Thread<\/strong>. Thread is a fresh IPV6-based protocol created in 2015 and managed by the Thread Group. It works like Z-Wave, consumes less energy, and can work even when Wi-Fi networks go down. But since this protocol is young, few devices have Thread certification. However, more and more popular manufacturers are joining the Thread Group. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nUsing Zigbee and Z-Wave are considered the best practices, so let\u2019s compare them in terms of compatibility, security, and basic characteristics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zigbee vs Z-Wave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Zigbee and Z-Wave have a lot of similar features, but each of these protocols offers a unique set of advantages for customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each Zigbee or Z-Wave system includes three types of devices: a coordinator, a router, and so-called end devices. The coordinator acts as the root and bridge of the network: it\u2019s responsible for handling and storing information while receiving and transmitting data from smart devices. A router is an intermediary device that allows data to go through coordinator devices and on to end devices. Different types of networks (star, tree, mesh) require different numbers of these devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Technical characteristics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Zigbee and Z-Wave work similarly, allowing users to remotely control smart devices using their smartphones or tablets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine you\u2019re at work and you forgot to turn off a lamp in your living room. You can tap a Turn off light button on your smartphone and this command will be transmitted through the internet to your smart home hub. Once the command is received by the hub, it will send the command from one Zigbee or Z-Wave device to the next until it reaches the lamp and the light goes off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s a comparison of Zigbee and Z-Wave: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Characteristic<\/td> Zigbee<\/td> Z-Wave<\/td><\/tr> Use cases<\/td> Home automation, smart grids, smart home control<\/td> Home automation and security<\/td><\/tr> IEEE standard<\/td> 802.15.4<\/td> 802.15.4<\/td><\/tr> Network type<\/td> Mesh<\/td> Mesh<\/td><\/tr> Distance<\/td> 10\u201320 meters<\/td> 100 meters<\/td><\/tr> Maximum connected nodes<\/td> 65,536<\/td> 232<\/td><\/tr> Operating bands<\/td> 2.4 Ghz (rarely 915 MHz, and 868 MHz)<\/td> 865.2\u2013926 MHz<\/td><\/tr> Throughput<\/td> 110 kbps max <\/td> 40 kbps<\/td><\/tr> Security<\/td> AES encryption cipher block chaining message authentication code<\/td> AES encryption<\/td><\/tr> Power consumption<\/td> Low<\/td> Low<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAs you can see, both Zigbee and Z-Wave consume little power and are AES encrypted. You can connect more devices via Zigbee (theoretically, more than 65,000 nodes can be connected), which makes it a good solution for large systems. But on the other hand, devices shouldn\u2019t be placed too far from each other. In contrast to Z-Wave, which has a line-of-sight range of up to 100 meters, the range of a Zigbee network is only up to 20 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Security<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Zigbee uses AES-128 encryption, which was developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and is commonly used by banks. Each network of devices has its own network key, and messages between devices are authenticated using unique keys. Zigbee-powered devices can be used to alert homeowners about intruders, smoke, or carbon monoxide leaks, for instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each Z-Wave network is assigned a unique ID, as is each device within each network. These IDs are used to communicate with the hub, making it so another hub can never control your home’s connected devices. Devices like door locks and alarms require a lot of security features, so Z-Wave also uses AES-128 encryption (just as Zigbee does).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interoperability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Interoperability has to do with which devices can communicate with each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Zigbee Alliance currently includes around 450 member organizations that use, develop, and improve Zigbee\u2019s open standard for wireless communication. The Z-Wave Alliance consists of 700 companies<\/a> that produce more than 3,000 Z-Wave products. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBoth Zigbee and Z-Wave allow customers to easily mix and match home automation systems manufactured by different companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem with Zigbee\u2019s interoperability lies in its difficult certification process. Zigbee has two levels of certification: the first for hardware and the second for software. Sometimes, hardware can pass through certification while software doesn\u2019t. In this case, users may get products that broadcast a Zigbee signal but aren\u2019t using certified software and therefore don\u2019t work properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reliability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Devices working on the 2.4 GHz frequency are less reliable. This is a busy frequency, so devices can interfere with each other. Operating on the 2.4 GHz frequency helps most Zigbee devices transmit more data but increases the chances of interference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Z-Wave is considered more reliable than Zigbee, as it operates on a different spectrum. But on the other hand, Z-Wave has slower transmission speeds. Z-Wave\u2019s speed is enough for sending commands to devices, but it makes Z-Wave a bad decision for streaming video and audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smart home automation using Zigbee<\/h2>\n\n\n\n A microcontroller is responsible for all functions of the smart devices in your smart home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, when it gets dark outside, a light sensor might send a signal to a microcontroller and that microcontroller might turn on the lights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To create a fully functional smart home environment with remote gadgets management, you need to combine sensors and controllers with a user interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How smart home sensors communicate with each other:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A user changes the settings on a smart device.<\/li> A signal is transmitted to the closest Wi-Fi router.<\/li> The signal is transmitted from the router to the server.<\/li> The server sends the signal to a microcontroller.<\/li> The microcontroller processes the data and sends a signal back to the smart device.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nHere’s how its architecture looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A lot of tech-savvy people are looking forward to the day when the connected home with its smart devices will be a reality for all of us. Remotely regulating the temperature, humidity, and noise level; being able to remotely turn on and off lights and activate security systems \u2013 all of this used to sound like a fairy tale, but not anymore. Smart devices include anything from air conditioners to robot vacuums and are often developed by hardware companies like TP-Link, abode, Xiaomi, and Samsung. When smart devices communicate among themselves, either on command or automatically, this network of devices <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5424"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5424"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5426,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5424\/revisions\/5426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.practicallynetworked.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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