Zigbee was therefore, conceived as a low-power, low bit-rate, short-range protocol in 2.4 GHz band for efficient communication across a “mesh” of devices.

The ‘bee” in Zigbee name was inspired from the zig-zag dance of honeybees while they pass messages in close proximity to one another.

Wi-Fi: Basic Differencesįounded in 2003, Zigbee protocol is an open-standard communication based on IEEE 802.15.4 which also governs other low-rate networks such as 6LoWPAN and Thread. Knowing these differences is crucial as it can greatly influence your purchase decisions for specific smart home products.Īlso read: Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: What Is Different Between Various Smart Home Standards Zigbee vs. Let’s explore the relative pros and cons of using Zigbee or Wi-Fi. Many smart home companies have followed suit, and Zigbee is today nearly as prevalent as Wi-Fi. Philips Hue, a trendy smart lights maker, was an early proponent of using Zigbee open interoperability standard. Yet, in recent few years, we have seen an exponential rise in the usage of another IoT protocol – Zigbee. When it comes to wireless connectivity, Bluetooth has always been a second choice to Wi-Fi. If for some reason Internet speeds are lower, it can turn your entire smart home experience to a nightmare. Besides, they aren’t capable of self-discovery and you have to manually enter the password for each new Wi-Fi device. Think of laptops, smartphones, and even smart speakers. The devices that run solely on Wi-Fi need frequent charging. That can easily go with your existing home router and you don’t have to buy a separate smart hub to add the devices in.īut Wi-Fi has its limitations. Certainly, when you’re buying Alexa or Google Home-compatible devices, it’s good to have them with a secure Wi-Fi pairing. For integrating a connected home, Wi-Fi is seen as a ubiquitous choice. All smart home appliances depend on connectivity with a device, app, or hub.

Wifi vs bluetooth smart light