Smart home aspirant but certainly not savant lol: Given the current state in 2026 and looking ahead to future proof as much as possible, what is the consensus recommendation re purchasing Inovelli white vs blue series dimmer and on/off switches for a whole home remodel? I understand that certain features such as direct binding are not currently available in the Thread/Matter ecosystem or are not as easily adjusted in Home Assistant but also unclear which of these have been resolved by now/are anticipated to be resolved shortly. Thanks for any advice.
Future proofing is a really hard concept. Zigbee has been around a long time, and it’s not likely going anywhere anytime soon. Matter is newer, but it isn’t clear right now that newer means future proof or if it’ll just be the latest in a line of “one standard to rule them all.” I’d say pick the one that meets your needs.
I would review everything you want to be smart in your home, not just switches. A quick list below.
Thermostats
Switches
Plugs
Lights (lightbulbs, downlights, etc)
Blinds
Garage Door Openers
Security System
Smoke/CO detectors
Determine how many of these you’ll be keeping on WiFi (security system and smoke/co probably would be if you want automatic response) and then see if you can find hardware for everything else in Zigbee or Thread.
I replaced all my switches with White series 2 years ago as I did not have Zigbee or Thread and I was hopeful devices would roll out with thread quickly, but it has been anything but quick. There still is no Thread Thermostat on the market for example. I’m still happy with my Thread network, especially since I upgraded my HA Yellow to resolve Thread Network issues, but really wish adoption was more widespread by now.
That’s incorrect. I have direct bindings with home assistant with the white switch and it works well.
I think there is a bug with Group Bindings with the white switch that Inovelli is investigating as per this thread
Future proof ? 2yrs?, 5 yrs, 10yrs?
I’d go with what fills your needs now, I wouldn’t worry about what tech will be around in some distant time - no one can predict. I was a IT manager 20 years ago and if you could hear what kind of amazing tech we were discussing that would come about with the internet, you’d laugh.
Zigbee is my choice - lot’s of support, very robust, and reliable.