow RAM for more VMs	UGREEN DXP4800 Plus $619.99: https://dealectric.com/go/ugreen-nasync-dxp4800-plus
Staying on Synology DSM	DS925+ with added memory buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F43SZHWV?tag=dealectric-20
Home Assistant only, no file storage	Home Assistant Green ($199 MSRP) + Connect ZBT-2 ($49 MSRP) = $248, about 1.7 W idle, no passthrough to set up

RAM left for Home Assistant OS, and getting the Zigbee stick through

Home Assistant sets the minimum for its OS as a virtual machine at 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPUs and UEFI boot. Each NAS maker adds its own host rule on top. Synology runs VMs only on a NAS with more than 2 GB and keeps VM data on Btrfs volumes. QNAP's Virtualization Station needs at least 4 GB. UGREEN's Virtual Machines app runs on the DXP series only.

All three VM apps hand a single USB device to the VM, not a whole port. Synology lists USB 2.0/3.0 passthrough. QNAP passes USB 3.2 Gen 1 through when the guest's Linux kernel is 3.4.6 or newer, which HAOS meets, and otherwise points you to a host USB 2.0 port. The TS-264 has two of them. On UGOS you turn on the VM's USB controller, then add the stick under USB devices (raspberry.tips). Which stick you use matters as much as the NAS:

• Sonoff ZBDongle-E: passed through to HAOS on a UGREEN VM, an owner reported they could "use it immediately in ZHA" (GitHub home-assistant/core #146834).
• ConBee II: on the same kind of UGREEN VM, ZHA reported "The serial port is locked by another application". Home Assistant developer puddly noted that the two sticks use different USB-to-serial chips and called it a VM configuration issue (#146834).
• Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2: on Synology VMM (DS923+, RS1221+), its first-time firmware install fails and the stick drops out of the VM until the whole VM is restarted (#162157, still open). Owners there flash it on a desktop first, then pass it through.

Not recommended

Synology DS225+ as shipped. Its 2 GB sits exactly at Virtual Machine Manager's floor, and VMM needs more than that, so Home Assistant OS won't start as a VM until you add the 4 GB D4NS01-4G module. Even then the 6 GB maximum leaves 4 GB beside the VM. The DXP2800 and TS-264 leave 6 GB without any upgrade.

UGREEN DH2300 and DH4300 Plus. UGREEN's own virtualization guide says the Virtual Machines app is "unavailable on the DH2300 and DH4300 Plus", so neither can run Home Assistant OS as a virtual machine.

Sources

• Home Assistant OS VM minimum: 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPUs, UEFI boot — www.home-assistant.io
• Synology VMM: VMs only on NAS with more than 2 GB, Btrfs volumes only, USB 2.0/3.0 passthrough — www.synology.com
• DS225+: 2 GB DDR4 fitted, 6 GB maximum, D4NS01-4G module — www.synology.com
• DS925+: 4 GB DDR4 ECC fitted, 32 GB maximum — www.synology.com
• TS-264: 8 GB DDR4, 16 GB max, 2× USB 2.0, Virtualization Station needs at least 4 GB — www.qnap.com
• QNAP Virtualization Station USB 3.2 Gen 1 passthrough depends on guest OS; USB 2.0 fallback — www.qnap.com
• DXP2800: 8 GB DDR5, HAOS VM setup, per-device USB passthrough, 15–17 W with VM idle (raspberry.tips) — raspberry.tips
• DXP4800 Plus: 8 GB DDR5-4800, up to 64 GB (KitGuru, Simon Crisp) — www.kitguru.net
• UGREEN Virtual Machines app: DXP series, unavailable on DH2300 and DH4300 Plus — ai.ugreen.com
• DXP2800 $389.99, UGREEN store, 2026-11-08 — nas.ugreen.com
• DXP4800 Plus $619.99, UGREEN store, 2026-11-08 — nas.ugreen.com
• Sonoff ZBDongle-E works and ConBee II fails on a UGREEN VM — github.com
• ZBT-2 first firmware install fails on HAOS in Synology VMM — github.com
• Home Assistant Green: $199 MSRP, 4 GB RAM, about 1.7 W idle — www.home-assistant.io
• Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2: $49 MSRP — www.home-assistant.io

Published 2026-11-03; updated 2026-11-12. The buy links are affiliate links; see the disclosure. Corrections welcome at [email protected] or /feedback.