Zigbee
Last updated: January 2, 2026
Zigbee is a low-power wireless mesh networking protocol that connects smart home devices like sensors, bulbs, and switches. It's been quietly running smart homes for over a decade, offering excellent battery life and a self-healing mesh - unlike Wi-Fi gadgets, your Zigbee motion sensor won't need new batteries every month.
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Before Matter promised universal compatibility and Thread brought modern networking, there was Zigbee - the protocol that proved mesh networking actually works for smart homes. Developed by the Zigbee Alliance (now the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the same folks behind Matter), it's been the backbone of ecosystems like Philips Hue, IKEA TRÅDFRI, and SmartThings since the mid-2000s.
Here's why Zigbee stuck around: it's incredibly efficient. Running on the 2.4 GHz band, Zigbee devices sip power so gently that a coin-cell battery can last years in a door sensor. Like Thread, it creates a mesh network where mains-powered devices (bulbs, plugs) act as routers, extending range and adding redundancy. Your signal hops from device to device until it reaches your coordinator - typically a hub like a Hue Bridge, Aqara Hub, or a USB stick plugged into Home Assistant.
The honest reality: Zigbee has baggage. Different manufacturers implemented it... creatively, leading to the infamous "Zigbee profiles" fragmentation. A Zigbee 3.0 certification helped, but you'll still occasionally find devices that don't play nice together. It also doesn't speak native IP, so you always need a coordinator to translate between Zigbee and your network. Thread fixed both of these issues (it uses Zigbee's radio tech but with proper IP networking), which is why new devices increasingly favor Matter-over-Thread.
Should you still use Zigbee? Absolutely - especially if you're already invested. The ecosystem is massive, devices are affordable, and platforms like Zigbee2MQTT and ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) in Home Assistant give you excellent local control without vendor lock-in. Just don't expect Zigbee and Thread devices to talk directly to each other - they're cousins, not siblings.
Related Terms
Home Assistant
Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that runs locally on your own hardware, giving you complete control over your smart home without relying on cloud services. With 2 million active installations and 21,000+ contributors, it's become the de facto standard for local-first automation.
Matter
Matter is an open, royalty-free smart home connectivity standard that enables interoperability between devices from different manufacturers. It lets products from Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung work together without compatibility headaches - no proprietary hub required.
MQTT
MQTT is a lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol designed for low-bandwidth, high-latency networks. In smart homes, it's the messaging backbone that lets devices talk to each other by publishing and subscribing to topics - a super-efficient postal system where devices broadcast messages and others choose to listen in.
Thread
Thread is a low-power, IPv6-based mesh networking protocol designed specifically for smart home devices. It creates a self-healing network where each device strengthens the mesh - if one goes down, the others pick up the slack. It's the primary transport layer for Matter wireless devices.
Z-Wave
Z-Wave is a wireless mesh networking protocol that operates on sub-GHz frequencies, offering superior wall penetration and mandatory device certification for guaranteed interoperability. Every device is certified before it hits the market - you'll pay more, but you'll troubleshoot less.