A smart light switch that works without a hub still depends on something, and the best one for an Australian home is the one that depends on the least. This guide explains what “no hub” really means, compares the three ways a switch can work without one, and shows where the PIXIE Smart Switch fits.
“No hub required” is printed on a great many boxes, and it is true as far as it goes: there is no extra controller to buy and plug in. What the box rarely says is what the switch relies on instead, whether that is the home wifi router, an internet connection, a smart speaker in another room, or nothing beyond the switches themselves. That difference decides how the lights behave when the internet drops out or the router is restarted, which is usually the moment people find out what they bought.
What a hub is, and why people want to avoid one
A hub is a separate box that smart devices report to, and that passes on instructions from the app. It is one more thing to buy, find a power point for, keep updated and replace when it fails, and if it stops working the devices that depend on it usually stop being smart. Wanting to avoid that is reasonable, particularly for someone starting with a few switches and not a whole house.
A gateway is a different thing, although the two words are often used loosely. A gateway is an optional add-on that connects a system to the internet for remote access and voice control, and a system built that way keeps working inside the home whether the gateway is there or not.
The three ways a smart switch works without a hub
Wifi switches
Each switch joins the home wifi network directly, so the router does the job a hub would otherwise do. There is nothing extra to buy, which makes these the easiest way to start. Every switch is another device for the router to manage, however, and many rely on a cloud service for app control, so how much still works when the internet is down varies from product to product. Many wifi switches also need a neutral wire at the switch, which a lot of Australian homes do not have.
Depends on: the wifi router, and often the internet.
Thread switches
Thread is a newer low-power mesh network, usually sold alongside the Matter standard. The switches form their own mesh, but they still need a device called a border router to connect that mesh to a phone or a voice assistant. A border router is often built into a recent smart speaker or streaming box, so there may be no separate hub to buy, but there is still a box the system cannot do without.
Depends on: a border router, usually inside a smart speaker.
Bluetooth mesh switches
Bluetooth mesh switches talk directly to each other, with each one relaying messages to the next, and a phone talks directly to whichever switch is nearest. Nothing sits in the middle, so control from the wall and from the app keeps working inside the home with no router, no internet and no hub. Control from outside the home, and voice control, need a gateway to be added.
Depends on: nothing beyond the switches, for control inside the home.
Four checks before buying
1. Is there a neutral wire at the switch?
Many Australian homes have only two wires at the light switch. A switch that needs a neutral cannot be fitted there without new cabling, so this is the first thing an electrician will look for. A two-wire smart switch avoids the problem.
2. Will it fit the wall plate already on the wall?
Some smart switches are complete glass panels that replace the whole plate, which means every plate in a room changes or none of them match. Others are mechanisms that clip into a standard Australian wall plate in place of the ordinary switch, so the plates stay as they are.
3. Is it approved, and who installs it?
A switch wired into the mains is fixed electrical work, and in Australia it must be installed by a licensed electrician. The product should carry the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM). Low-cost switches sold through overseas marketplaces do not always carry it.
4. What is given up by going without a hub?
It is worth being clear about this before buying. With most systems, control away from home and voice control need something connected to the internet, whether that is called a hub, a bridge or a gateway. The useful question is whether that part is required for the switches to work at all, or is an optional extra that can be added later.
Where the PIXIE Smart Switch fits
The PIXIE Smart Switch G3 (SWL600BTAM) is a Bluetooth mesh mechanism, and it is built for the home that wants smart switching without a hub and without rewiring.
It is a two-wire device that needs no neutral, so it replaces an existing switch using the cabling already in the wall. It clips into most Australian wall plates, from one to six devices on a plate, and comes with three key caps to match common plate styles. It switches loads up to 600 watts, with a minimum load of 9 watts.
One switch works on its own from the day it is installed. From the free PIXIE PLUS app, switches can be grouped, given schedules and timers, and combined into scenes, and all of that runs inside the home with no hub, no gateway and no internet connection. Each device reaches the next over a typical range of 15 metres, and further with a PIXIE signal booster, so the mesh grows as devices are added room by room.
A PIXIE Gateway is the optional part. It adds control from anywhere, shared access for family members, and voice control through Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Siri Shortcuts and IFTTT. A home can start without one and add it later, with no change to the switches already installed.
The same approach carries through the rest of the range. The PIXIE Smart Dimmer handles dimmable LED downlights, the Smart Timer Switch (STS600BTAM) looks after loads such as exhaust fans, and ceiling fans, blinds and garage doors can be controlled from the same app.
Where PIXIE is not the right choice
PIXIE is installed by a licensed electrician, so it does not suit someone looking for a product to plug in or fit themselves. For a single lamp, or one room in a rental, a smart globe or a plug-in smart plug will usually cost less and can leave with the tenant.
Frequently asked questions
Do smart light switches need a hub?
Not all of them. Wifi switches use the home router, Thread switches need a border router that is often built into a smart speaker, and Bluetooth mesh switches such as PIXIE need nothing extra for control inside the home.
Do smart switches work without wifi or the internet?
Bluetooth mesh switches do, because the switches talk to each other and to a phone directly. PIXIE keeps working from the wall and from the app inside the home when the wifi or the internet is down. Wifi switches depend on the router, and many depend on the internet as well.
Can smart switches be controlled away from home without a hub?
Wifi switches generally can, through a cloud service. With PIXIE, control away from home is added with the PIXIE Gateway, which is optional and can be installed later.
Do smart switches need a neutral wire?
Some do. The PIXIE Smart Switch and Smart Dimmer are two-wire devices and do not need a neutral, which suits the many Australian homes that have none at the switch.
Can a smart switch be installed without an electrician?
No. Any switch wired into the mains must be installed by a licensed electrician in Australia.
Will a smart switch fit an existing wall plate?
Mechanism-style switches made for Australian plates usually will. PIXIE fits most Australian wall plates, with up to six devices on one plate.
Does PIXIE work with Home Assistant or Matter?
Home Assistant users can connect PIXIE through Pixie Plus Local, a community-built integration that works with the PIXIE Gateway. It is unofficial and is not supported by PIXIE. On Matter, PIXIE has a clear pathway through a Matter bridge that will work with the system already installed, with no rewiring or hardware replacement. More detail is in How does PIXIE work with Home Assistant and How does PIXIE work with Matter.
Choosing a smart switch that works without a hub
Every smart switch relies on something, and the sensible choice is the one that relies on the least to do its everyday job. For an existing Australian home, that points to a two-wire switch that fits the plates already on the wall and keeps working from the wall and the app whatever the router and the internet are doing.