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?

Here’s the real-world difference:

✅ RF still works when Wi-Fi or power goes out, if you’re using a battery-powered motor

❌ Zigbee doesn’t, it needs both power and an internet-connected hub

That’s it. Both are smart. Only one still works when everything else fails.

🤔 Then Why Would I Use Zigbee?

Zigbee lets you control everything in one app through one hub. Lights, blinds, sensors, plugs, all in one place. No juggling multiple apps.

Use Zigbee if:

• You use Smart Life, Tuya, or Google Home already

• You want one app for everything

• You want to link lights, blinds, and sensors into routines

⚠️ But remember:

RF may mean an extra app and hub…But if you have battery-powered blinds and a remote, they’ll still work when your power or Wi-Fi goes out.

That’s a big deal when:

• Your awning’s out during a storm

• Your sliding door blinds are shut and power’s down

• You’re away and can’t access the app

In those moments, RF just works.

🔍 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
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, because different homes need different solutions:

• Automate & Somfy → RF motorsReliable. Simple. Offline-ready.

• ShawSmart → Zigbee motorsSmart. Integrates with Tuya, Smart Life, and more.

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