What is the best home automation system?
More than likely, if you are reading this page, you have a particular requirement, desire, need or problem that you are hoping home automation will be able to satisfy or solve.
Or perhaps you are just curious as to what a smart home has to offer.
That’s usually how it starts… At least that’s how it started for me many years ago when I first connected a “Clapper” to my bedside lamp. Clap your hands; lamp turns on. Clap them again; lamp turns off. Magic… I was hooked!
Home automation has come a long way since the humble days of the Clapper. There is a lot more choice of different home automation technologies and products, all claiming to be the best home automation system – but of course they can’t ALL be the best!
The truth is, each “smart” system has its strengths and its weaknesses. If you are just starting out in home automation, deciphering which smart home system is right for your needs can be a little daunting. We are here to help.
Which home automation technology is right for me?
When choosing products, we all find different features and functionality important. If we didn’t, then we wouldn’t have over 500 different car models to choose from in Australia! Some of us are mainly concerned with safety or performance, for others, price is very important – perhaps you like all the “bells and whistles” or low maintenance and reliability may be your main priority. More than likely it is some sort of a combination of all of these things.
There are a number of competing (and complementary) standards in the wireless smart home space in Australia and New Zealand… Z-Wave, Zigbee, Wi-Fi (including Shelly devices) and now Matter.
We have no vested interest in pushing one technology or solution over another – at SmartHome, we are technology agnostic. Instead of picking a single “winner”, it’s more useful to understand what each technology is good at and how they can work together to best suit your particular requirements.
Let’s take a quick look at the main players…
Z-Wave has been around for a long time (established in 1999!) and was designed from the ground up specifically for home automation. In fact, it is the most mature (and most reliable) of all the wireless automation technologies.
Best for:
- Reliable, whole-home systems
- Retro-fit lighting, power, sensors and security
- Installations where reliability and robustness really matter
Strengths:
- Runs on its own frequency (around 919 ~ 921 MHz in Australia), far away from crowded Wi-Fi bands
- Forms a strong mesh network – every powered Z-Wave device can pass messages along, acting as repeaters and extending range
- Excellent range of devices for lighting, power control, sensors, security and more
- Mature ecosystem with proven reliability and integration with hubs and software controllers
Things to keep in mind:
- Requires a Z-Wave compatible hub or controller
- Devices are typically a little more expensive than other smart home gear
If you are looking to build a reliable, robust and “complete” smart home ecosystem, Z-Wave is a fantastic foundation.
Zigbee is another low-power mesh technology that has been very popular in the smart home world – especially for lighting and sensors.
Best for:
- Smart lighting (bulbs, light strips, switches)
- Battery-powered sensors (motion, door/window, temperature, etc.)
- Budget conscious smart home enthusiasts
Strengths:
- Very power efficient – great for small, battery-powered devices
- A huge range of products from many manufacturers
- Many modern hubs (like SmartThings, Homey Pro, Home Assistant Green) support Zigbee out of the box
- Usually budget friendly
Things to keep in mind:
- Also shares the 2.4 GHz band with Wi-Fi – however good network design and tweaking can help avoid interference
- There are varying degrees of quality for Zigbee devices – some can be very cheap and “nasty” – choose carefully
If you love smart lighting and sensors, Zigbee is often a very cost-effective and flexible choice – especially when paired with a decent hub or controller.
Shelly devices are Wi-Fi-based lighting modules, energy monitors and relays designed to hide behind switches, in switchboards or near appliances – adding smart control and automation on a budget.
Best for:
- Retro-fitting existing homes on a budget
- Focused solutions – a few lights, power circuits, hot water, blinds, etc.
- People who like flexible, powerful DIY options (and tinkering!)
Strengths:
- No dedicated hub required – connects to your Wi-Fi (and Shelly cloud)
- Also supports local control via a hub (so you don’t have to rely on the cloud)
- Very flexible – can work with Shelly Cloud, Home Assistant, openHAB, MQTT and much more
- Very affordable and surprising reliable – offers excellent value for money.
Things to keep in mind:
- Everything runs over your Wi-Fi, so your router and network need to be solid, especially as you add more devices
- While you can run a home purely on Wi-Fi devices, larger systems are usually better with a combination of Wi-Fi plus a dedicated hub and protocols like Z-Wave/Zigbee/Matter
If you want an affordable, adaptable and powerful system or to smarten up very specific circuits and appliances, Shelly Wi-Fi is hard to beat. Just keep in mind it may not be as reliable as say Z-Wave or Zigbee – this will depend greatly on your Wi-Fi network settings and hardware.
Matter is the newest kid on the block. It’s not a physical radio technology by itself – instead, it’s a common language that devices and platforms use to talk to each other over IP (usually Wi-Fi or Thread). You can read more about Matter here.
Best for:
- People who care about future-proofing
- Homes that already use Apple Home, Google Home or Alexa
- Reducing app overload and fragmentation over time
Strengths:
- Designed so devices from different brands work together more easily
- Runs locally where possible, so automations can still work if the internet goes down
- Supported by major players – Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung and more
- Many new hubs (like modern SmartThings and Homey models) can act as Matter controllers and bridges
Things to keep in mind:
- Matter is still evolving. Not every device type is fully covered yet and support differs between brands
- You’ll often still mix Matter with older Z-Wave, Zigbee and Wi-Fi devices – and use your hub to bring them under one roof
- Matter devices tend to not have anywhere near the customisation options that Zigbee and particularly Z-Wave offer
Think of Matter as the glue that will increasingly help your smart home feel less fragmented over the coming years, rather than something that replaces everything overnight.
So… which protocol should you choose?
You don’t necessarily have to pick just one. In fact, most real-world smart homes use a mix of technologies, each doing what it’s best at. A very common (and sensible) setup looks like this:
- Z-Wave and Zigbee
Use Z-Wave and Zigbee for things you absolutely want to be rock-solid: lighting, power points, sensors and security devices. These devices create their own mesh network, so each light switch or sensor helps pass the signal along. That means better range, less interference with your normal Wi-Fi, and the system keeps working even if your internet drops out (because it all runs locally via the hub). Think of this layer as the backbone of your smart home – quiet, reliable and always on. - Shelly Wi-Fi
Perfect for budget and targeted control of specific circuits, appliances, blinds, energy monitoring and high-load devices. Keep in mind that you want to make sure you have good Wi-Fi infrastructure – otherwise things may not perform well! But with solid Wi-Fi, Shelly is an excellent, cost effective solution. In fact, Shelly Wi-Fi is now by far the most popular choice of SmartHome customers! - Matter
Matter is intended to make home automation feel simpler and easier from the user’s point of view. A Matter-capable hub (or bridge) can expose your Z-Wave, Zigbee and Shelly devices into Apple Home, Google Home or Alexa, so you can control everything with the voice assistant or app you already use. Over time, more devices will support Matter directly, but even today it’s a great way to unify different brands and technologies into one clean, easy-to-use experience.
- Z-Wave and Zigbee
Now let’s dive a little deeper into one of the big decisions you’ll need to make…
Hub or Hub-less?
This is one of the biggest choices you will need to make. Is your smart home going to be driven by a little black (or white) box that lives in your home – or will you rely on Wi-Fi and a “cloud” setup? These days, there’s also a third option: a Matter-capable hub that mixes both worlds.
Let’s get this out of the way right away… we strongly suggest getting a hub to unify your smart home. For small setups this may not be needed, but for any “serious” setup, a hub is definitely, strongly recommended! It’s easy to see why…
Smart home hubs
A smart home hub is essentially a small computer to which you connect your smart home devices. All processing of scenes, schedules, automations and triggering of devices is done locally – in your home.
There are many advantages to this over a purely cloud (hub-less) solution – including security, responsiveness, reliability and scalability. Modern hubs can also speak multiple languages – Z-Wave, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread and Matter – acting as the “brain” of your system and allowing you to bring everything together under one “roof”.
Aeotec Smart Home Hub
Home Assistant Green
Homey Pro Smart Hub (2026)
If you are planning more than a handful of devices, a hub-based (or local-first) system is usually the most reliable, powerful and future-proof way to go.
Smart home cloud (hub-less)
A “hub-less” smart home solution simply means your smart devices are connected directly to your Wi-Fi router and then to a “cloud” service on the internet that runs your smart home.
Excellent examples of this approach are Shelly devices (although these can also be run locally with a hub if you choose).
If all you want to do is control a few lights and perhaps a couple of power points, then hub-less is fine. It’s quick, easy, usually cheap and you don’t need to install a separate box.
Where you may run into trouble is if:
- You overload your Wi-Fi router with lots of always-connected devices
- Your internet goes down – and along with it, your cloud-only automations
- Your system becomes “fragmented”, with a different app for every brand
Wi-Fi smart devices (including Shelly) are usually a great way to set up a very focused smart home system or solution. Just keep in mind that if you want to expand your system in the future, you may want to introduce a hub or platform (or Matter) later to bring everything together.
Tip: We have an excellent blog that delves into the pros and cons of “Smart Home – Local vs Cloud” – well worth a read for a more in-depth analysis and to possibly save you from starting off down the wrong path in your smart home journey.
Smart Lighting control
Lighting control is at the core of any smart home. In fact, from our experience, this is where the journey usually starts. There are so many advantages to making your lights smart… energy saving, security, comfort and convenience to name a few.
Let me give you just one example that I think demonstrates the advantages of smart lighting perfectly…
In your ensuite – Let’s combine an Shelly Dimmer (to control the lights) with with an Aeotec MultiSensor 7 (to detect motion)…
During the evening… the MultiSensor 7 detects motion and turns on the ensuite lights to full brightness – and tuns the lights off again when motion is no longer detected.
During the night… from say 10pm to 6am – the MultiSensor 7 detects motion and turns on the ensuite lights to 20% brightness so you don’t blind yourself if nature calls during the night – and again, tuns the lights off when motion is no longer detected.
During the day… the MultiSensor 7 has a built in lux (light level) sensor – when it detects the light in the ensuite is above a certain level (which you set), it doesn’t turn on the lights (as they are not needed).
Bonus... the MultiSensor 7 also includes a temperature and humidity sensor - so if we were to attach an Shelly 1 Gen4 to the ensuite exhaust fan, we could automatically turn it on and off as the humidity in the room rises and lowers.
The above scenario is true home automation – we haven’t touched a phone app, or used a voice assistant, wall switch or remote control – everything intelligently happens automatically without us even needing to think about it. This is a true smart home.
There are 2 main types of smart lighting options…
Smart Bulbs
Smart bulbs (Wi-Fi, Zigbee and now Matter) have “the smarts” built into them, and are designed to be modern replacements for conventional light bulbs.
Often used to create different moods and atmospheres with splashes of colour, smart bulbs require you to leave the physical switch on, meaning control is only possible from the app or voice commands – if you turn off the light from the wall switch, the bulbs “drop dead” – they are no longer smart or controllable.
Smart bulbs have their place (lamps and supplemental lighting), they are easy to install yourself without the need for an electrician – but they are not ideal for main over-head lighting.
Smart lighting modules (Z-Wave, Shelly, Zigbee and more)
Smart lighting modules such as Z-Wave in-wall dimmers/switches or Shelly Wi-Fi modules are small, wireless devices that can be installed behind virtually any light switch to ‘add smarts’ to any type of connected lighting.
These modules can be retro-fit (no special or new wiring required in most cases) and enable you to use your traditional light switch to control the light as well as smart control. The wall switch and smart control always stay in sync.
Smart lighting modules can often be a cheaper option than smart bulbs (even after factoring in installation by an electrician) as you only need one module to control multiple lights connected to a switch – rather than needing to replace each bulb individually.
Which is better? Smart Bulbs or Smart Modules?
It’s clear that only smart modules meet the criteria of true “smart” lighting, as they make ordinary wall switches “smart” switches. Smart bulbs on the other hand do not retain manual switch control and are not truly ‘smart’ because they lose all functionality if the wall switch is turned off.
But this does not mean that one system is ‘better’ than the other. In fact, they both perform an extraordinary job doing what they’re designed to do.
When used in conjunction with one another for their intended purposes in a well-designed smart home lighting solution, the different technologies complement each other:
- Smart bulbs are great for lamps and mood lighting.
- Smart lighting modules (Z-Wave, Shelly, Zigbee, Matter-enabled dimmers) add ‘smarts’ to your main lighting system.
Tip: Feel free to read our How does smart lighting work? blog for a more in-depth discussion on this topic.
Smart Sensors
In my opinion, home automation sensors are what make a smart home truely smart. No need to touch your phone, no need to use voice control or push a button… through sensors inputs, your living spaces respond, react and anticipate your needs without you even needing to think about it.
A simple way to think about the role smart sensors play in a smart home is to think of the human body:
Sensors are the senses (they notice what’s happening)…
“Someone walked in!” “The temperature is rising!” “The door opened!”Your hub / software is the brain (it decides what to do based on sensor inputs)…
This is where the rules live: “If motion happens after 9pm, turn on the hallway lights to 20%.”
This is what we often call an automation (a rule) or a scene (a preset outcome).Smart devices are the muscles (they do the actions)…
Smart devices perform the actions the “brain” tells them to: dim lights, close blinds, turn on fan, send a notification, etc.
Smart sensors move your smart home beyond just a bunch of gadgets you can control with an app. They allow for true awareness and intelligence… they help to unlock the true power of home automation.
Smart Access Control
Keyless entry, smart locks and smart garage door control – I am not overstating things when I say these smart solutions will genuinely change your life. In “the olden days”, I cannot tell you the number of times I drove away from home and asked… “did I close the garage door?”… only to do a u-turn and inevitably find I did indeed close it (except one time, which of course just made me more paranoid).
Or what about the two times one of my children lost his keys (it’s always the same one) – 2 visits from the locksmith and many dollars later… I installed a smart lock and never looked back! Now my children just enter a PIN code to unlock the front door. I also receive a notification to my phone letting me know they have arrived home (huge peace of mind as all you parents would know).
And of course being able to answer my video doorbell and provide access (should I want to) from anywhere is a god send. I can see and talk to visitors and also let that dodgy guy who rang my doorbell during the day know that “no, there’s no Frank living here, you’ve got the wrong house!”…
If you were looking to dip your toes into a smart home, I can highly recommend this as an excellent place to start.
Yale Z-Wave Assure Keyed Deadbolt
Aqara Matter Smart Lock U200
Aqara Matter Smart Lever Lock U300
iSmartGate Garage Door and Gate Controller
Yale HomeKit Assure Slimline Deadbolt
Smart Blinds and Curtains
The average Australian spends the equivalent of 3 full days per year opening and closing blinds and curtains. OK, I just made that up… but I’m sure it’s a lot!
Automating your curtains and blinds is not only a time saver, it can also save you money (winter – keep the heat in, summer – heat out ). Set a schedule, voice control them, use a smart remote or use a smart temperature or light sensor to trigger opening and closing.
We have a few approaches here:
- In-wall modules such as Z-Wave roller shutter controllers or Shelly Wi-Fi motor controllers – great if you have “dumb” blind motors and want a fully integrated solution.
- All-in-one smart blind systems – often Zigbee, sometimes Matter-ready – which include the motor, control and integration in one package… such as the Eve MotionBlinds retro-fit solution (these are awesome!).
In many cases, these will also integrate with your Matter controller, Z-Wave or Zigbee hub, so you can still keep your smart home under one cohesive system.
Smart Voice Control
Voice control from Amazon Alexa, Google and Apple have revolutionised the smart home industry. Not too long ago, what was science fiction, is now science fact. Voice controlling your smart home feels natural and is often far more convenient than unlocking your phone, opening an app and pressing an icon. Nothing beats laying in bed at night and having Siri turn off the bedroom lights, make sure the front door is locked and arm the alarm in home mode… just by saying, “Hey Siri, goodnight”.
However it is important to understand that this convenience comes at a price. You see, Amazon, Google and Apple don’t charge a subscription for this black magic service… so what does it cost you? usually privacy. There’s a saying in the technology industry… if a company doesn’t charge you for its services, then you are the product! Honestly, I don’t think it’s a big deal… so Google wants to serve me more qualified ads… Amazon wants to sell me more toilet paper – I can live with that. But for some, this may be a step too far.
Also, these companies would like you to believe that they can be the centre of your smart home universe. This is simply not the case. Voice assistants, for the most part, are great at what they do – but they shouldn’t be the only way to control your smart home. Rather, they should simply be another option to control it (as long as you are comfortable with the privacy issues). As an example, you cannot really create great conditional automations with their devices and eco-systems – certainly not like you can with a dedicated smart home hub or software. Also, with a dedicated hub (which can all work with these voice assistants anyway), your data us stored locally – you own it. It is not being mined to better understand you as a consumer – and it is not being stored in the cloud. Worth thinking about.
Smart... you name it
We have seen it all over the years. You name it and someone has tried to automate it! From chicken coop doors, record players, the mailbox (to be alerted when mail arrives… seriously), pet door flaps to irrigation control (this one is actually really practical).
If it opens and closes, turns on or off, goes up or down or connects to power… there is a good chance it can be automated – sometimes with a little creative thinking using a mix of Z-Wave, Zigbee, Shelly Wi-Fi and now Matter-ready devices.
Contact us if you would like some free expert advice… we are always happy to help. If we can’t help you solve it, there’s a good chance it can’t be done!
One app to rule them all
One of the biggest issues holding back the smart home industry has always been what I like to call “fragmentation”… this device doesn’t talk to that device. It has gotten so bad in some homes that you end up with 15 different apps to control your smart home. This is not very convenient, and certainly not smart.
The holy grail of home automation is to have everything under one system… not fragmented.
Historically, we’ve recommended open platforms such as Z-Wave and Zigbee, combined with a good hub, to bring as many devices as possible into one ecosystem. That advice still stands.
What’s changed is that Matter is starting to help reduce fragmentation further – especially for new devices. Matter doesn’t magically fix everything overnight, but over time it will make it easier for devices to show up in one app and behave more consistently, even if they’re made by different brands.
Our suggestion today:
- Use an open, flexible hub (with Z-Wave, Zigbee, Wi-Fi and Matter support) as the core of your system.
- Add Shelly Wi-Fi devices where they make sense – and integrate them with your chosen platform (or use them in smaller, focused setups).
- Where possible, buy Matter-ready devices so you’re not locked into one ecosystem forever.
If there is only one piece of advice you take away from this article…
Stay away from proprietary, closed smart home systems and devices wherever possible.
Stick to open platforms (Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter and flexible and open Wi-Fi devices like Shelly). Although Wi-Fi is technically an open standard, manufacturers often create proprietary communication systems that simply communicate via Wi-Fi and their own cloud. It may be a cheap option in the short term… but we have seen too many cases where these companies go broke or shut down their cloud servers… and all you are left with is cheap paperweights.
In summary
We have covered the basics in this article and I hope you have found it informative and useful.
Remember, home automation is not a one size fits all solution – you can usually be guided by what you want to achieve and what is important to you.
- If you are looking for a very small and focused solution, then I suggest taking a look at Shelly Wi-Fi devices (cheap, no hub required, with the option of local control).
- If you are looking for a more complete, whole-home solution, then a hub that supports Z-Wave and Zigbee (and increasingly Matter) is usually the way to go.
- If you care about future-proofing and simpler control, choose Matter-capable hubs and devices where it makes sense.
The benefits of creating a smart home are immeasurable, but it can also be daunting and confusing… especially when starting out. No one wants to “make a mistake” and choose the wrong solution.
Please remember we are always here to help… we are the smart home experts, so you don’t need to be. Contact us if you need free advice, assistance or guidance in any way.
