At Smart Home Europe, we love Zigbee. It’s affordable, widely supported, has a strong ecosystem of devices, and integrates perfectly with local smart home platforms like Home Assistant. For lights, sensors, buttons, and plugs—Zigbee is almost always our first choice.
But when it comes to in-wall dimmers, our recommendation shifts. Here, Z-Wave gets the upper hand—and for good reason.
Why Not Zigbee?
Zigbee dimmers exist, but in our experience, they often fall short when it comes to reliability and range—especially when placed behind physical wall switches and inside electrical boxes. Zigbee’s mesh network can be more fragile in this kind of setup, and signal strength can degrade through the metal and concrete commonly found in European walls.
Why Z-Wave for Dimmers?
In-wall dimmers are a special case:
- They’re hard to replace. Once built into the wall behind a switch, they effectively become part of your house. Replacing them later isn’t as easy as swapping a smart plug or bulb.
- They must be rock-solid. You don’t want flickering lights, dropped connections, or support headaches.
- They can increase home value. When integrated well, they provide a professional-grade lighting system that future buyers will appreciate.
- They must be safe and compliant. Cheap, grey-import Zigbee dimmers from outside the EU might be tempting—but they often come with unknown safety standards, potential fire risks, and no product liability within Europe.
Z-Wave is the preferred choice among professional installers for good reason:
- Excellent reliability and long range, even through walls.
- Strong European support and safety compliance.
- Lower network traffic and less interference compared to Wi-Fi or Zigbee.
Our Top Pick: Fibaro Dimmer 2
Our go-to device is the Fibaro Dimmer 2. It’s a mature, tried-and-tested Z-Wave module that we’ve been using—and recommending—for over a decade. It supports a wide range of loads, works with or without a neutral wire, and has advanced configuration options while maintaining broad compatibility.
We’ve installed dozens of these modules in our own homes and client projects, and they just work—day in, day out.
Bottom Line:
Use Zigbee for most of your smart home gear. But for in-wall dimmers, we strongly advise going with a quality Z-Wave module like the Fibaro Dimmer 2. It’s safer, more reliable, and a long-term investment in your home’s value and comfort.