RF vs Zigbee: What Really Controls Your Smart Blinds?

Not sure what RF or Zigbee actually means? This blog explains it, in real words, with real life examples.

🧠 Most People Think It’s Wi-Fi — But That’s Not What Actually Controls Your Smart Devices

When most people hear “smart home,” they think everything runs on Wi-Fi.

And yes, Wi-Fi is what connects your phone to the internet. It also connects your TV, your speakers, and lets you open an app to control your blinds, lights, or curtains.

But here’s the part most people don’t realise:

❌ Wi-Fi isn’t what actually talks to your smart blinds.

✅ That job belongs to a hub, and the hub uses a different wireless signal, like RF or Zigbee.

🧠 What’s a Smart Home Hub?

A hub is a small box (like a modem or router) that acts like the middleman between your phone and your smart devices.

• It connects to your home Wi-Fi

• But it controls your blinds using RF or Zigbee, not Wi-Fi

So when you tap “Close blinds” in your phone app:

1. Your phone sends the message to the hub over Wi-Fi

2. The hub sends the signal to the blind motor using RF or Zigbee

3. The blinds move

In Simple Terms:

• Wi-Fi = the internet pipe

• Smart home protocol (RF or Zigbee) = the language your devices understand

• The hub = the brain that speaks the language

• The app = your remote control

🤔 Wait — Isn’t Google, Alexa or Siri Already a Hub or App?

A lot of people ask:

“If I’ve got Google Home, Alexa, or Siri… isn’t that already a hub?”

It’s a fair question — but here’s the truth:

❌ Google, Alexa, and Siri are not smart home hubs. They’re voice assistants, not the brains of the operation.

They don’t talk directly to your blind motors, plugs, or lights. They send the command to the real app (like Automate or Smart Life), and that app tells your hub what to do.

🧠 Think of it like this:

• Google, Alexa, or Siri = the voice

• The app (like Automate or Smart Life) = the translator

• The hub = the brain

• The motor = the muscle

🗣️ What happens when you say “Hey Google, close the blinds”:

1. Google hears you

2. It sends your voice command to the app's cloud

3. The cloud sends it to your hub at home

4. The hub sends the signal to your motor

5. Your blinds move

⚠️ Key takeaway:

You still need the app and the hub. Google Home, Alexa, or Siri can’t do anything on their own, they just pass on your voice.

📡 So What Actually Controls Your Smart Devices? It’s RF or Zigbee.

After the hub receives the command, it sends it using a wireless protocol, not Wi-Fi. There are two main protocols in smart homes:

• RF (Radio Frequency)

• Zigbee

There are two main protocols in smart homes — and when comparing RF vs Zigbee, it’s important to understand how each one works.

✅ RF (Radio Frequency)

RF is a simple, low-frequency signal (433 MHz in Australia) that sends a command directly from a remote or hub to your motor, no internet needed.

You can:

• Use a remote only (no app, no Wi-Fi, no hub)

• Or add a hub to make it smart

💡 Add a hub like the Automate Pulse 2 or Somfy Tahoma, and RF becomes just as smart as Zigbee:

• App control

• Voice control (Google, Alexa, Siri)

• Routines & timers

• Two-way feedback

• Remote still works offline

✅ Zigbee

Zigbee creates a mesh network, where devices (like smart plugs and sensors) pass the signal to each other.

• Needs a hub to work

• Needs Wi-Fi to function

• Works best when you have multiple powered devices

• Uses apps like Smart Life, Tuya, Google Home

Zigbee is great when you want everything controlled in one app.

⚖️ Now That We Know the Brains — What’s the Real Difference?

The real difference comes down to how devices communicate — and what kind of system you're building.

✅ RF (Radio Frequency) is simple and direct. The remote talks straight to the motor. No app, no internet, no setup — just press a button and it works. But that doesn’t mean it’s not smart. By adding a hub like the Automate Pulse Pro or Somfy Tahoma, RF systems become fully smart-home capable — with app control, voice control, timers, and automation. Yes, it means using an additional hub and app, but the Automate app is powerful and worth it for the added features like battery level monitoring, group control, and sunrise/sunset automation.

✅ Zigbee is designed from the ground up for smart homes. It requires a Zigbee hub, but that hub can control more than just blinds — including lights, sensors, plugs, and more — all in a single app like Tuya, Smart Life, or Home Assistant. If you’re already building a smart home with Zigbee, it makes sense to keep everything in one ecosystem.

In short:

• RF is simpler and great if you're just motorising roller blinds or curtains

• RF can also be made smart by adding a dedicated hub — giving you full automation without switching ecosystems

• Zigbee makes sense if you're already running a broader smart home setup and want one hub to control it all

  
  

🙋‍♂️ Common Questions

Can I use RF and Zigbee together?

Yes — some motors (like ShawSmart) support both. You can pair a remote for offline control, and also use a Zigbee hub for app/voice control.

Do I need Wi-Fi for my blinds to work?

Only if you're using app or voice control. Remotes work without Wi-Fi on RF and some Zigbee motors with direct pairing.

What happens during a power outage?

Battery-powered motors paired with a remote will still work. App and voice control won’t work unless the hub also has power (and internet if it relies on the cloud).

🔍 RF vs Zigbee: Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	RF (Automate, Somfy)	Zigbee (ShawSmart)
Works when Wi-Fi is down	✅ Yes	❌ No
Works during power outage	✅ Yes (battery motors)	❌ No
Needs a hub to be smart	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Needs internet to work	❌ No	✅ Yes (for app/voice control)
Uses mesh network	❌ No	✅ Yes
One app for everything	❌ Usually not	✅ Yes
Great for blinds & awnings	✅ 100%	✅ 100%
Great for lights & plugs	❌ Not ideal	✅ Yes

🛠 Our Setup: What We Sell and Recommend

We sell both types of motors — RF and Zigbee — because different homes and different users need different setups.

• Automate & Somfy motors use RF. They work with handheld remotes, wall switches, and optional hubs like the Pulse Pro or Tahoma for app and voice control.

• ShawSmart motors use Zigbee. They work with Zigbee remotes and a Zigbee hub like the ShawSmart Hub, which connects to apps like Tuya or Smart Life.

Whether you want something simple with a remote or full smart home integration, we’ve got options for both.

💬 Craig’s Take

Personally, I prefer RF motors with the Automate Pulse Pro Hub. The app’s rock solid and gives me features like timers, battery levels, and remote access — and I like having that level of control.

That said, if you asked 100 smart home users, you'd probably get a 50/50 split. Some people love Zigbee because they already use Tuya or Smart Life and want everything in one app.

Both systems are smart. It just depends on how you like to set things up.

💬 Still unsure?Contact us and we’ll help you choose what’s right for your home.