Use Wi‑Fi for simple plug-in loads and cloud assistants already on your network. For sensors, Thread's low-latency mesh excels without draining batteries, and Matter bridges ecosystems gracefully. A tiny border router hidden behind your TV can stabilize everything without new holes, cables, or landlord conversations. You gain faster responsiveness and fewer headaches in tight spaces.
Choose sensors that support efficient sleep intervals and event-based reporting. Avoid rapid polling that kills coin cells, especially in high-traffic hallways. Range extenders can be as simple as a powered bulb or plug, quietly strengthening mesh links while doubling as automation anchors for timers or night-lights. Small tweaks today prevent weekly battery replacements tomorrow.
Apartment blocks are RF jungles. Place hubs away from microwaves and metal racks, prefer 5 GHz Wi‑Fi for phones, and select Zigbee channels that dodge noisy routers. A neighbor once solved dropouts simply by moving a hub one bookshelf over and changing a channel. Careful placement and channel planning outperform brute-force equipment upgrades.