In this article we will be more specific about the use of light bulbs or, similarly, sensors with Zigbee standard. This protocol represents one of the main wireless communication standards with specific application to the smart-home. The use of low-power and low-consumption antennas guarantees considerable energy savings in battery powered sensors, allowing continuous operation for a long time. In addition, the mesh structure allows the network to perform beyond  line of sight, overcoming corners, obstacles and passing through different levels of a building.



The need to buy one or a group of "smart" bulbs arises from the need to be able to control your home comfortably from your smartphone, even remotely. 


As far as "smart" bulbs are concerned, for example, we can find many brands on the market, but, essencially,  they can be divided into two types:


Wifi bulbs:

WiFi bulbs can be controlled from your smartphone by connecting them directly to your home WiFi router. While this may seem like an advantage, this link introduces a number of issues:


  • Greater latency in tourning on/off;
  • Inability to use bulbs with no internet connection;
  • Overload of the home WiFi network;
  • Security risks (WiFi bulbs can be an easy "front door" for the whole home WiFi network)

ZigBee bulbs:

As in the case of WiFi bulbs, remote control via smartphone is also possible with Zigbee. To work, Zigbee devices require an additional hub to control all peripherals, bringing the benefits of the Zigbee standard to the network:


  • Mesh network of the various nodes of the network (each node, therefore also the bulb itself, acts as a signal repeater, ensuring safe and reliable coverage throughout the house).
  • Interoperability of bulbs of various brands (Osram, Innr, Trust, etc.);
  • Lower latency of remote control;
  • Greater network security;
  • No overload of the WiFi network.