Best of : Zigbee vs Wi-Fi very informative 2022 wifi zegbee

Best of : Zigbee vs Wi-Fi very informative 2022

Educational Engineering Team

Zigbee vs Wi-Fi

Zigbee vs Wi-Fi

Zigbee vs wifi: Zigbee-  has often been considered a mini version of Wi-Fi. Keeping some features like range, power consumption apart, ZigBee and wi-fi are often utilized in similar applications in terms of household-based wireless communication.

These short-range wireless technologies even share a common ISM band of two .4GHz, use the same spread spectrum technique. Interestingly, both are developed and proposed during a different mindset, and hence some significant differences exist between these two.

Let’s say you are ready to go Smart. But which direction do you go? Zigbee vs WiFi?

This text compares these two technologies on various grounds of technical and applicative scenarios. keep it up reading to seek out out the main differences between Zigbee and WiFi technologies.

Zigbee vs WiFi

Difference between Wi-Fi and Zigbee:

1. IEEE Standard: Wi-Fi has been standardized under IEEE 802.11.x standard. There are several versions of the protocol where x gets replaced by a, b, g, n, etc. which are different versions of Wi-Fi. Zigbee comes under the 802.15.4 IEEE standard.

2. Caretaker Alliance: Wi-Fi is managed and its certification process is taken by Wi-Fi Alliance, an independent group constituted by several electronics and communication companies. On similar grounds, Zigbee also features a separate alliance that takes of Zigbee based development and certification processes.

3. Development Timeline: the thought for Wi-Fi came out as an alternative to ease the work of cashier machines within the year 1985. A community to standardize was established within the year 1990 which launched the quality within the year 1997.

On the opposite hand, the idea was Zigbee was conceived within the year 1999, when it had been found that for a few long-running applications, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth weren’t prepared. it had been launched within the year 2004.

4. Operating Frequency: Wi-Fi is understood to figure at 2.4GHz, 5GHz, though there are recent developments where Wi-Fi is functioning at 60GHz frequency. Zigbee works at 900-928 MHz and a couple of .4GHz. Besides that Zigbee protocol features a specific frequency of 868 MHz for European countries.

5.Channel Bandwidth: Zigbee protocol-based communications have a channel bandwidth of 1MHz while Wi-Fi channels have a bandwidth of 0.3, 0.6, or 2MHz.

6. Network Range: Zigbee is restricted to Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN), reaching 10-30meter in usual applications. Recently, some applications tend to succeed in 100m in terms of range. Wi-Fi serves up for PAN and WLAN area networks with a mean range between 30 to 100 meters.

7. Data transfer speed: Wi-Fi networks, though faster than ZigBee in terms of knowledge transfer, show variation in terms of speed. Wi-Fi networks defined under 802.11b standard have a maximum data transfer speed of 11mbps while a and c versions have 54mbps of maximum data transfer speed. The maximum speed in ZigBee networks is merely 250kbps, fairly low then rock bottom Wi-Fi offers.

8. Bit Time: It is often defined as the time taken to transmit one bit at a given rate of transfer. Bit time in ZigBee is 4micro seconds while in Wi-Fi it’s only 0.00185 microseconds.

9. Power Consumption: Wi-Fi, though now having a coffee power version over the horizon, has not been referred to as an influence efficient network. Wi-Fi-based devices need an honest battery back-up if one wants to use them for quite 10hours approximately. On the opposite hand, the Zigbee protocol has been designed for an “assemble and forget” manner. These are extremely minimal in terms of power consumption and hence can continue for weeks and months. generally, Zigbee based networks consume 1/4th of the facility consumed by Wi-Fi networks.

10. Network Elements: during a standard point to point network, two stations are often connected to every other. A Wi-Fi router is additionally needed in some places where one must connect multiple devices to every other and/or wants to attach to the web.
In Zigbee, the network elements are often broadly classified into three types: Zigbee coordinator, Zigbee end router, Zigbee end device.

11. Network Size: one Wi-Fi-based network can have a network size of up to 2007 nodes whereas Zigbee based networks can have over 65,000 nodes in one such network.

12.Network Security: Zigbee protocols use Advanced Encryption Security (AES) methods for encryption and CCB-CCM methods for network security. On the opposite hand, Wi-Fi-based networks use WEP, WPA, and WPA2 protocols for network encryption and security, respectively.

13. Applications: Wi-Fi may be a preferable choice for internet connection based networks and now’s also encouraged to interface various media/entertainment devices wirelessly. One can find Wi-Fi in data exchange between a computer and modem, streaming music and videos on a television through a Wi-Fi enabled computer or media device.

Zigbee protocol has been precisely designed to exchange data and it’s more prevalent within the wireless sensor-based networks like those in home automation systems or industrial machinery coordination systems.

Researches are being to bring down power requirements of Wi-Fi-based systems so that they will perform at low energy levels as Zigbee does. Moreover, a smoother gateway between both protocols is additionally on its way for better interfaces between sorts of gadgets.

Difference between Zigbee vs WiFi

  •  Zigbee – is like UWB (Ultra-Wide Band). the frequency range supported in Zigbee mostly 2.4 GHz worldwide, it means 2.4 GHz is not supported all times. It covers more distance as compared with Bluetooth. There are sixteen RF channels in zigbee.

The following are some of the most important facts concerning Zigbee:

  1. It was created in accordance with IEEE 802.15.4.
  2. The majority of Zigbee’s supported frequency range is 2.4 GHz.
  3. Like UWB, it also uses BPSK and QPSK modulation techniques.
  4. The number of cell nodes in zigbee is greater than sixty-five thousand (65000).
  5. In zigbee, there are sixteen RF channels.
  6. In most cases, Zigbee also uses less bandwidth than Bluetooth, but it is usually more.
  7. Zigbee has a ten-to-hundred-meter radio transmission range.
  • Wifi – Fidelity across a wireless network is known as Wi-Fi. It is a technology for wireless local area networking with devices based on IEEE 802.11 standards. A WLAN network and a wireless access point, often known as an AP, allow Wi-Fi-enabled devices to connect to the internet. Every wireless network has an access point that is in charge of receiving and delivering data to and from users. IEEE has created a set of physical and data link layer specifications for wireless LAN, known as IEEE 802.11.

Important Points about Wifi are Listed below:

  1. Fidelity across a wireless network is known as Wi-Fi.
  2. Wireless Fidelity is the abbreviation for Wireless Fidelity.
  3. Consumes high Power
  4. It improves the level of security.
  5. A big number of people can use Wi-Fi.
  6. Wi-Fi has a 100-meter radio signal range.
  7. It demands a significant amount of data.

Difference between Zigbee vs WiFi :

Zigbee has a ten-to-hundred-meter radio transmission range. Wi-Fi has a 100-meter radio signal range.
It uses a small amount of bandwidth, but it is usually more than Bluetooth’s. In comparison to Zigbee, the WiFi network is less dependable.
It necessitates a lot of bandwidth.
The frequencies of wifi are more consistent.

Zigbee vs WiFi : Limitaations of Wifi

People frequently use their phones to operate smart bulbs or smart IR blasters to control various devices, and they’re ecstatic to have done it in a relatively quick and easy manner. That’s what they should be.

Those people would most likely have chosen WiFi solutions that would allow them to quickly set up their devices and see them work in a matter of minutes.
This is a benefit that WiFi Smart Home suppliers are taking advantage of, and it may not be a bad thing for those who want to make quick money.
If you’re planning for the medium to long term, though, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you want to have a better and more stable experience, there are some alternatives to WiFi.

Zigbee vs Wifi : Zigbee’s Advantages

1. Standby Power consumption of Zigbee as a Smart Home protocol

You could think that home automation systems help you save money on energy, but pay attention to how much power is used in standby mode. The standby power consumption of a Smart Home system with modules scattered over the house adds up over time.
In extreme circumstances, this would diminish your efficiency and, if mismanaged, may backfire on you.
When it comes to standby power usage, Zigbee modules have a reputation for being relatively cautious. If you’re planning to go big, this choice would alleviate that problem for you.

2. Ability to Retrofit Zigbee vs WiFi

A system that can be retrofitted is one that can be used in conjunction with and compatible with your current setup and infrastructure.
Yes, you may believe that WiFi systems can be simply retrofitted. This isn’t a direct advantage of Zigbee systems over WiFi, although it does have some advantages over it.
To power up the modules in a Zigbee system, a neutral wire must be attached. Zigbee modules, like Z-Wave, are more likely to control circuits than single lights or power outlets. Although it’s possible that this is a viable solution.

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