Smart home devices all have either a wired or wireless communication method or protocol, which can be used to remotely control them and integrate them with smart home hubs.

Smart home devices have at least one connection type for remote control and integration. This is how they can be accessed by the user from a mobile phone, or tablet or PC, an app or a web browser. If they are connected to the internet, or connected locally to a gatewy or hub, they also use this connection method to communicate.

Typical connection types can be:

LAN protocol provides a wired connection, and smart home devices using Ethernet connection has a stable, undisturbed connection to the local network. As of today, only a limited number of eWeLink devices support Ethernet connection.

Wi-Fi wireless connections typically support 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connection protocols, mostly supporting the IEEE 802.11/b, IEEE 802.11/g and IEEE 802.11/n standards. Most smart home devices do not support 5 GHz Wi-Fi channels, as that offers high bandwidth and low area coverage, which is not ideal for smart home devices.

However, recently some premium brands started to produce devices also compatible with Wi-Fi 6 standard.

Many entry-level devices today support Wi-Fi as their main smart control protocol. The advantage of that is that there Wi-Fi-based devices do not need a central unit (hub or gateway) as they directly connect to the local Wi-Fi router. They are very easy and cheap to install them, as there is no cost of a central unit. Most Wi-Fi smart devices are platform locked, that is, they only work with one cloud service and one factory application.

Similarly to Wi-Fi, Zigbee wireless protocol also works on 2.4 GHz frequency, but it is a smart home specific data transmission protocol, optimized for low bandwidth and low power consumption. Therefore, it is ideal for wireless smart home devices working from battery, such as sensors.

Also, Zigbee protocol supports mesh network feature, which means, that devices powered by 230V AC power (live+neutral wire) work as Zigbee network repeater, forwarding the Zigbee signal to devices installed in a larger distance.

For larger smart home solutions (with more than 50 local devices), it is recommended to consider using Zigbee devices rather than Wi-Fi to avoid overloading the Wi-Fi router with too many connecting devices. Zigbee devices connect to a dedicated Zigbee gateway or hub, so use their own communication network, and only the Zigbee gateway or hub connects to Wi-Fi (or Ethernet). Zigbee gateways (or hubs) with cloud support are all platform locked, so only work with only one factory app / platform.

Zigbee devices can also be connected to a Zigbee USB coordinator or router (some time also called as Zigbee USB antenna), which is plugged in to a local hub (running on a PC or a Raspberry Pi). Such systems usually run open-source smart home systems like Home Assistant, OpenHAB or Domoticz.

While many Zigbee 3.0 devices are cross-platform compatible, please note that not all Zigbee 3.0 devices can pair with all platforms' Zigbee gateways. Also, note that Tuya Zigbee protocol is a Tuya-specific Zigbee protocol implementation, and Tuya Zigbee devices are mostly NOT compatible with eWeLink Zigbee gateways.

Thread is one of the newest smart home protocols, developed by a consortium of leading smart home companies. It combines the advantages of Zigbee and Wi-Fi protocols, and aims to provide a stable, secure, fast, and energy-efficient connection between devices, while also offering a manufacturer-independent communication solution for the Matter smart home standard.

Thread also builds and uses a mesh network, as Thread devices are capable of creating a self-organizing mesh network. This means that devices forward signals between each other, resulting in greater coverage and improved reliability. Data within the network is protected by built-in encryption and authentication.

The Thread communication protocol also requires a platform and a hub, but unlike previously mentioned solutions, Thread devices are no longer tied to a specific manufacturer’s ecosystem. Most Matter-compatible smart home systems now offer Thread hubs, which means that Thread devices are widely compatible and can be used with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, SmartThings, or other Matter-enabled systems.

Z-Wave protocol, which is also a smart home specific wireless protocol, works in 868.42 MHz frequency in Europe. Because of the lower frequency compared to Wi-Fi and Zigbee, it supports larger transmission distance, and is more resilient to obstacles such as walls.

Z-Wave protocol also supports mesh network structure. Also, Z-Wave protocol is considered to be the standard with the highest interoperability, meaning that almost all Z-Wave compatible devices are deemed to be compatible with each other.

Z-Wave devices also need a Z-Wave gateway or hub to connect to as a central unit.

Z-Wave Long Range (Z-Wave LR) is an enhanced version of the Z-Wave smart home protocol that offers significantly increased range and device capacity. While traditional Z-Wave networks typically support communication within 100 meters, Z-Wave LR can bridge distances of up to several kilometers in open space and supports more than 4,000 devices within a single network. An important difference is that Z-Wave LR does not use a mesh network, but rather point-to-point communication, resulting in a simpler topology and more reliable data transmission in larger systems.

Additionally, other wireless communication protocols are used mainly for pairing or local remote control, or local data transfer, such local protocols are:

Bluetooth protocol is frequenty used for pairing the smart home devices to the Wi-Fi network with the help of a mobile phone app, also used to transmit data from wireless sensors to a receiver. Bluetooth can also be used for remote control of some devices.

Note: There are some smart home brands, which not only use Bluetooth for sensors and remote control, but have all their smart devices rely on Bluetooth based communication. While this provides low-battery usage, they all need a local Bluetooth gateway for remote control from app, and integration.

eWeLink-Remote is also a Bluetooth Low Energy based protocol, a proprietary technology developed by eWeLink for smart home ecosystems. It enables remote control and also pairing of devices without relying on Wi-Fi or the internet.

RF433 is a communication technology used on the 433MHz radio frequency, also used for local remote controllers, or sensors to send information or alarm triggers to an RF receiver. RF433 sensors typically connect to a gateway, while RF433 remote controllers can also connect to a relay or wall switch with RF433 receiver for direct remote control. Note: RF433 technolgy is becoming replaced more and more by Bluetooth based rechnologies as Bluetooth usually provides a better range and more stable communication.

Some brands prefer to use 2.4GHz radio frequency based communication to remotely control other devices. Similarly to RF433, RF2.4G solutions are mostly proprietary to their platform.