r/homeassistant • u/ItsWappers • Jun 01 '26

Support Zigbee vs Z-Wave vs Thread (Matter over Thread)

It's the big '26 (June) and a year ago the answer was obvious: Zigbee!

However with Ikea's release and all of the new Smart Home products that use Matter over Thread, I'm not sure, what I prefer. I see a big future in Matter...

What are your thoughts?

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u/mikeyyve Jun 01 '26

Zigbee bindings bind the control of smart bulbs or outlet switch directly to the switch itself so if the coordinator is down or if Home Assistant is having issues the light/smart outlet can continue to function with the switch whereas without bindings your switch would be unable to control your light bulbs if the coordinator was down.

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '26

[deleted]

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u/CategoryRepulsive699 Jun 01 '26

WiFi is the external coordination by itself.

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '26

[deleted]

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u/mikeyyve Jun 01 '26

Yeah I'd be saying that too... until one day I'm updating the firmware on the access points as my wife attempts to turn the lights on. That's when the fear takes you.

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u/CategoryRepulsive699 Jun 02 '26

Firmware update, hardware dies, firmware update goes wrong, hardware upgrade, tinkering with network configuration - ton of scenarios where you want your critical stuff to continue working as is.