Focus 2.4 GHz – Choosing between Bluetooth, Thread and Zigbee

“Bluetooth has the advantage of being built into smartphones and enables local interaction with devices, which makes updates easier. It uses very little energy, and Bluetooth 5 also extends the range of devices by several hundred metres.” Kévin Berton, CEO of Linkio.

According to Kévin Berton, this protocol is ideal for both residential and commercial buildings. In commercial buildings, its low power consumption makes it compatible with devices fitted with an energy harvesting system, in particular switches with a built-in micro-generator or sensors with a photovoltaic cell. As they use no battery, these devices become maintenance-free, which is crucial when a building is fitted with a large number of devices.

In homes, what makes the difference is its presence in smartphones. This brings ease of use and the flexibility to use a home automation hub or not.

Indeed, as Nicolas Thiers, our project manager and electronics expert, explains, Bluetooth Mesh allows a very low cost (in terms of both development and hardware). It also provides a mesh network with very low power consumption. However, in his view, Thread is also a protocol with a future.

“Thanks to its standardised lower layers, Thread integrates natively into our home IP networks. This therefore allows a certain flexibility.”

Finally, let’s talk about Zigbee, which has been in the spotlight since it was adopted by the giants of the connected world. It is the protocol with the most profiles suited to the needs of the connected home. At NodOn, our CE-certified 2.4 GHz platform meets every use case and application of our OEM customers.

“For me, now is the time for Zigbee 3.0. Which is rather paradoxical, as the Zigbee protocol was born more than 20 years ago. It has already been adopted by many solutions that have often turned it into a proprietary solution, without keeping the interoperability that matters so much to us at NodOn. Today, Zigbee is mature. Version 3.0 of the protocol makes it a standard and fixes the lack of interoperability it may have suffered from in the past.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance has championed Zigbee and made it a reference protocol for the IoT. But the future is already here, and at NodOn we are actively preparing for it. It will be called Matter, the IP-based protocol whose mission is to enable all connected devices in homes and buildings to communicate with each other. Today it’s Zigbee, tomorrow it will be Matter, via the Thread protocol. And the best part is that today’s Zigbee products will be able to talk to products using other technologies tomorrow, thanks to Matter via a dedicated bridge,” says Alexis Polegato, CTO of NodOn.

At NodOn, we have made the move to Zigbee 3.0. If you are still unsure about the radio technology for your future connected product, our team is available to discuss it and help you make the choice that best suits your needs.