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Zigbee is already an open standard, but some Zigbee devices don't work with others. Yet, with Z-Wave they all tend to work and there isn't that much of a price

Zigbee is already an open standard, but some Zigbee devices don't work with others. Yet, with Z-Wave they all tend to work and there isn't that much of a price difference (between Zigbee and Z-Wave devices). The biggest problem with Zigbee is that is uses 2.4 GHZ which doesn't travel long distances or through walls very well. Z-Wave uses a lower frequency that does. (edited for clarity)

huseyinkeles 7y ago
In a real situation this usually doesn't cause issues. Most of the zigbee devices that you're gonna have (such as light bulbs) are also acting like a zigbee router and it creates a mesh network. You can even visualise the network if you're using zigbee2mqtt with zigbee2mqtt/bridge/networkmap
- lgleason 7y ago
  That is true provided that you have devices that correctly act as routers. Sometimes it requires extra repeaters to make the network function correctly as well. Then there is the interference issue from WIFI and Bluetooth devices.
- akvadrako 7y ago
  Most zigbee light bulbs are terrible routers. Just because it's supposed to work doesn't mean it does.
oflannabhra 7y ago
Zigbee can use sub-GHz as well.
- lgleason 7y ago
  Oh, I did not realize that. Are there any implementations that actually use that?
  - JEOII 7y ago
    The UK, national smart meter effort. Sub gig, supported by three silicon providers did Zigbee sub-gig for the last mile, tough to penetrate homes and buildings. Running 3.0 on which means it will port very easily but sub-gig is much more regulated country by country than 2.4. You can search. This article covers the initiative but doesn't call out the sub-gig detail: https://telecoms.com/opinion/467631zigbee-and-the-smart-metering-phenomenon/ https://telecoms.com/opinion/467631zigbee-and-the-smart-mete...
andrewksl 7y ago
I have about 20 Z-Wave switches in my home, spread across 4 models and 2 brands. There were noticeable differences in response time, both from the physical button and over Z-Wave, when comparing brands. And even the most reliable brand for me (Aeotec) has had issues with the network being a little laggy. That's still a success in my books, though; I have bought Z-Wave devices that do not play nicely at all. On the other hand, my Philips Hue lights have all been absolutely flawless. They fire on time, every time. I think implementation of the standards matters a lot more than the standard itself, in practice.
- lgleason 7y ago
  I agree that the lag time is a bit higher on Z-Wave, partially because of the slower transmission speed. Plus does help that a bit. The number of hops can affect it as well, though they are limited in Z-Wave vs Zigbee which allows for more.
Eugr 7y ago
Even bigger problem with 2.4 GHz is that the frequency is oversaturated and most Zigbee channels at least partially overlap with WiFi channels. I had pretty bad interference in my home before I moved my Zigbee and 2.4G wifi channels as far apart as possible.
- JEOII 7y ago
  Zigbee 3.0 will use the guard channels if there are collisions and allowed to auto select channels.

huseyinkeles 7y ago

In a real situation this usually doesn't cause issues. Most of the zigbee devices that you're gonna have (such as light bulbs) are also acting like a zigbee router and it creates a mesh network. You can even visualise the network if you're using zigbee2mqtt with zigbee2mqtt/bridge/networkmap

lgleason 7y ago
That is true provided that you have devices that correctly act as routers. Sometimes it requires extra repeaters to make the network function correctly as well. Then there is the interference issue from WIFI and Bluetooth devices.
akvadrako 7y ago
Most zigbee light bulbs are terrible routers. Just because it's supposed to work doesn't mean it does.

oflannabhra 7y ago

Zigbee can use sub-GHz as well.

lgleason 7y ago
Oh, I did not realize that. Are there any implementations that actually use that?
- JEOII 7y ago
  The UK, national smart meter effort. Sub gig, supported by three silicon providers did Zigbee sub-gig for the last mile, tough to penetrate homes and buildings. Running 3.0 on which means it will port very easily but sub-gig is much more regulated country by country than 2.4. You can search. This article covers the initiative but doesn't call out the sub-gig detail: https://telecoms.com/opinion/467631zigbee-and-the-smart-metering-phenomenon/ https://telecoms.com/opinion/467631zigbee-and-the-smart-mete...

andrewksl 7y ago

I have about 20 Z-Wave switches in my home, spread across 4 models and 2 brands. There were noticeable differences in response time, both from the physical button and over Z-Wave, when comparing brands. And even the most reliable brand for me (Aeotec) has had issues with the network being a little laggy. That's still a success in my books, though; I have bought Z-Wave devices that do not play nicely at all. On the other hand, my Philips Hue lights have all been absolutely flawless. They fire on time, every time. I think implementation of the standards matters a lot more than the standard itself, in practice.

lgleason 7y ago
I agree that the lag time is a bit higher on Z-Wave, partially because of the slower transmission speed. Plus does help that a bit. The number of hops can affect it as well, though they are limited in Z-Wave vs Zigbee which allows for more.

Eugr 7y ago

Even bigger problem with 2.4 GHz is that the frequency is oversaturated and most Zigbee channels at least partially overlap with WiFi channels. I had pretty bad interference in my home before I moved my Zigbee and 2.4G wifi channels as far apart as possible.

JEOII 7y ago
Zigbee 3.0 will use the guard channels if there are collisions and allowed to auto select channels.