Opinion: Stick with WiFi devices, or get into Zigbee with hub/dongle?

Hardware Home Automation
22

I look at Zigbee vs zWave from the perspective of putting a new device in and running it. Admittedly all my Zigbee’s are v4 Philips Hue bulbs… But the process is

  1. Install bulb in socket
  2. Turn on
  3. Open iPhone app. Find new device (About 5 seconds).
  4. Configure

Done.

Compared with zWave

  1. Install new zWave device.
  2. Turn on
  3. Get USB stick. Hit ‘include’ button
  4. Wait… Get red flashes… swear. wait 30 seconds. reset device.
  5. goto 3

And if I’m lucky, then 30 minutes later it’s included. or maybe not. Maybe I come back tomorrow. Maybe it never includes

The config..

Zigbee == It’s a buib, here’s the config. here’s the serial. About 10 seconds
zWave == It might be something. I’ll let you know… 1 week later, it might be something. try later

You can see where I’m going here… zWave is a perpetual nightmare and has been for several years that I’ve been running it. And I don’t see it getting any better. Zigbee so far is not. Wifi is somewhere in between (LIFX seem OK. Ikea Tradifari are a bit of a nightmare, but that may just be the distance between the hub and the bulb)