this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2023
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17
Security considerations of WiFi vs Zigbee for self-hosted IoT (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hi everyone. Before anything else, I would like to mention that I do not plan to expose absolutely anything to the internet other than using a VPN, and that's if necessary.

Now, if I understand it correctly, ZigBee compatible devices need a controller attached to the computer to decipher messages? Since we are talking about security, it seems that the ZigBee network has its own encryption technology.

Coming to WiFi which was my original plan, we have established protocols like WPA2. I had intended for all of my IoT devices to be locked in a separate VLAN with no external access.

Which one of them do you think is better for privacy and longevity? I am going to use the basics such as lights, temperature/motion sensors (would like to flash with custom firmware like Tasmota if possible) - alongside some custom devices, which would also be programmed from scratch (ESP32 based). The problem I have with the devices from the latter proposition is that I have to keep on top of security trends myself, but I suppose that's the trade-off one makes with custom devices.

Please tell me what you use at home and why, between Zigbee and WiFi?

Thanks

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The communication method doesn't mean anything security wise. Here's a simple example.

Device #1 is an ESP32 based WiFi device with your own firmware. It won't phone its Chinese parent company every hour because you made the firmware yourself. It's no less secure or more wrong than using your phone hooked to your WiFi.

Device #2 is a ZigBee device. It doesn't have any connection to the internet. But you need a hub to interact with it and you decide to use Amazon Echo for simplicity. Now your house is fully owned by Bezos.

You need to inspect every device to see if they suit your needs.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

TIL Amazon Echos can act as Zigbee hub. Still not using it lol.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks. If I use a Sonoff controller and plug it into Node-red, how would that score for privacy?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Sonoffs are usually safe.