The majority of smart devices works on connectivity. You need to connect these devices with your home network or with other devices in order to enjoy smart functionality.
For example, you need to connect a smart home light switch with a home network or a hub to control it from your phone or via voice control.
When it comes to connectivity, most people use Wi-Fi. It is an ideal wireless technology that helps you to connect multiple devices.
However, there are many limitations to using Wi-Fi. It consumes more power and is not relay energy-efficient. Because of this reason, many people have started switching to Zigbee.
It is a unique wireless technology for home automation. It works just like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and helps you to connect multiple devices. If you want to know which technology is better, follow this guide. We will compare both these wireless technologies to find out an ideal solution.
What is Wi-Fi Technology?
It is a wireless technology which stands for "Wireless Fidelity". You can use it to connect smart devices based on standard IEEE 802.11. It is a Local Area Network. You can use this technology to connect smart devices to the internet.
You can connect Wi-Fi to a router or any access point. This way, when you connect other devices to the network, they will be able to access the internet. Many people confuse Wi-Fi with the internet. However, it is a wireless technology that helps you to connect devices in order to access the internet.
For example, you used to purchase a router and connect it with Wi-Fi. Now, you can connect other smart devices using the same Wi-Fi connection to the router. These connected devices will be able to access the internet.
In short, Wi-Fi uses radio signals transmitted by radio stations to transmit the signal within a pre-determined range of the user's area to a device such as a wireless access point or a router. This device then picks up the signal, which is then converted into a digital signal and sent to the computer user's local area network or Wi-Fi hotspot.
Wi-Fi connections utilize a WLAN or a local area network which enables devices such as laptops and cell phones to connect to the internet even when the users' location is far from the nearest Wi-Fi enabled hotspot. Although Wi-Fi was originally designed for industrial and business networks, many homes are now also setting up their own Wi-Fi networks in order to save on monthly telephone bills.
Wi-Fi is a type of wireless networking that is based on the technology that is utilized in cordless phones to communicate with each other. In contrast to conventional wired networking, which requires wires to connect the computer to the access point, Wi-Fi uses radio waves transmitted by radio channels to connect the two.
What Is Zigbee Technology?
Zigbee is another powerful wireless technology that you can use instead of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It uses 2.4 GHz worldwide frequency to connect devices. This technology for development is underdeveloped under IEEE 802.15.4.
It is a standard protocol that is used to develop many smart home devices under Zigbee Alliance. It covers more range than Bluetooth network and is mostly used for home automation. It works on low bandwidth and consumes less power.
Zigbee Technology is actually one of the continuous development in wireless communication. Now that this important innovation has found its way into the electronic world, people will now have easy ways to communicate; no more need to carry large cables everywhere just to signal-off between units in a building or to other end devices.
The Zigbee technology Alliance is responsible for keeping the Zigbee network working smoothly and helping keep the users connected to one another. Through this alliance, there have been many innovative solutions put into place which allow for wireless networks to become more effective and to be utilized in new ways.
This technology uses mesh networking which helps to increase the range of connected devices and makes the network strong and self-healing.
Advantages of Zigbee over Wi-Fi Technology:
Here are some of the advantages of Zigbee, which makes it better than the Wi-Fi network.
· Fault Tolerance: The biggest advantage of using Zigbee is fault tolerance. It uses a mesh topology instead of a star. As all the nodes are connected to each other, it has better fault tolerance than Wi-Fi.
· Backward and Forward Compatibility: Due to Zigbee Alliance, all the Zigbee products will be compatible with the versions of wireless technology. This way, you can easily connect multiple Zigbee devices in your home.
· No Need to Enter Password: Another advantage of using Zigbee is that you don't have to enter a password every time you connect to a new device. It helps you to directly discover and connect the device.
· Extends Range: You can easily extend the range of the Zigbee network by connecting it with other Zigbee devices. These devices work as routers and repeat the signal. With Wi-Fi, you have to purchase a range extender to extend the range of the network.
· Support Smart Hubs: Zigbee devices support smart hubs. If you already have a smart hub in your home, you can directly connect all the Zigbee devices with it. You can connect Zigbee smart home light switch with the hub and control it remotely.
· Multiple Device Support: Zigbee is a universal standard, and nowadays, most devices support this wireless network. You can use multiple devices like energy management devices, light management devices, environmental monitoring devices, etc.
· Low Power Devices: Zigbee helps to save a lot of power as the devices are designed to run on low power. Because of this, you can easily use Zigbee for home automation. It helps you to save battery life as well as energy bills.
Home Automation: Another reason to use Zigbee is that it helps in home automation. Nowadays, most smart devices are developed as per Zigbee standards. They can easily be connected to this network. It is better than Wi-Fi as it helps to save power and is cost-effective as well. On top of that, you will get the better range to connect the devices.
