The best Z-Wave Long Range (LR) devices and the controllers you need to run them: Zooz ZST39 LR, Aeotec Z-Stick 10 Pro, HomeSeer SmartStick G8, Zooz XS sensors, ZSE18 and ZSE70 motion, Aeotec Door Window Sensor 8, Minoston LR plugs, Zooz ZEN14, ZEN76 and ZEN77, Enbrighten LR switch, Zooz ZEN34 and Shelly Wave 1 US LR.
The Zigbee sensors with the longest claimed battery life, ranked: SONOFF SNZB-05P, SNZB-01P and SNZB-04PR1 rated for 5 years, Aqara Motion P1, SONOFF SNZB-02P and SNZB-03P, and THIRDREALITY leak, button, contact, motion, temperature and tilt sensors, with cell types and tips to stretch battery life.
The best Zigbee development boards and modules for makers and firmware engineers: Seeed XIAO ESP32C6, Waveshare ESP32-C6, ESP32-H2-DevKitM-1, XIAO ESP32-C5, SparkFun Thing Plus ESP32-C6, Arduino Nano Matter, XIAO MG24, SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24, nRF52840 dongles and SparkFun XBee 3, compared by chip, SDK and use case.
The best THIRDREALITY Zigbee devices compared: Smart Plug 4-pack and Gen3, Dual Plug, ZL1 and ZB3 color bulbs, Night Light repeater, motion, contact, garage tilt, vibration, leak and temperature sensors, Smart Button and Smart Hub Gen2 Plus, ranked for Echo, SmartThings, Hubitat and Home Assistant.
The best Aqara Zigbee devices compared: Aqara Hub M2 and M100 kit, Door and Window Sensor, Temperature and Humidity Sensor, Water Leak Sensor, Motion Sensor P1, FP1E presence sensor, Wireless Mini Switch, H1 wall switches, T1 no-neutral module and vibration sensor kit, with clear notes on Aqara hub requirements.
The best SONOFF Zigbee devices compared: Dongle Plus MG24, Zigbee Bridge Pro, SNZB-02D and SNZB-02WD climate sensors, SNZB-03P motion, SNZB-06P presence, SNZB-04PR2 door, SNZB-05P leak, SNZB-01P and SNZB-01M buttons, SNZB-09P siren, ZBMINIR2 and ZBMINIL2 relays and S40 Lite plug.
The best Zigbee devices for Samsung SmartThings: the Aeotec Smart Home Hub2 V4 and the official Aeotec SmartThings motion, multipurpose, leak and button sensors, plus THIRDREALITY, SONOFF, Sengled and GLEDOPTO devices whose listings name SmartThings support.
The best Zigbee devices for Amazon Echo with a built-in Zigbee hub: Echo Hub, THIRDREALITY plugs, bulbs and sensors, Sengled bulbs, the Enbrighten Zigbee dimmer and SONOFF S40 Lite, all chosen because their listings name Echo support, with notes on what Alexa can and can’t show.
The best Zigbee Philips Hue alternatives compared: THIRDREALITY ZL1 and ZB3 bulbs, innr White and Color bulbs and plugs, LEDEPLY GU10s, Sengled bulbs and light strips, GLEDOPTO LED strip controllers, a Zigbee RGB strip kit and GIDEALED recessed downlights, with honest notes on Hue Bridge compatibility.
The best Zigbee wireless buttons and remotes compared: Philips Hue Dimmer Switch, Tap Dial and Smart Button, Lutron Aurora, SONOFF SNZB-01P and SNZB-01M, THIRDREALITY Smart Button, Shelly BLU RC Button 4 ZB, Aqara Wireless Mini Switch, and MOES and Tuya scene remotes, ranked on buttons, actions and hub compatibility.