Connectivity is something that we’ve all become so used to having, that many of us feel lost without it. With the rapid expansion of the internet of things, more and more objects are becoming connected. With so many people looking to have total control, the home automation industry is growing, and with that, so are the options for the way these smart home devices communicate. Most of us are familiar with Wi-Fi but are you as familiar with two other wireless protocols that are available? Two alternatives to Wi-Fi are Zigbee and Z-wave. Understanding the differences can be difficult, so this article will outline exactly what Zigbee and Z-wave are, and how they are different from Wi-Fi. It will also shine a light on which protocol is preferable depending on your situation.
Overview of Technologies
What is Wi-Fi?
Let’s begin with a brief description of what Wi-Fi is and how it works. You may already know, but for the sake of comparison with the other two protocols, it’ll be useful to keep in mind. Wi-Fi uses radio frequencies to provide network connectivity and operates on either a 2.4 GHz frequency or a 5 GHz frequency. Wi-Fi uses a router that creates a local network for your smart home devices. Each device on the local area connection can communicate with one another because they are on the same network. As with anything in this world, there are pros and cons to Wi-Fi. Let’s explore:
- Ubiquitous – most people already have a Wi-Fi network set up, the technology is constantly improving and is not going anywhere.
- No need for a hub – with Wi-Fi, you don’t have an extra hub for smart home devices, as the devices will communicate directly with your router.
- Cost- It’s cheaper to make a smart home device Wi-Fi compatible, which translates into savings for customers.
- Router quality matters – When you are connecting many devices (10+), the quality of your router becomes important, and if there is a chance that your internet provider set you up with a low-quality router as it saves them money.
- Power consumption – Wi-Fi is not a low-power technology, so it requires a constant power supply, or your devices will need strong batteries.
- Crowded frequency- Having a lot of connected devices crowds the frequency, which in turn slows your connection. However, devices use the internet at different rates, and if your devices are sending infrequent small commands, it won’t affect your connection nearly as much as downloading a video would.
What is Z-wave?
Z-wave is a Wi-fi alternative that was created by Zensys and was adopted in North America in 2001 and bought by Sigma Designs. Z-wave was initially designed for businesses that needed lots of devices connected to a network, but have since moved to the consumer market due to the development and adoption of smart homes, where everyday people want more and more devices connected to their internet connection.
- Mesh network – In a mesh network, the network connection is spread out over up to 232 touch points or nodes. The nodes communicate with each other in a wave-like fashion, jumping from one node to the next. The best part about mesh networks is that the more nodes (or devices) you add, the stronger and larger your connection becomes.
- Frequency – Z-wave operates on a different frequency than Wi-Fi does, so you can add as many devices to this network as you like and it will not have an impact on your home Wi-Fi network.
- Low power consumption – Z-wave is a low-power technology, so in low-voltage applications, its batteries will last a lot longer.
- Hub requirement – You will need a hub. There are several options you can pick to act as your Z-wave hub (prices range from $50 to $150), but it is required for your devices to communicate.
- Compatibility – Due to it being a more niche technology, Z-wave smart home products do not have as much compatibility as their Wi-Fi counterparts so you may need to come up with some workarounds for integrations.
- Dependence – Z-wave is proprietary and owned by Sigma Designs, whereas Wi-Fi is a communication standard. This means that the future of Z-wave is controlled by Sigma Designs and any changes they implement could have a drastic impact on your Z-wave products.
What is Zigbee?
Zigbee is another option for wireless communication and is similar to Z-wave. Zigbee became standardized in 2004. Like Z-wave, Zigbee targets similar applications and wants to become the communication network for your smart home.The Good
- Mesh network – Just like Z-wave, Zigbee uses a mesh network. The difference is that Zigbee can handle up to 65,000 nodes.
- Scalability – Due to its ability to handle many nodes, the scalability is unparalleled.
- Lowest power consumption – Zigbee uses even less power than Z-wave does so batteries would last longer.
- Range – The low power consumption does come at a cost, the range of Zigbee (10m) is only a third of Z-wave (35m).
- Hub requirement – Just like with Z-wave, you will need a hub.
- Security – Zigbee is also not as secure as a Z-wave or Wi-Fi-based system. Zigbee does not require active confirmation in order for a device to be paired, which leaves it vulnerable to other users getting onto your wireless protocol. Active confirmation is when you must press a button for your device to pair, and a button on your device must be pressed as well to send out the pairing signal.
- Zigbee Alliance – All devices to be certified by the Zigbee Alliance (a standardization body). Because of this extra compliance issue, it can deter some smart home manufacturers.
While every three options have their pros and cons, the answer to which one works for you depends on your smart home setup and what kind of control you want. Wi-Fi is great because it is accessible and smart home products are guaranteed to continue to be made compatible with it. As well, there is no additional hardware necessary. Zigbee and Z-wave are great for hosting multiple devices and not crowding your Wi-Fi connection. The key is to do your research and decide which route is best for you.
Uunganisho ni kitu ambacho sote tumezoea kuwa nacho, kwamba wengi wetu tunahisi kupotea bila hiyo. Pamoja na upanuzi wa haraka wa mtandao wa vitu, vitu vingi zaidi na zaidi vinakuwa vinaunganishwa. Kwa sababu watu wengi wanaotafuta kuwa na udhibiti kamili, tasnia ya automatisering ya nyumbani inaongezeka, na kwa hiyo, hivyo ni chaguzi kwa njia ya vifaa hivi vya nyumbani vya akili kuwasiliana. Wengi wetu tunajua kuhusu Wi-Fi, lakini je, unajua kuhusu njia nyingine mbili za mawasiliano ya wireless? Njia mbili za badala za Wi-Fi ni Zigbee na Z-wave. Kwa sababu ya tofauti hizo, ni muhimu kujua kwamba Z-Wave ni nini na ni nini tofauti na Wi-Fi. Pia itatoa mwangaza juu ya itifaki ambayo ni bora kulingana na hali yako. Maelezo ya jumla ya Teknolojia Wi-Fi ni nini? Hebu kuanza na maelezo mafupi ya nini Wi-Fi ni na jinsi inafanya kazi. Unaweza tayari kujua, lakini kwa ajili ya kulinganisha na itifaki nyingine mbili, itakuwa na manufaa ya kuweka katika akili. Wi-Fi hutumia masafa ya redio ili kutoa muunganisho wa mtandao na inafanya kazi kwenye masafa ya 2.4 GHz au 5 GHz. Wi-Fi hutumia router ambayo huunda mtandao wa ndani kwa vifaa vyako vya nyumbani vya akili. Kila kifaa juu ya uhusiano wa eneo la ndani inaweza kuwasiliana na kila mmoja kwa sababu wao ni juu ya mtandao huo. Kama ilivyo na chochote katika ulimwengu huu, kuna faida na hasara kwa Wi-Fi. Hebu kuchunguza: - Ubiquitous <unk> watu wengi tayari kuwa na mtandao wa Wi-Fi kuanzisha, teknolojia ni daima kuboresha na si kwenda mahali popote. - Hakuna haja ya kitovu <unk> na Wi-Fi, huna kitovu cha ziada kwa vifaa vya nyumbani smart, kama vifaa itakuwa kuwasiliana moja kwa moja na router yako. - Gharama- Ni nafuu kufanya kifaa smart nyumbani Wi-Fi sambamba, ambayo hutafsiriwa katika akiba kwa wateja. Router ubora ni muhimu wakati wewe ni kuunganisha vifaa vingi (kwa zaidi ya 10), ubora wa router yako inakuwa muhimu, na kama kuna nafasi kwamba mtoa huduma yako ya mtandao kuweka wewe juu na router ya chini ya ubora kama ni anaokoa yao fedha. - Matumizi ya nishati <unk> Wi-Fi si teknolojia ya nishati ya chini, hivyo inahitaji usambazaji wa nishati ya mara kwa mara, au vifaa vyako itahitaji betri nguvu. - Crowded frequency- Kuwa na vifaa vingi vilivyounganishwa hujaza frequency, ambayo kwa upande hupunguza uhusiano wako. Hata hivyo, vifaa kutumia mtandao kwa viwango tofauti, na kama vifaa yako ni kutuma mara kwa mara amri ndogo, itakuwa si kuathiri uhusiano wako karibu kama kupakua video ingekuwa. Mlipuko wa Z ni nini? Z-Wave ni mbadala wa Wi-Fi iliyoundwa na Zensys na kupitishwa katika Amerika ya Kaskazini mnamo 2001 na kununuliwa na Sigma Designs. Z-Wave ilitengenezwa kwa biashara ambazo zinahitaji vifaa vingi vilivyounganishwa kwenye mtandao, lakini tangu wakati huo zimehamia soko la watumiaji kwa sababu ya maendeleo na kupitishwa kwa nyumba za akili, ambapo watu wa kila siku wanataka vifaa zaidi na zaidi vilivyounganishwa kwenye uhusiano wao wa mtandao. Mesh ni mtandao wa mtandao ambao unashirikiana na vitu 232 vya kugusa. Vituo hivyo huwasiliana kwa njia ya mawimbi, vikiruka kutoka sehemu moja hadi nyingine. Sehemu bora kuhusu mitandao ya mesh ni kwamba nodes zaidi (au vifaa) kuongeza, nguvu na kubwa uhusiano wako inakuwa. Z-Wave ni mtandao wa Wi-Fi wa kawaida, na unaweza kuongeza vifaa vingi kama unavyotaka, bila kuathiri mtandao wako wa nyumbani. - matumizi ya chini ya nishati <unk> Z-wimbi ni teknolojia ya chini ya nishati, hivyo katika maombi ya chini ya voltage, betri yake itaendelea kwa muda mrefu zaidi. - Hub mahitaji <unk> Unahitaji hub. Kuna chaguzi kadhaa ambazo unaweza kuchagua kufanya kazi kama kitovu chako cha Z-Wave (bei huanzia $ 50 hadi $ 150), lakini inahitajika kwa vifaa vyako kuwasiliana. Kwa sababu ya kuwa teknolojia ya niche zaidi, bidhaa za nyumba za Z-wave hazina utangamano mwingi kama wenzao wa Wi-Fi kwa hivyo unaweza kuhitaji kuja na njia zingine za kuunganisha. - Utegemezi <unk> Z-wimbi ni wamiliki na inayomilikiwa na Sigma Designs, wakati Wi-Fi ni kiwango cha mawasiliano. Kwa hivyo, wakati ujao wa Z-Wave unadhibitiwa na Sigma Designs na mabadiliko yoyote ambayo watafanya yanaweza kuwa na athari kubwa kwa bidhaa zako za Z-Wave. Zigbee ni nini? Zigbee ni chaguo jingine kwa ajili ya mawasiliano ya wireless na ni sawa na Z-wimbi. Zigbee ilibadilishwa na kuwa ya kawaida mnamo 2004. Zigbee ni mtandao wa mawasiliano wa nyumbani kwa nyumba yako ya smart, na kama Z-Wave, Zigbee pia ni mtandao wa mawasiliano wa nyumbani. Zigbee inaweza kushughulikia hadi 65,000 nodes. - Scalability <unk> Kutokana na uwezo wake wa kushughulikia nodes nyingi, scalability ni unparalleled. - chini ya matumizi ya nishati <unk> Zigbee hutumia hata nishati kidogo kuliko Z-wimbi hufanya hivyo betri ingekuwa kudumu kwa muda mrefu. - Range <unk> matumizi ya chini ya nguvu haina kuja kwa gharama, mbalimbali ya Zigbee (10m) ni tu theluthi ya Z-wimbi (35m). - Hub mahitaji <unk> Kama vile na Z-wimbi, unahitaji hub. - Usalama <unk> Zigbee pia si salama kama Z-wimbi au Wi-Fi-msingi mfumo. Zigbee hauhitaji uthibitisho wa kazi ili kifaa kiunganishwe, ambayo inaacha dhaifu kwa watumiaji wengine kupata itifaki yako ya wireless. "Kukubaliana ni wakati lazima ubonyeze kitufe ili kifaa chako kiunganishwe, na kitufe kwenye kifaa chako lazima ubonyezwe pia kutuma ishara ya kuunganisha.""" - Zigbee Alliance <unk> Vifaa vyote kuwa kuthibitishwa na Zigbee Alliance (mwili wa kiwango). Kwa sababu ya suala hili la ziada la kufuata, inaweza kuzuia baadhi ya wazalishaji wa nyumba smart. Ingawa kila chaguo lina faida na hasara zake, jibu la moja inafanya kazi inategemea uundaji wako wa nyumba ya akili na aina gani ya udhibiti unayotaka. Wi-Fi ni nzuri kwa sababu ni kupatikana na bidhaa smart nyumbani ni uhakika wa kuendelea kufanywa sambamba na hayo. Pia, hakuna vifaa vya ziada muhimu. Zigbee na Z-wimbi ni kubwa kwa ajili ya mwenyeji wa vifaa mbalimbali na si crowding uhusiano wako wa Wi-Fi. Jambo la muhimu ni kufanya utafiti na kuamua ni njia gani inayofaa zaidi kwako.