Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1442769
12 Bluetooth 5 6LoWPAN Zigbee Wi-Fi Z-Wave Thread ANT Standard 802.15.1 802.15.4 802.15.4 802.11a,b,g,n,ac 802.15.4 802.15.4 250 Frequency 2.4GHz 868 and 915MHz, 2.4GHz 800 and 900MHz, 2.4GHz 2.4 and 5GHz 908.4MHz 902 to 928MHz, 2.4GHz 2.4GHz Maximum data rate 2Mbps 250kbps 250kbps Up to 1Gbps 100kbps 250kbps 60kbps Maximum range (m) 200 10 100 40 100 30 30 Network size Unlimited 128 127 255 232+ 300 256 Mesh support Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Beacon support Yes Yes Yes No No No No IPv6 support Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Overall cost Low Decreasing Moderate High Moderate Low Low Table 1: Most common short-range IoT connectivity solutions. EnOcean A spin-off from Siemens, EnOcean GmbH is located in Germany and its wireless modules are built and marketed by the company. EnOcean-based modules combine micro-energy converters and ultra-low-power electronics, enabling communications between battery-less wireless sensors, switches, controllers, and gateways. It has a range of 300m in free space, data rates below 125kbps, and optimizes the amount of power required to transmit a given amount of data. EnOcean operates at 902, 928.35, 868.3, and 315MHz depending on the country. Insteon This solution from Smartlabs allows IoT devices to communicate wirelessly or through power lines in a dual-band-type of mesh networking and is compatible with the X10 wired network standard. It has considerable industry support from companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Logitech, and others. Its maximum sustained data rate is 180bps, free-space range is up to about 45m, and operating frequency is 902 to 924MHz. Microchip Wireless Networking (MiWi) This Microchip-proprietary protocol is based on the 802.15.4 standard, operates at 2.4GHz or below 1GHz, is compatible with Zigbee, and can be configured in star, cluster, mesh, and tree network topologies. Wireless Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (WirelessHART) Protocol Designed to serve process field device networks in process automation, this open standard that the HART Communication Foundation developed uses a time-synchronized, self- organizing, self-healing mesh architecture. It operates at 2.4GHz using 802.15.4 radios. Changing the IoT Home Automation Landscape Given Wi-Fi's power-hungry nature and low data rates of the popular Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Thread, Bluetooth 5.0 is rapidly stepping up to be a game changer. The latest 4.0 and 4.2 versions of the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standards double the maximum data rate to 2Mbps while increasing distance four times to 120m. It also adds mesh networking capabilities, freeing Bluetooth to become a major player in IoT home automation connectivity. One specific benefit is that it's already a widely used, short- range, global solution and is integrated into smart televisions, gaming consoles, speakers, headsets, and smartphones. An important feature is its beaconing capabilities. Extremely small and inexpensive beacons can be deployed virtually anywhere. The short-range transmitters deliver short messages to smartphones with a beaconing app installed. The Bluetooth phone receiver receives messages and notifications are