Smart home protocols
Plain-English guides to every smart home protocol — Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Thread, Wi-Fi, KNX and X10 — plus side-by-side comparisons and which to pick.
The protocols
- Zigbee — The high-volume, low-cost mesh radio behind Hue, IKEA and Aqara.
- Z-Wave — The strictly-certified sub-GHz mesh, strongest in locks and security.
- Thread — The IP-native mesh radio that Matter prefers for battery devices.
- Matter — The cross-ecosystem application standard from Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung.
- KNX — The wired European building-automation standard with a 30-year track record.
- X10 — The 1970s powerline original — historically important, legacy today.
- Wi-Fi — No hub, big bandwidth — the default for cameras and cheap plugs.