Consumers are gradually upgrading to smart homes, and radio protocols such as Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, ZigBee, Thread and Bluetooth Low Energy are currently the preferred wireless protocols from a global perspective.
Below we answer the 3 Most Frequently Asked Questions related to the Smart Home Radio Protocols War.
Why the need for radio protocols other than Wi-Fi, such as Z-Wave, ZigBee, Thread and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)?
Wi-Fi was originally designed to cover large areas and facilitate high-speed data communication (such as media streaming). Wi-Fi’s drawback by being able to facilitate high-speed data communication is that it is a power hungry radio protocol, which makes it a sub-optimal radio protocol for battery-operated devices, such as door locks, scales and sensors.
Radio protocols such as Z-Wave, ZigBee and Thread were also designed to cover large areas, but, in contrast to Wi-Fi, highly power efficient, which makes them ‘perfect’ radio protocols for battery-operated devices.
Below a simple table clarifying the key differences between Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, ZigBee, Thread and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE):
What are the technical specifications of the different smart home radio protocols?
* Since Z-Wave operates in the Sub-1 GHz frequency band, it is subject to region-dependent regulatory requirements. The most relevant Z-Wave frequencies for most product producers are Z-Wave US (908 MHz), Z-Wave EU (868 MHz) and Z-Wave AU (921 MHz). For clarity sake, a Z-Wave US (908 MHz) Gateway is only compatible with a Z-Wave US (908 MHz) Door Lock and not with a Z-Wave EU (868 MHz) Door Lock.
How will the Smart Home Radio Protocols War most likely evolve
in the next 5 years?
Similarities between the Evolution of the Smartphone and the Wireless Router
If we look at the evolution of the smartphone with regards to radios, we find that many smartphones currently have the following radio protocols built-in by default:
+ LTE
+ Wi-Fi
+ Bluetooth
+ NFC
Each of these radio protocols has its own ideal use cases and the reality is that most consumers do not care about the different protocols and standards as they simply expect to be able to properly enjoy the relevant use cases. At SmartHomeDB we believe that a similar evolution will occur with the current Wi-Fi Router as it will gradually evolve to a Multi-Radio Router/Gateway/Hub either via an additional Gateway/Hub connected to your existing Wi-Fi Router via an Ethernet Cable (most stable) or Wi-Fi (more prone to interference) or by simply completely replacing your existing Wi-Fi Router (a somewhat more cumbersome process as one would have to reconfigure a new router from scratch, whereas via the additional Gateway/Hub approach a better Plug & Play experience can be provided to the end consumer).
The Future Wireless Router Standard
Wi-Fi Router producers such as D-Link and Linksys (sold by Cisco to Belkin in January 2013) have already released Multi-Radio Routers/Gateways/Hubs to the mainstream market and we foresee other Wi-Fi Router producers gradually also adding more radio antennas to their routers product portfolio.
We expect that Multi-Radio Routers/Gateways/Hubs will gradually support the following 6 protocols by default: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Z-Wave, ZigBee, 6LowPAN and Thread (which can be facilitated via 4 antennas, because ZigBee, 6LowPan and Thread can share the same antenna).
Product Categories and Radio Protocols
With regards to which radio protocols certain product categories will most likely use in the future, we believe the current status quo already provides some initial market signals on how the landscape is likely to further evolve:
See more at: www.smarthomedb.com/analytics
About Chun Liew
Chun Liew is the Founder of SmartHomeDB and holds a MSc CEMS from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.
SmartHomeDB is the most trusted open community-supported online destination for smart home consumers. The platform aspires to cut through the complexity of everything smart home and deliver the knowledge needed to make the right decisions quickly, and with confidence.
