How to choose

The decisions that actually change what you end up with.

1 guides

A single small lamp glowing orange-white in an otherwise completely dark room — A bare bulb burning in a dark room, with no visible fitting, controls or connected hardware.Photo: user:Sking · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Open source page

Research architecture diagram linking a service robot, a Raspberry Pi hub, Zigbee sensors and app screens

How to choose

Which hub and protocol to choose so your devices keep working

Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave or Thread: how to pick a smart home hub on local control and the published security support period, not on the box.

Updated 3/11/2026 · 9 min

Photo: Authors of the study: Alicia Mora, Adrian Prados, Alberto Mendez, Gonzalo Espinoza, Pavel Gonzalez, Blanca Lopez, Victor Muñoz, Luis Moreno, Santiago Garrido, Ramon Barber · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons