I remember when I first started getting into smart homes. I was happily running a few (WiFi based) Echo speakers, but I started to hear terms like ‘Zigbee’ and ‘Z-Wave’ thrown around too. I was also (obviously) aware of Bluetooth, but I’d mainly seen it used in headphones and mobile phones: so it seemed odd … Read more
In today’s modern smart home, Amazon’s Echo devices have become a common and useful item – around a quarter of all American households have one, in-fact! Through Alexa, they perform a wide range of functions such as providing news updates, weather alerts, and even recipe ideas. When it comes to the Echo Show, you can … Read more
Philips Hue’s popularity has earned it a place in the smart homes of many – maybe even yours! And while oftentimes smart lights use Wi-Fi to connect to their respective apps, Philips Hue doesn’t. There seems to be some confusion as to whether they use Zigbee or Z-Wave, or if they can even support both. … Read more
When people think of smart lighting, they usually think of the obvious: full color (RGB) bulbs. Setting rooms to bright green, or dancing to strobe lighting effects. But I actually prefer a less discussed smart lighting feature: motion sensitive lighting. This is simple to set up, and it feels like something out of sci-fi. I … Read more
Have you been having problems with the range performance of your ZigBee network? ZigBee repeaters can improve your experience with smart technology. Every smart device in your ecosystem is only as good as the connection that holds it together. The ZigBee mesh network is made stronger when more devices are added to it. ZigBee devices … Read more
In today’s connected world, there are many ways for devices to interact with one another. While most people opt for the more popular options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, there are alternatives. One such alternative is designed specifically for home automation: Zigbee. Zigbee is a wireless technology much like Wi-Fi, that allows several smart devices to … Read more
If you’re looking to add smart light strips to your home but you find that Philips Hue’s Lightstrip Plus options are too expensive, what options are open to you? This is the question I was asking myself when planning to add smart light strips to my kitchen. I firstly wondered whether ZigBee or WiFi would … Read more