What is Zigbee? Smart technology for your garden
Zigbee is the wireless language that smart devices in your garden and greenhouse use to talk to each other. Efficient, reliable and affordable. Below we calmly explain how it works and which devices you need.
Efficient technology that proves itself
Zigbee has been around for years and is used worldwide. We choose it on purpose, because it is reliable, efficient and affordable. Below we explain it calmly, in plain language.
What exactly is Zigbee?
Think of Zigbee as a kind of walkie-talkie for smart devices. A soil sensor, a garden tap or a temperature meter sends small messages wirelessly, for example “the soil is dry” or “it’s 18 degrees”.
Those messages are small, so a device uses hardly any power and often lasts months to years on a few AA batteries. Zigbee uses no wifi and no SIM card, but its own energy-efficient radio signal.
How does a mesh network work?
The clever thing about Zigbee is that devices pass on each other’s messages. Is a sensor too far away? Then a device sitting in between steps in and forwards the signal, just like people passing a bucket of water down a line. That’s called a mesh network.
The more Zigbee devices you have, the stronger and more stable the network becomes. That’s why it works perfectly across a large garden, greenhouse or plot.
The gateway: the heart of your network
There’s one device you always need: a Zigbee gateway, also called a hub or bridge. That little box translates the Zigbee messages to your internet, so you see everything on your phone or in the FairGrow dashboard.
You connect the gateway to your router once, and after that all sensors and taps connect to it automatically. Without a gateway, Zigbee devices don’t talk directly to your phone, so this box is always your starting point.
Why Zigbee in the garden and on the land?
Outdoors you want technology that doesn’t need constant power and that can take a knock. Zigbee devices are efficient, last a long time on battery and keep working, even when your internet stutters for a moment.
Because it’s an open standard, you can combine hardware from different brands. So you’re not locked into anything.
ESP-NOW satellites for distant plots
Zigbee is perfect close to a building. For open fields and plots that lie too far away, FairGrow uses ESP-NOW satellites. Here is what they are and how they work.
What is an ESP-NOW satellite?
An ESP-NOW satellite is a small, self-sufficient measuring unit you place out in the field. It runs on its own battery or a solar panel and needs no wifi, no SIM card and no mains power. Each satellite reads your sensors and broadcasts the values over a long distance using ESP-NOW, an energy-efficient radio protocol.
Because a satellite carries its own power and radio, you can put one far from any building, out on a plot where Zigbee would not reach.
How the readings reach your dashboard
Every ESP-NOW satellite sends its readings to a FairGrow gateway. The gateway is connected to your FairGrow account and forwards everything to your dashboard, so you see the field data next to your weather and satellite data in one place.
Satellites can also relay for one another, so together they cover a large area. That makes ESP-NOW a natural companion to Zigbee: Zigbee for sensors near a building, ESP-NOW satellites for the far corners of your land.
Zigbee or ESP-NOW: which do I need?
Use Zigbee for sensors close to your house, greenhouse or gateway, where a mesh of devices keeps the signal strong. Choose ESP-NOW satellites for distant fields and plots where that mesh cannot reach. Many growers combine both, and everything lands in the same FairGrow dashboard.
Not sure what fits your situation? The Growers Toolbox helps you choose, or ask us through Support.
Handy Zigbee products to get started with
All real Zigbee 3.0 products that are widely available. Note: every sensor and tap needs a gateway. Prices are indicative as of June 2026 and vary by store.
Woox R7060 smart garden tap
Zigbee-controlled tap valve that regulates your water supply automatically with adjustable schedules. Runs on 4 AA batteries (around 6 months), splash-proof, range up to roughly 30 metres depending on obstacles. Needs the Woox R7070 gateway.
Woox R7070 Zigbee gateway
The bridge between your wifi router and up to 50 Woox Zigbee devices. You need this box to make the garden tap and sensors work. USB-powered, connect once and you’re done.
Tuya Zigbee soil moisture sensor
Measures soil moisture and soil temperature, ideal for basing your watering on rather than guessing. Waterproof for outdoor use. Sold as “Tuya Zigbee”, so genuinely Zigbee and not wifi, and works on a Zigbee gateway.
SONOFF SNZB-02P temperature & humidity
Measures air temperature and humidity, for example to monitor the climate in your greenhouse. Accurate Swiss sensor, the button-cell battery lasts about 4 years. For a water-resistant version, choose the SNZB-02WD.
SONOFF SNZB-05P water leak sensor
Detects leaks or water on the ground, for example from a burst hose or an overflowing reservoir. Waterproof, battery lasts about 5 years. A cheap insurance against water damage.
SONOFF S60 smart plug
Switch a water pump on and off with real-time consumption in view. Works straight away as a Zigbee router and so strengthens your network. For indoor use, or outdoors in a waterproof socket box.
What is Zigbee?
Zigbee is a low-power wireless standard for smart devices. It lets sensors and switches talk to each other reliably over short distances, which makes it well suited to gardens and land.
How does a Zigbee mesh network work?
Each device can pass messages along for others, so the network forms a mesh that extends its reach without every device needing its own link to the gateway.
What is the gateway for?
The gateway is the heart of your network. It connects your Zigbee devices to your system, so their readings and controls reach your dashboard.
Why use Zigbee in the garden or on the land?
It is efficient, low-power and reliable over the distances a plot needs, and it avoids a separate subscription per device.
Which Zigbee products can I start with?
Handy options include a smart garden tap, a Zigbee gateway, a soil-moisture sensor, a temperature and humidity sensor, a water-leak sensor and a smart plug.
How does Zigbee fit with FairGrow?
Within the EU, FairGrow uses proven Zigbee sensors so your readings flow straight into your dashboard. See sensors.
What is an ESP-NOW satellite?
It is a small, self-sufficient field unit that runs on battery or solar and sends its sensor readings over a long distance to a FairGrow gateway, which forwards them to your dashboard. It is FairGrow’s answer for open fields and plots that are too far away for Zigbee.
Ready to start smart?
Zigbee gives you the hardware. The Growers Toolbox tells you exactly what your crop needs. And FairGrow brings sensors, weather and satellite data together in one clear dashboard.
Open the Growers Toolbox