Wireless Comparision


Wireless technology comparison chart

Standard	Bandwidth	Power Consumption	Protocol Stack Size	Stronghold	Applications
Wi-Fi	Up to 54Mbps	400+mA TX, standby 20mA	100+KB	High data rate	Internet browsing, PC networking, file transfers
Bluetooth	1Mbps	40mA TX, standby 0.2mA	~100+KB	Interoperability, cable replacement	Wireless USB, handset, headset
ZigBee	250kbps	30mA TX, standby 3#&956;A	4"32KB	Long battery life, low cost	Remote control, battery-operated products, sensors

ZigBee over Bluetooth, WiFi

WiFi is costly and complex. Bluetooth may look like an obvious candidate, but it too has some key difficulties for this type of application. First off, it’s quite expensive – more than the cost of the product it would need to be embedded in, in many instances. Secondly, it uses too much power. For a typical cell phone application – providing hands free phone use or connecting a laptop to GPRS for example – sufficient battery power is on hand to make it not a problem and Bluetooth excels. For home control applications, though, you really don’t want to recharge or replace batteries at all – ever.

The range of reception for both Blue tooth and ZigBee is about the same.  However, Bluetooth has no deep sleep mode and ZigBee becomes an ideal format for wireless and battery operated devices.