Home Assistant Dec 2024 Video Notes

Zigbee or Zwave? Why Not both! But whats the difference?

Feature Zigbee Z-Wave
Energy Efficiency Excellent Excellent
Data Rate Up to 250 kbps Up to 100 kbps
Protocol Type Open (IEEE 802.15.4) Proprietary
Mesh Networking Supports over 65,000 devices Supports up to 232 devices
Frequency 2.4 GHz (Global) 908.42 MHz (US) / 868.42 MHz (EU)
Interference Possible with Wi-Fi and other 2.4 GHz devices Less prone due to lower frequency
Interoperability Varied, Loose cert process Strong (All devices must be Z-Wave certified)
Device Range 10-40FT 50-100FT

Why Not WIFi?

  • Cloud Dependency: Often (but not always) wifi devices are not local only and have a cloud dependency.
  • Security: These devices are accessible over a regular IP network and may need internet access. Security feels like an after thought with a lot of these devices.
  • Compatibility: As you upgrade to newer versions of WiFi those older devices seem to have more and more issues connecting.
  • Power consumption: Wifi is way more power hungry compared to Zigbee, Zwave and others. Not much of an issue if they are plugged in but that limits where you can place them.
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Nice overview Tom! I have been using Home Assistant for several years, and with every release it improves greatly. Nice to see a system set up from a minimalist perspective. One question about your setup, in the lower right corner of your dashboard, you have what appear to be links to you servers, what are those used for?

I was debating about covering that, it’s just a mark down card with links to the servers that I access the most.

Happy new year!
Thank you for all your efforts in educating people about technology.
Regarding Home Assistant best practices, there always be people against one or another. Like discussions about the hardware, yes RPI is probably the most energy efficient device but then considering the amount of gadgets to be powered, does it matter?
I would prefer stability, an old x64 (i3 gen6) miniature pc with a good quality SSD will always be a third of the price of any RPI equipped with SSD and a better choice. And for the exact same price i choose to have an identical PC as spare, just in case… Stay away from SD cards, I mean it!
Virtualized or not?
Do whatever you want, I would not have all my eggs in one basket, just saying…
Backups, on a NAS, local on a spare drive, in cloud… Again, whatever you want, just have backups. And ONE thing not many people are doing: do a restoration to see what’s working and what not. This is where my second PC comes in handy. I am just plug it in and go.
Protocols, platforms, vendors…
One thing I would not do: choosing to mix devices with WIFI, Bluetooth and Zigby all together. That’s a recipe for disaster. You may get away with one or another as long your smart house doesn’t have many devices…
My house is completely based on WIFI and Ethernet devices only. Zero issues. WIFI carefully planned, no settings on “auto” , everything is tested for more than 1 year, whatever i choose to add to my smart home, it will work. i could talk an entire day about WIFI.
Planning on getting into Matter later, but as I see it, will need a few years to have it matured. Until then one solid option remains Z-Wave.
Cloud or completely local?
Well, I do prefer “completely local” but then some devices does not work that way. Yes, I have all my plugs running Tasmota with MQTT over WIFI, zero issues, but then I can’t do anything about my solar inverter and the sliding gate, things that were already there whe I started HA … i will not destroy my house just to fit new gadgets. Anyway, there are proucts from brands that’s working pretty well with local control and as long they don’t mess up their line of products, i see not issues in using some of them.
Battery powered deviced…
No. Sorry, but no. I said NO. Leave me alone. :slight_smile:
What I kept in my house brandwise: Delock, Yeelight, Synology, Ubiquiti, Yamaha, Shelly, Sensibo, TADO (this one is asking for a replacement), Broadlink, Aqara, Chromecast.
What went to SH market and trash bin: Philips, TP-Link (Tapo), all Tuya devices (too many).