In this guide
- What actually gets updated in a smart home
- Why updates matter, and why "latest" is not automatically best
- How a Zigbee over-the-air update works, step by step
- Which updates to install now, and which to schedule
- A safe update routine: before, during and after
- When something changes after an update, and end-of-support
- How Pert delivers it (designed, not DIY)
- FAQs
This article is part of our wider coverage of home automation in Hyderabad. It builds on what a smart home gateway does and how a Zigbee mesh network works. For the security side of updates, see is home automation safe from hacking. Here the focus is practical: how updates reach your devices and how to install them without disturbing the home.
What actually gets updated in a smart home
"Updating the smart home" is really several separate jobs. Each layer updates in a different way, on a different schedule, and with a different risk if it goes wrong.
| Layer | How it updates | What a bad update could affect | Sensible approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway firmware | Downloaded over the internet to the gateway, then installed with a restart | Everything that runs locally: scenes, schedules, sensor rules, app connection | Scheduled and supervised, with a backup first |
| Zigbee device firmware (keypads, light controllers, curtain motors, sensors) | Sent from the gateway to each device over the Zigbee mesh (OTA) | That device's behaviour: button response, dimming curve, motor limits, battery reporting | A few devices at a time, in daytime, then checked |
| Phone app | Through the App Store or Play Store | Screens and menus; rarely the home's behaviour itself | Automatic updates are usually fine |
| Cloud service | Updated by the provider on their servers; nothing to install | Remote access, notifications, voice-assistant links | Nothing to do, other than noticing changes |
| Voice integrations (Alexa, Google Home) | Updated by the assistant and the skill or integration provider | Device names, voice commands, occasionally a need to re-link | Re-test a few voice commands after a change |
| Wi-Fi router | From the router maker or your internet provider | The gateway's connection to the internet and the app | Keep it current; check the gateway reconnects afterwards |
| Wi-Fi cameras, video doorbell, smart lock | Each from its own app and cloud | Recording, alerts, lock behaviour | Install security updates promptly; test the lock with the battery healthy |
Two points follow. First, the layers that actually run the home, the gateway and the Zigbee devices, deserve the most care, while the app can usually look after itself. Second, a well-designed system keeps everyday logic local on the gateway, so a cloud or app change rarely affects how the keypads behave. Do smart homes work during power cuts and internet outages explains that local-first design.
Why updates matter, and why "latest" is not automatically best
Reasons to update
- Security fixes. Any connected device can have a weakness discovered after it ships. Fixes for the gateway, cameras, doorbell and lock matter most, because they are the parts that touch the internet or the front door.
- Reliability fixes. A fix might correct a keypad that occasionally misses a press, a sensor that reports battery wrongly, or a device that drops off the mesh after a power cut.
- Compatibility. New phone operating systems, router models and voice-assistant changes sometimes need a matching update on the home side.
- Features. Occasionally an update adds something useful, such as a new automation option or better status reporting.
Reasons not to rush
- Behaviour can change. A setting may be renamed, a default fade time may differ, or a menu may move. In a home that works well, any change is a small surprise.
- New releases occasionally have new bugs. Waiting a short while on a feature release lets problems surface elsewhere first.
- Timing. An update that restarts the gateway at 8 pm on a festival evening is a nuisance even if it is perfect.
- Rollback is not always possible. Many devices cannot go back to an older version once updated, so the decision deserves a moment's thought.
The balance most professional installers settle on: apply security and reliability fixes within a reasonable time, wait briefly on feature releases, and never update everything at once on a busy evening.
How a Zigbee over-the-air update works, step by step
Zigbee defines a standard way to update devices over the radio, so keypads, light controllers and sensors can be updated without anyone opening a switch box. The details vary by manufacturer, but the flow is broadly the same:
| Stage | What happens | What you notice |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Update available | The gateway holds a new firmware file for a type of device and tells matching devices a newer version exists. | Nothing, or a note in the app |
| 2. Device asks for it | Each device checks the offer against its current version and, if it applies, requests the file. | Nothing |
| 3. Download in small blocks | The file travels over the mesh in many small pieces, often through one or two neighbouring devices. The pace is usually kept gentle so normal commands are not crowded out. | Nothing; the device keeps working normally |
| 4. Verify | When the last block arrives, the device checks the whole file is complete and genuine before using it. | Nothing |
| 5. Restart on the new version | The device switches to the new firmware and restarts, then rejoins the mesh. | A few seconds when that device does not respond; a light may briefly go to its power-on state |
| 6. Report back | The device reports its new version to the gateway. | The app shows the update as complete |
Why it takes so long
Zigbee runs at a raw radio rate of 250 kbps and is designed for short control messages, not files. After protocol overhead, mesh hops and the deliberate throttling that keeps the home responsive, the useful transfer speed for an update is a small fraction of that. A firmware file of a few hundred kilobytes can therefore take anywhere from several minutes to over an hour for one mains-powered device, depending on file size, the number of hops and how busy the network is. These are typical orders of magnitude, not figures for any particular product.
Battery devices are slower still
Battery motion sensors and door contacts sleep most of the time and only check in briefly, so they collect the file a little at a time. An update to a sensor can take much longer than to a keypad, and a sensor with a weak battery may be skipped or may fail to finish. Replacing low batteries before a sensor update avoids this; battery-powered smart home devices covers battery care in detail.
Why updates go a few at a time
If forty devices downloaded at once, the mesh would be busy carrying firmware and everyday commands would slow down. Updating a handful of devices at a time, or one device type at a time, keeps the home responsive while the update runs in the background. The disadvantage is that a whole-house update can take a day or more from start to finish, which is perfectly normal.
Which updates to install now, and which to schedule
| Type of update | Typical content | When to install |
|---|---|---|
| Security fix | Closes a weakness, often in the gateway, camera, doorbell, lock or router | Promptly, within days, at a quiet time |
| Bug fix for a problem you have | Corrects something you have actually noticed | Soon, then check the problem is gone |
| Bug fix for a problem you do not have | General stability improvements | At the next routine maintenance window |
| Feature release | New options, new screens, new integrations | After a short wait, once your installer has checked it |
| Major version change | Larger changes to the gateway or app | As a planned visit, with a backup and a full test afterwards |
Good and bad times to update
- Good: a weekday morning or afternoon when someone is home, the power supply is steady, and nothing important is planned that evening.
- Avoid: just before guests arrive, festival evenings, bedtime, the day before you travel, and stormy monsoon afternoons when power cuts are likely. An update interrupted by a power cut usually recovers, but there is no reason to take the chance.
- Never while away for weeks without a way to check the result, unless your installer is monitoring it remotely.
A safe update routine: before, during and after
Before
- Take a backup of the gateway's configuration: devices, rooms, scenes, schedules and automations. If the update misbehaves, this is what lets the home be restored quickly.
- Read the release notes, or ask your installer what the update changes.
- Check power. The gateway should be on a backed-up socket, and battery devices due for an update should have healthy batteries.
- Check the mesh is healthy. Devices that keep dropping off should be sorted out first; an update is not the moment to discover a weak route.
During
- Do not switch off or restart the gateway, or turn off the MCB for a circuit with devices that are updating.
- Do not reset or re-pair a device because it is "taking a while". Slow is normal.
- Carry on using the home. Keypads, scenes and schedules keep working during the download.
After: a ten-minute check
- Press a scene button on a keypad in each main room and confirm the keypad LEDs show the right status.
- Dim and tune a few lights and check fade times feel the same as before.
- Open and close the motorised curtains and check they stop at their correct limits and favourite positions.
- Walk past a motion sensor and open a door contact to confirm sensor rules still fire.
- Check that a schedule due soon still appears with the right time.
- Open the app at home and on mobile data, and try two or three voice commands.
- Check that the doorbell, cameras and smart lock still send alerts.
- For a gateway update, switch off the internet briefly and confirm keypads and a sensor rule still work locally.
When something changes after an update, and end-of-support
| What you notice | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| One device does not respond after its update | It is still restarting or rejoining the mesh | Leave it powered for 10–15 minutes. Do not reset it. If it stays offline, call your installer. |
| A light dims or fades differently | A changed default in the new firmware | Note which light and how; the fade or dimming setting can usually be adjusted back. |
| The app looks different or a menu has moved | An app update | Usually cosmetic. Ask your installer where the setting now lives. |
| Voice commands stop working | The assistant or integration changed and needs re-linking | Re-link the account; check device names still match. |
| A scene or schedule behaves differently | A changed setting or a rule not carried across | Compare with the backup and the handover document; restore the scene from the backup if needed. |
| Several devices drop off at once | The gateway restarted onto the new version and the mesh is re-forming | Give it time. If they do not return, the installer can check the gateway and mesh. |
Describe problems precisely: which device, what changed, and when the update happened. That makes a fix quick. What happens when a smart home device fails covers the rarer case where a device needs replacing.
End-of-support
Every connected device eventually stops receiving updates. For a keypad or light controller on a local Zigbee network, that rarely matters; it carries on doing the same job. For devices that face the internet, such as cameras, doorbells and routers, an end-of-support notice is a reason to plan a replacement, because security fixes stop. Asking about update support when buying is part of choosing devices well.
How Pert delivers it — a designed solution, not a DIY kit
Pert's keypads, tunable and dimmable lighting, motorised curtains and sensors and security devices work together as one Zigbee system through the Pert gateway. Because we design and install the whole system rather than selling a kit, updates are part of looking after the home, not something left to chance. We plan the gateway on a backed-up socket, build a mesh with strong routes to every room, and keep scenes, schedules and sensor rules running locally so app and cloud changes do not disturb everyday control. After handover we keep a record of the configuration, look after updates with you at sensible times, and check keypads, scenes, curtains and sensors afterwards. If anything behaves differently after an update, our support team is a phone call away.
Planning home automation for a Hyderabad flat or villa? We will design the whole system — keypads, lighting, curtains, sensors and security — and look after it after handover, including updates, so it keeps working the way you expect. Request a consultation →
Comparing installers? Ask each one who handles updates after handover, whether they take a backup first, and how they check the home afterwards. Those questions sit alongside the wider checklist in best home automation companies in Hyderabad, and our guide to home automation maintenance and support covers the rest of after-sales care.
Frequently asked questions
Do smart home devices need firmware updates?
Yes, though not constantly. The gateway and the devices around it receive occasional firmware updates that fix security issues and bugs, improve compatibility and sometimes add features. A well-designed system does not need you to chase every release; what matters is that security and reliability fixes are applied within a reasonable time, and that someone checks the home still behaves correctly afterwards.
Why does a Zigbee firmware update take so long?
Zigbee is a low-power radio built for short control messages, not large files. An over-the-air update sends the new firmware in many small blocks over the mesh, usually at a deliberately gentle pace so normal commands are not crowded out. Depending on the size of the file, the number of hops and how busy the network is, one mains-powered device can take from several minutes to over an hour, and battery sensors that sleep most of the time can take longer still. The device keeps working normally while it downloads.
Will my lights stop working during an update?
Normally only for a moment. While the new firmware downloads, the device keeps responding to keypads, scenes and schedules. When the download is complete and verified, the device restarts to switch to the new version, which usually takes a few seconds. During that restart that one device may not respond, and a light may briefly go to its power-on state. This is why updates are best done in daytime on a normal weekday, not before guests arrive or at bedtime.
Should I turn on automatic updates for my smart home?
It depends on the layer. Letting the phone app and your router update automatically is usually sensible. For the gateway and the devices that run the home, a scheduled, supervised update is better: install security fixes promptly, wait a short while on feature releases until they have been checked, take a backup first, and test keypads, scenes, schedules and sensors afterwards. With a professionally installed system, your installer can manage this for you.