A Z-Wave device, however, will always be able to talk to another Z-Wave device, no matter what.
![zigbee vs wifi vs bluetooth zigbee vs wifi vs bluetooth](https://d3i71xaburhd42.cloudfront.net/d9928a85fbf685cead1d6c6577d8d7dae53f47d1/4-TableI-1.png)
This makes it a little tricky to get everything to talk to one another. Zigbee was designed with industry usage in mind as such, it has different channels for different categories of devices and signatures for both its hardware and software. (Although we’d find it hard to believe any smart home would care about going over 232 devices!) Z-Wave’s strength, however, is how easy it is to get everything to talk to one another. It’s true that it has a slower data rate, as well as a lesser amount of maximum devices. Z-WaveĪt first glance, Z-Wave may seem like a slightly worse Zigbee. With its very high maximum device limit, you can put Hue bulbs all over the house without worrying about hitting the ceiling. You can find it in The Philips Hue. Given the low amount of data transfer that’s required between the bulb and the data bridge, the Philips Hue can use Zigbee to power its smart lighting system. As such, the power of Zigbee is not connecting one distant device to another, but connecting many devices that are close together into a mesh. Its huge limit of maximum devices means a single Zigbee network can “pass along” a signal among connected devices to reach a distant one. Its range is not so hot either, so it needs to be in close proximity to the devices it connects to.
![zigbee vs wifi vs bluetooth zigbee vs wifi vs bluetooth](https://snapgoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/18-025641-smart_home_automation_for_beginners.jpg)
It’s not the hottest for speed, so it has to be used on simple devices that don’t send a lot of data. You’ll find Zigbee on devices that have both a low power consumption and low data usage, such as a smart bulb. Devices: 15 million (logically), ~1000 (realistically)
![zigbee vs wifi vs bluetooth zigbee vs wifi vs bluetooth](https://m.phonegg.com/120/12044b-1.jpg)
In order for the Internet of Things to function without wires traipsing everywhere, every smart gadget has adopted wireless communications to talk to other devices.