Renowned discount supermarket chain Lidl has made a bold move into the world of smart home devices, launching a range of Zigbee products under its Silvercrest and LIVARNOLUX brands. Getting their line-up Zigbee 3.0 certified was a clever choice, considering most of these devices seem to be repurposed TuYa products that have been given a new lease on life under the Lidl Home umbrella. The sheer volume of registered products associated with Lidl's established brands suggest this is more than just a flash in the pan – Lidl's smart home offerings are here to stay.

Budget-friendly smart home products with a twist

Lidl has a reputation for offering wallet-friendly products that don't always skimp on quality, and the Silvercrest and LIVARNOLUX Zigbee devices are no exception. The Silvercrest smart plug, door/window sensor, and motion sensor each come with a modest price tag of EUR 6.69, while the LIVARNOLUX RGB lights, compatible with GU10, E14, and E27 sockets, are available for just EUR 12.99 apiece. For customers who prefer brick-and-mortar shopping, these devices provide an attractive and cost-effective alternative to IKEA and Philips bulbs.

A smart choice for a global market

Lidl is debuting its Zigbee products, in Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, and Switzerland. By opting for the Zigbee protocol, Lidl has made a pleasantly surprising decision that benefits customers. It would have been easy for the company to launch rebranded Chinese Wi-Fi devices with an ESP8266 microcontroller, only controllable through a proprietary app. Instead, Lidl's commitment to an open standard means these products can eventually work with Zigbee2MQTT, DeConz, and ZHA, allowing users to keep everything local without relying on cloud services.

Are Zigbee2MQTT, ZHA, and DeConz compatible with Lidl Zigbee devices?

While Lidl's Zigbee devices boast Zigbee 3.0 certification and are largely based on TuYa products, compatibility with Zigbee2MQTT, DeConz, and ZHA varies. Both ZHA and DeConz already support many of the devices, with Zigbee2MQTT expected to catch up soon. As developers and contributors get their hands on these products, expect a quicker addition to the list of tested compatible devices.

Lidl Home sensors and smart plugs: Silvercrest's mixed results

Reports from countries with Lidl Zigbee devices already on the market indicate mixed compatibility. The Lidl smart plug works well with DeConz when using a ConBee Zigbee gateway. However, while some DeConz users report flawless smart plug performance, others have found the door sensor to be unusable.

A Home Assistant Community user managed to connect the door sensor, motion sensor, and smart plug to ZHA, although the motion sensor needed multiple pairing attempts to function correctly. Unfortunately, Zigbee2MQTT users have not yet had success, but updates supporting the movement sensor and smart plug are expected soon.

Lidl Home lights: LIVARNOLUX shining bright

LIVARNOLUX RGB bulbs have been confirmed to work with both ZHA and DeConz. A user also reported the smart LED strip as compatible with ZHA. Compatibility with Zigbee2MQTT remains untested, but Philips Hue hub users should be able to pair the bulbs without issues.