Wireless standards are murky ground for many users, giving them cause to worry over proper use. WiFi, Zigbee and Bluetooth are the three most popular standards in wireless technology, such as smart homes and the Internet of Things. To select the right device for the right wireless connections, it helps to understand how these standards work on their own. The following table helps outline key features of each of these three standards.
| Standard | IEEE 802.11b | IEE 802.15.4 and zigbee alliance | IEEE 802.15.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specification | WiFi | Zigbee | Bluetooth |
| Frequency band | 2.4GHz | 2.4GHz | 2.4GHz |
| Data rate | 11Mbps | 250kbps | 1Mbps |
| Range | ~100m | ~10-100m | ~10m |
| Nodes | 32 | 65,536 | 7 |
| Power Consumption | High | Very low | Low |
| Complexity | High | Low | Medium |
| Network Latency | milliseconds | milliseconds | milliseconds |
| Security | Medium(Service Set Identifierr (SSID) | 128bit AES and application layer user definable | High (64 bit,128 bit) |