Comparing ZigBee and Z-Wave

Comparing ZigBee and Z-Wave
If you have read Chapter 7, ZenSys: An Open Standard for Wireless Home Control,
and you are now embarking up on this chapter, you may be conscious of the considerable
overlap between the technologies (ZigBee and Z-Wave). In fact, Zensys
(www.zen-sys.com), the Danish company that develops the Z-Wave technology, was
formally part of the ZigBee Alliance, but differences between their business models
and technology approach created a rift between the Alliance and Zensys. As such,
Zensys withdrew its support from the Alliance and essentially formed their own
Z-Wave Alliance (www.z-wavealliance.org) group that today has over one hundred
members, which is comparable to that of the ZigBee. Furthermore, there isn’t a great
difference between the two technology solutions. Both technologies support the
notion of nodes and indeed support the same networking topologies (more about this
in a moment) and essentially the same application portfolio is again supported by
both Z-Wave and ZigBee. But Zensys has a clear advantage, as it has already established
within the market a large consumer base of home control and automation products
which, to be honest, ZigBee has yet to do. Additionally, Z-Wave is increasingly
being seen as the de facto standard for wireless home control and automation solutions,
which surely must have ZigBee feeling somewhat insecure. It is primarily due to
companies and technologies like Zensys which are analogous to ZigBee that so many
argued that the emergence of yet another home control-like technology was pointless.