Thread Protocol vs ZigBee Explore their strengths, weaknesses, and ideal applications for smart homes and industries.
What is Zigbee?
Full-stack wireless mesh network Zigbee It offers low-cost, low-power Internet of Things and M2M wireless networks using standards-based technology. The ZigBee Alliance Philips, Mitsubishi Electric, Epson, Atmel, Texas Instruments, and others developed the standard. This non-profit Alliance began in 2002.
IoT hardware, application, and user developers benefit from ZigBee’s compatibility and flexibility. The protocol’s key characteristics of low cost, low power consumption, and faster wireless communication make it useful for a variety of applications. For instance, it performs better than other wireless technologies in a number of aspects, making it the technology of choice for smart homes.
First off, because ZigBee devices communicate in both directions, they are reliable. Secondly, it caters to every industry, including home access, appliances, security, and lights. Third and perhaps most importantly this technology’s low duty cycle and delay result in very low power consumption. Additionally, it uses a mesh network, which lowers the possibility of node failure.
Read more on ZigBee Use Cases, Features, How it Works, and Importance
What is Thread Protocol?
With the help of a wireless protocol Thread, you can build a network of numerous devices that can easily communicate with one another while consuming very little power. But how does Thread do this? Simply said, the Thread stack is an open standard that was developed in accordance with the current Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards to assist guarantee device compatibility and inexpensive bridging to other IP networks.
Because it is completely IPv6 compliant, IP packets can be converted to proprietary protocols without the use of translators or gateways. Packet forwarding is optimised and energy consumption is decreased by compressing data packets using 6LoWPAN as its base. By using low-power mesh networking technology, devices may send and receive data, creating a very reliable network with a wide coverage area.
Because of these features and a certification mechanism that verifies device compliance with the standard, Thread is a protocol that is worth looking into if you’re creating Internet of Things applications in this field.
These two protocols, ZigBee and Thread, are engaged in a continuous conflict. Both are utilised in the market for low-data-rate wireless applications. The sole purpose of the IoT protocols is to guarantee that data from one device is transmitted to and readable by another device, service, or gateway. However, which of these two Internet of Things protocols is superior.
There are still several competing communications protocols fighting for control of certain Internet of Things domains because the Internet of Things is still in its early stages. Two protocols that are useful in consumer-focused, low-power wireless sensor and control applications are ZigBee and Thread. Although the two methods appear to be competing for dominance, new information indicates that they may potentially cooperate.
Read more on Thread Protocol: Future Of Secure And Scalable IoT Networks
Thread Protocol vs ZigBee
Thread Protocol vs ZigBee both fight for market share in the same low-power, short-range communication space. Unlike the previous LAN and WLAN protocol disputes, there is actually some chance for ZigBee and Thread to work together. Only the competing protocols at the physical level are visible when discussing the role of competition in LANs or WLANs. Therefore, only one of the competing protocols (such as Ethernet over token ring) might be utilised. Both ZigBee and Thread specify distinct stacks and even share the same stacks, depending on the physical and link layer protocols.
Through the use of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), Thread networks can naturally connect to existing IPv6-based networks, such as Wi-Fi. On the other hand, every node in the Zigbee network is assigned a 16-bit address. Since Zigbee was created from the ground up, it needs to be transformed into an IP address using an application layer gateway.
| Aspect | ZigBee | Thread |
|---|---|---|
| IP Integration | Initially attempted with ZigBee IP but faced adoption challenges. Does not natively support IP networking. | Natively supports IPv6 using 6LoWPAN, allowing each node to have a direct IP address for seamless cloud communication via an edge router. |
| Application Layer | Provides a structured framework specifying application communication (e.g., ZigBee Light Link for lighting control). However, it’s often considered complex and bulky. | Lacks a defined application layer, offering a general communication framework. This allows flexibility for various applications but requires users to manage device interactions. |
| Device Authentication | Utilizes a centralized authentication scheme through a trust center, with optional out-of-band device-based installation. | Primarily employs smartphone-based authentication, integrating QR code scanning for quick and secure device onboarding. |
| Industry Adoption | Supported by over 400 companies, indicating a broader ecosystem. | Backed by approximately 270 companies, including major players like Google and Samsung. |
| Security Mechanism | Implements AES-128 encryption at both network and application layers. | Derives AES-128 encryption at the MAC layer, utilizing a password method based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). |
| Commissioning Methods | Offers proximity-based (Touchlink) pairing and button-press modes for device commissioning. | Focuses on smartphone integration, using QR code scanning for device pairing. |
| Network Management | Typically employs a coordinator for network governance, operating in either distributed or centralized modes. | Utilizes a dynamic leadership model where routers and leaders self-elect and support self-healing capabilities. |
| Cloud Connectivity | Requires a ZigBee gateway to connect devices to cloud services. | Connects devices to cloud services via a Thread border router. |
| Performance | Offers strong application performance with low latency and optimal power efficiency for application packets. | Provides efficient packet handling with high-speed performance. |
| Protocol Maturity | First edition released in 2005, indicating a longer presence in the market. | Introduced in 2015, making it a relatively newer protocol. |
Conclusion
What a company needs to utilise the network for will likely determine the network it uses. ZigBee has performed well in smart lighting and energy, but it has struggled in other sectors. Despite being a more recent network, Thread will likely benefit from Google and Samsung’s sponsorship.