Guides

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• Which devices need a hub

  A device's connection path, not its brand, decides what it needs. Matter over Wi-Fi needs a Matter controller. Matter over Thread also needs a Thread border router. Zigbee and Z-Wave need a coordinator or controller radio. Many speakers, displays, TVs and routers already do one or more of those jobs.

• Works with HomeKit: native, Matter and bridges

  A device works with HomeKit in one of three ways: as a native accessory, as a Matter device, or through a bridge. Apple's Works with the Home app badge marks Matter-certified accessories. A maker's spec or setup page states whether a device needs Matter, a hub or a bridge. A home hub such as a HomePod or Apple TV adds remote access.

• Home radon and air quality monitors

  A home radon monitor measures radon gas in pCi/L or Bq/m3, and most models add temperature and humidity. Airthings makes the monitors in this index: the Corentium Home has no wireless link, the Wave models connect over Bluetooth and SmartLink, and the View models add Wi-Fi and can act as a hub. Radon figures are shown as averages over a day, a week or longer, and Airthings states that the long-term average is the one that matters for risk.

• Matter over Wi-Fi vs Thread

  Matter over Wi-Fi and Matter over Thread are the same standard on two different networks. A Wi-Fi device joins the router and needs only a Matter controller. A Thread device joins a low-power mesh and also needs a Thread border router. Wi-Fi suits mains-powered plugs, fans, appliances and thermostats. Thread suits battery sensors, buttons and remotes, because Home Assistant ties Thread's low power and low bandwidth to battery devices that send little data. The index lists 148 Matter over Thread end devices and 453 Matter over Wi-Fi end devices.

• Smart locks in 2026

  A smart lock's connection type decides what it needs. Matter over Thread locks need a Thread border router and a Matter controller. Bluetooth and HomeKit-only locks need a home hub for remote use, Wi-Fi locks connect directly, and Z-Wave and Zigbee locks need a controller radio. Home Key tap-to-unlock appears on locks of every type.

• Smart plugs with energy monitoring and local control

  Plugs with energy monitoring report power use, and local control means commands travel over the home network or a local radio instead of the maker's cloud. Matter, Zigbee, Z-Wave and Shelly's local Wi-Fi API all work without a cloud account, but each needs different hardware: a Matter controller, a Zigbee coordinator, a Z-Wave controller or Home Assistant. Shelly, SONOFF, Tapo, Kasa, Meross, Eve, Zooz and Third Reality all sell plugs that report power.

• Smart sprinkler controllers and hose timers

  A smart sprinkler controller runs a schedule for the zone valves of an in-ground system, and a hose timer runs one valve at a faucet. Weather-based controllers use local weather data to decide how much, how often and when to water. Rachio sells the Rachio 3 in-wall controller and the Smart Hose Timer, and Wyze, Meross, Eve, Govee and SONOFF sell controllers, timers or valves of their own in this index.

• Smart thermostats and the C wire

  A C wire is the common wire that gives a smart thermostat constant 24 V AC power. Honeywell Home's X2S, Wyze's thermostat and Aqara's W200 list a C wire as the power source. Nest thermostats are designed to work without one in most homes, and ecobee includes a Power Extender Kit with its Premium and Enhanced models. tado's thermostats run on batteries with a receiver on mains.

• Current models and older generations of smart home gear

  Smart home makers reuse product names across generations, so the name on a listing does not date a product. A model code, a figure printed on the box, a Matter logo or the maker's own pointer to a newer model separates a current product from an older one. Hue sells bulbs with the same name and different specifications. Reolink and Wyze point from older models to newer ones. TP-Link marks its Matter plugs with an M suffix.

• Thread border routers by platform

  Every Matter over Thread device needs a Thread border router. That is the box that links the Thread mesh to the Wi-Fi or Ethernet network. Many homes already have one: a HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K (Wi-Fi + Ethernet) on HomeKit, a Nest Hub (2nd gen) or Nest Wifi Pro on Google Home, an Echo (4th Gen) or a recent eero router on Alexa, and the SmartThings Station on SmartThings. The index lists 46 devices that act as a Thread border router. Each vendor still forms its own Thread network.

• Video doorbells and cameras without a subscription

  Several video doorbells record without a monthly plan because they store video on the device, on a microSD card or on a hub. eufy, Reolink, Wyze and SwitchBot list local storage on their doorbells. Ring, Blink, Wyze and Google tie recorded history, person alerts or package alerts to a paid plan. Smart features are the usual dividing line.

• WiZ vs Philips Hue: how to tell them apart

  WiZ and Philips Hue both belong to Signify. WiZ lights join the home Wi-Fi and need no hub. Hue Zigbee lights need a Hue Bridge, and Bluetooth-capable Hue bulbs can be used without one. WiZ suits a home that wants Wi-Fi lights with no hub. Hue suits a home that runs Zigbee lights through a Bridge, or one that controls up to 10 lights over Bluetooth without it. The two use different apps and different names on the box.

• Z-Wave in 2026: Long Range, 800 series and controllers

  Z-Wave is a sub-GHz mesh standard that needs a Z-Wave controller, either a hub or a USB stick running host software. Z-Wave Long Range adds a star network of up to 4,000 nodes and about one mile of line-of-sight range, and the 800 series chip is the generation that the newest sticks and plugs use. Home Assistant runs Z-Wave locally through Z-Wave JS, and 199 of the 3243 devices in this index use Z-Wave.

• Zigbee in 2026: status and support

  Zigbee works as a system around a hub rather than as single devices. Zigbee is still maintained. Zigbee 4.0 was announced in November 2025 and is backward compatible with Zigbee 3.0, and a Zigbee hub that bridges to Matter keeps those devices usable in every major Matter platform. Zigbee sits behind 580 of the 3243 devices in this index, and makers now sell Thread versions alongside it.