If you're not convinced ZigBee or Z-Wave is the way to go when choosing a Smart Lighting technology, read this page first. If you're ready to get going, let's start by choosing a control bridge first. While ZigBee seems to conquer the EU, Z-wave is more common in the US. Not sure which smart bridge or hub to choose? Have a look at the 4 most common approaches:
If you're looking for a no fuzz deployment, you don't mind spending the money and don't expect advanced automation or other Smart Home features, this probably is your best option.
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If you're a Samsung fan (Smart TVs, tablets and/or smartphones), another option might be the Samsung SmartThings Hub, supporting both ZigBee and Z-wave bulbs and power plugs, as well as WLAN camera, sensors, and other smart devices. Pro
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Some of the Amazon Echo devices, such as the Echo Plus (1st and 2nd generation), and the latest Echo Studio have an integrated ZigBee antenna. This could be sufficient if you only need to control your ZigBee plugs and bulbs through Alexa. Pro
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Are you looking for extreme control, advanced routines, interfaces, integrations, ... then you'll need to go for a home control server approach, which can perfectly run on a Raspberry pi, on the condition you equip it with a Zigbee or Z-wave antenna Pro
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I think there are 2 smart combinations you can choose:
If you're looking for advanced light control only, the Hue bridge is a bit more reliable and mature compared to SmartThings, and this would be the perfect combination. The Hue bridge will make sure you can still use some switches and buttons to control your ZigBee lights, while Alexa would be the master controller, offering Voice Control, managing groups and routines, and complementing the ZigBee bulbs with other (Wifi) devices. The only limitation you will find is that the Hue switches and buttons will not be able to control the Wifi devices, controlled y Alexa.
A combination that I have not tested myself, but looks very promising, is the SmartThings hub combined with either the Google or Amazon voice assistant. In this case, most intelligence would be in the SmartThings hub, as it can natively support ZigBee, Z-wave, and Wifi devices, as well as connecting buttons, switches, and sensors.
Luckily, it will not take much effort to migrate my current situation (Alexa Echo Plus ZigBee hub) towards this setup, registering all ZigBee and Wifi devices to the SmartThings hub, while keeping Alexa only as voice extension.