How to Set Up Your Smart Home: A Beginner's Guide - PCMag
How to Control Everything In Your Smart Home · Voice Control: The Easy Place to Start · Use Smart Plugs to Automate Your Old Tech · Switch Out Your ...
Z-Wave
Other devices rely on more generic wireless protocols such as Zigbee and <anchor>Z-Wave</anchor> that help them communicate with a hub ( Matter is an emerging smart home standard to keep an eye on, too). The benefit of using a hub is that you can consolidate all of your smart home products under one app and control them from there, rather than using separate apps for your light bulbs and thermostat, for example.
Definition of Z-Wave | PCMag
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A wireless network for home security and smart home devices from Zensys, Inc. Introduced in 1999, Z-Wave is designed for low-speed controls such as turning devices on and off or raising and lowering functions. Operating in a mesh topology, each Z-Wave device can relay signals from another device for better reception. Working in the unlicensed 902-928 MHz band, Z-Wave devices do not interfere with Wi-Fi and other products that use the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. See [home control network](/encyclopedia/term/home-control-network).

![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20400%20225'%3E%3Crect%20fill='%23f7f7f7'%20/%3E%3C/svg%3E)**Turn It On and Off**
This Minimote remote control (left) from Aeon Labs sends Z-Wave signals to the "smart switch" (right) that is plugged into any AC outlet.
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20400%20225'%3E%3Crect%20fill='%23f7f7f7'%20/%3E%3C/svg%3E)**Z-Wave Security Systems**
Widely used for security, smoke alarms (top left) and motion sensors (top right) send Z-Wave signals to this control panel monitored by Brinks.
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20400%20225'%3E%3Crect%20fill='%23f7f7f7'%20/%3E%3C/svg%3E)**A Z-Wave Remote**
This Universal Electronics remote control sends Z-Wave signals to a base station that outputs infrared signals to A/V components (see [RF remote control](/encyclopedia/term/rf-remote-control)). _(Image courtesy of Universal Electronics Inc.)_

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