WIFI, ZIGBEE or ZWAVE: What’s the difference?
Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Z-wave are the top three wireless technologies for smart homes today. There are various ways to set up a smart home system using these technologies. One of these technologies may be used to develop a whole system, or you may choose to connect those using multi-tech hubs. However, all three of these leading wireless protocols are not identical. So what’s the difference between them? If you want to know all about Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and Zigbee, and the differences between the three of them, keep reading.
WIFI
Wi-Fi uses radio frequencies to offer efficient network connectivity. It uses the 2.4 GHz network connection protocol to function. To create a local network for smart home appliances, a router is required. Due to their shared network connection, all devices linked via a local area connection can readily communicate with one another.
Wi-Fi is not a mesh network technology, in contrast to Zigbee vs. Z-Wave. Smart devices do not replicate signals, therefore each device needs to be in the router's direct line of sight. Additionally, Wi-Fi uses a lot of battery power. Compared to Zigbee or Z-Wave devices, small battery-operated devices have substantially shorter battery lives.
Zigbee
The Zigbee technology was created in 2003 by the Zigbee Alliance. In 2004, it became standardized. Given that it is regarded as a low-power mesh network technology, it is similar to Z-Wave. Most Zigbee-based devices work at frequencies considerably higher than 2.4 GHz. Zigbee technology uses the commonly specified line of sight range to get over several hubs and product range limitations. Both Zigbee and Z-Wave want to dominate the market for wireless smart homes by focusing on similar applications.
Z-WAVE
Z-Wave is a low-power mesh network technology. It operates in the 800-900 MHz frequency band. Z-Wave offers the longest non-line of sight range when compared to Wi-Fi and Zigbee since it operates at a lower frequency. So to attain a short sight range, it must sacrifice bandwidth. Since most Z-Wave communications are brief, slower data transfer does not influence the messages sent by Z-Wave-enabled devices. Z-Wave can, however, become a significant constraint if it is used on a bigger scale.
Differences between Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Z-Wave
Ø Reliability
Compared to Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Z-Wave are both relatively lightweight protocols. Zigbee and Z-Wave, therefore have less data redundancy.
The lightweight protocol means that the devices may have to transfer less data than a Wi-Fi device, which is a significant advantage over Wi-Fi. The battery life of Zigbee or Z Wave devices is also extended. In terms of battery usage, a Wi-Fi sensor will deplete its power far more quickly than a Zigbee or Z-Wave sensor.
Z-Wave and Zigbee, however, have very little fault tolerance. A Z-Wave network often does not experience high traffic levels that could be problematic. However, because of low fault tolerance, heavy traffic might disrupt the entire network.
Ø Availability
Wi-Fi is widely used because it works by a router on a universally used 2.4 GHz frequency. Similar to Bluetooth, Zigbee uses the same 2.4 GHz frequency for operation. The ability to distribute products globally using the same chip simplifies the manufacturing process.
However, Z-Wave equipment can only communicate inside a specific band of official frequencies. Z-Wave products use 908 MHz in the USA while 868 MHz is used in Europe. There are numerous other frequencies accessible in various regions of the world. The majority of manufacturers only create a small number of Z-Wave items for the US and Europe.
Ø Interoperability
The majority of Wi-Fi is interoperable, especially when it comes to networks that employ similar networking protocols. Some manufacturers offer integrations that are unique to each firm. Major corporations like Amazon and Google offer Wi-Fi connectivity for their products including smart speakers and other smart home accessories.
Because just one company, Sigma Design, certifies Z-Wave products, they are all compatible with one another. All of the products are guaranteed to be interoperable with the whole Z-Wave ecosystem through the certification procedure. The Z-Wave has benefited from extensive compatibility, which has sped up industrial adoption. A rough estimate places the number of Z-Wave-certified items on the market at around 3,000.
Contrarily, Zigbee has endured significant setbacks as a result of its failure to put interoperability standards into practice. Numerous fraudulent operations were confronted by Zigbee, particularly in the early years. Zigbee Pro was introduced in 2007 to improve interoperability and stop fraud. Products using Zigbee 3.0 now have very amazing compatibility.
Ø Computability
Wi-Fi is the only smart home technology that is accepted by all three of the major platforms: Amazon, Google, and Apple, as opposed to Zigbee and Z-Wave. A multi-tech hub can also be added, which will provide more versatile and effective functions. Wi-Fi is a highly well-known technology, so it is quite simple to integrate Wi-Fi devices with most businesses.
Zigbee is supported by a wide variety of multi-tech hubs, including Vera and SmartThings. Additionally, a lot of open-source applications also support Zigbee gadgets. However, Zigbee devices are unquestionably a lot less computable than Wi-Fi ones. On the contrary, Z-Wave is supported by practically all multi-tech hubs and home software. Z-Wave is not, however, supported by Google or Amazon's smart speakers.
Which One Should be Used?
It ultimately comes down to what you want. You can't go wrong with Wi-Fi for a smart home that is easily accessible and economical, where services like Google and Alexa take care of all the labor-intensive tasks. But the more expensive solutions provided by Z-Wave and Zigbee might be more to your liking if you want a personalized local network that you can customize.