Zigbee

Zigbee is a standard protocol used to enable connected products to communicate with each other. Eva Hub communicates with other Zigbee-certified products, including the entire Eva Smart Home series, as well as IKEA Trådfri, Philips Hue, and many more.

Advantages of Zigbee

Zigbee is a wireless technology that operates on the same 2.4GHz network frequency as Wi-Fi. 

So, even though Zigbee and Wi-Fi share the same network frequency, the smart hub and Zigbee-enabled devices form their own network to maintain a reliable and dedicated connection for smart home operations. This ensures that your Wi-Fi network remains unaffected and can continue providing internet access to your devices without any interference from the Zigbee network.

Zigbee has several advantages:

1. Cost-effective: Zigbee is affordable compared to other wireless technologies.
2. Energy-efficient: Zigbee devices consume very little power, allowing batteries to last longer.
3. Mesh networking: Zigbee devices can form a network where they can communicate with each other, extending the range and coverage.
4. Secure: Zigbee incorporates security features to protect the data transmitted between devices.
5. Good range: Zigbee has a decent range, allowing devices to communicate over relatively long distances.

Zigbee is an alliance formed by multiple companies who agreed on a common communication protocol. It is mainly used in smart homes, where you can connect various devices such as door locks, light sources, outlets, and sensors like door/window sensors, motion sensors, and water sensors. These devices can work together to make your home smarter, safer and more convenient.

How do Zigbee devices communicate?

Zigbee devices communicate with each other and are divided into two categories. Battery-powered devices are called end devices, which communicate only with their own messages. Additionally, there are powered devices such as smart plugs, smart bulbs, thermostats, and dimmers. These devices are called routers and help extend the coverage for other devices that may be farther away from your hub.

Zigbee devices communicate over the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol on the 2.4GHz network, similar to what Wi-Fi and Bluetooth use. The difference from Wi-Fi is that Zigbee has a range that is approximately 10-20 meters shorter, but in return, you get excellent battery life foryour devices.

Although Zigbee devices have a shorter range than a Wi-Fi router, they can find their way back home through a router. The more Zigbee routers you have, the better coverage you will get.

Why Zigbee and not Z-Wave or Bluetooth?

Stability - As mentioned earlier, Zigbee devices automatically find the fastest and shortest route back home without any intervention required.

Supports many devices - You can have numerous devices performing various functions. A multitude of thermostats, smart bulbs, and sensors do not overload the network. The record among Eva customers is around 100 devices connected to a home, and the person is still expanding it.

Energy-efficient - Zigbee devices only send small messages, resulting in very low power consumption.
Cost-effective - Zigbee devices are more affordable than other smart devices. If you are renovating, the price difference between smart and non-smart devices is not significant.

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