ZigBee 与低功耗WiFi对比

ZigBee Vs Low power WiFI

Of course there are other wireless technologies addressing WAN and PAN. One of the most often mentioned is ZigBee. So why should you use GainSpan Wi-Fi over ZigBee?

Well, why use an immature and proprietary solution that requires new infrastructure. Wi-Fi is a mature technology with an established and strong worldwide certification network. It is the most widely deployed WLAN technology in the world--in home, enterprise, industry, education and government. It continues to grow by double-digits year over year.

What's more, no other wireless technology is as IP friendly as Wi-Fi - which makes it instantly connectable to Web enabled services. This is not true for ZigBeeIP which requires the use of a bridge today. And, since Wi-Fi works with existing access points, it provides a lower total cost of ownership. ZigBee may have lower node costs, but it requires new infrastructure and that means higher total costs.

Wi-Fi also provides the highest bandwidth of any wireless technologies. GainSpan Wi-Fi, for example, provides up to 11 Mbps, with a fallback to 1 Mbps. ZigBee offers less than 250 kbps, with no fallback.

And when it comes to data protection, Wi-Fi provides well-proven encryption, authentication and end-to-end network security. You just can't say that about ZigBee.

GainSpan Wi-Fi	ZigBee
IP to the Embedded System	Forklift upgrade to ZigBee IP – Immature, must use bridge today
Lower Total Cost of Ownership – works with existing access points	Lower node cost, but higher infrastructure cost – new infrastructure
Up to 11 Mbps, with fallback to 1 Mbps	< 250 kbps, no fallback
Easy provisioning & IT friendly	Unfamiliar to IT
Longer Range, no need for meshing	Shorter range, meshing required
Highly tested link layer encryption/authentication (WPA2, EAP, TLS/SSL)	Limited testing, security holes identified