My bathroom renovation taught me that smart home integration isn't always plug-and-play

During my bathroom renovation last month, I installed a smart mirror and several moisture sensors to prevent mold. The installation was straightforward, but getting everything to communicate with my central hub proved frustratingly difficult. For those who have retrofitted smart tech into older homes, how do you handle compatibility issues without a full system overhaul?

4 comments

4 Comments

miaperez14h ago

My bathroom reno last year had the same issue with a smart vent fan. I used to think all hubs spoke the same language, tbh. The zwave moisture sensor wouldn't pair with my google nest hub no matter what. I had to add a smartthings hub as a middleman, which fixed it. Now I research protocols like zwave vs zigbee before buying anything. Saves so many headaches.

flores.simon11h ago

Nest can't handle a simple sensor?

sean_johnson167h ago

Totally get where you're coming from. I used to think everything was plug-and-play, but @miaperez's point about protocol research is spot on. In my setup, a Z-wave lock wouldn't talk to my Nest without a dedicated hub. Now I always verify if devices use Zigbee, Z-wave, or Thread, which saves so much frustration later.

the_miles4h ago

Yeah Thread's been solid for me too. That whole local mesh thing means less cloud dependency when the internet drops. Makes me skip Z-Wave entirely now.