Wireless Protocols: Z-Wave VS ZigBee

Part 5 of 6 of my Smart Home Series.

Finally, we shall get into the Z-Wave & ZigBee protocols and how they play a role in your smart device.

Zealous Z-Wave & ZigBee​

Z-Wave and ZigBee are contesting themselves to be the wireless network protocol standard of choice when it comes to smart home technology, and rightfully so. Z-Wave and ZigBee devices consume very low electrical power and only a fraction of that consumed by Wi-Fi devices. This makes the former two technologies very suitable for home usage as it is economically and environmentally friendly. They also operate on their own unique protocols and are separate from the Wi-Fi protocol. This means it will not compete for space on a Wi-Fi network with other electronic devices at home, e.g. computers and smart phones. It also means that Z-Wave or ZigBee smart devices can still carry out their automations even when the Wi-Fi network is down. Last but not least, both Z-Wave and ZigBee use AES 128 encryption standard for their security, which is far superior to that of Wi-Fi security standard.

Z-Wave VS ZigBee​

So what are the differences between the two? I have prepared a handy table below for you to find out more.

While ZigBee may look to be less reliable on paper and have a shorter range, these can be mitigated with more ZigBee routers. The costs of such routers are considerably affordable too.

Conclusion

So, should you choose ZigBee over Z-Wave, or vice versa? My opinion is that ZigBee is the winner here simply due to cost reasons. However, there is really no wrong answer here. These days, many brands carry a choice of at least two of the three wireless protocols: Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Z-Wave, on their products. The choice will most probably come down to your budget.

End of Part 5 of my Smart Home Series.