【芯科科技SiliconLabs】2025从用户视角评估智能家居协议选项白皮书

SILICONLABS

CONNECTEDINTELLlGENCE

EvaluatingSmartHomeProtocol

OptionsfromaUser’sPerspective

Isthereonesmarthomeprotocoltorulethemall?ByDevanjanSikdar

Protocols

PAGE2SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

Inrecentyears,smarthometechnologyhas

transformedthewayconsumersinteractwiththeirlivingspaces,offeringunprecedented

convenience,security,andefficiency.However,themyriadconnectivityoptionsavailable—

rangingfromWi-Fi,Bluetooth,Zigbee,Z-Wave,andproprietarystandardstoemerging

protocolslikeThread,Matter,andAmazon

Sidewalk—presentacomplexdecision-makinglandscapefordevelopersandusersalike.

Thispaperevaluatesthesesmarthomeprotocolsfromauser’sperspective,focusingonkeyfactors,includingeaseofsetup,reliability,interoperability,cost,andsecurity.

Throughacomprehensivereviewofcurrentwirelesstechnologies,userfeedback,andreal-worldperformancedata,thispaperseekstodemystifytheconnectivitychoicesandprovideclearguidance

fordeveloperslookingtobuildorexpandtheirsmarthomeproductofferings.Byhighlightingthestrengthsandweaknessesofeach

option,thepaperintendstoempowerdeveloperstomakeinformeddecisionsthatalignwiththeirspecificproductneeds,maximizing

effortandreturn.

IntroductiontoSmartHomeWirelessProtocols

Smarthomedevicesarebecomingmorepopularandaffordable,butthereisstillaconfusingarrayofdifferentwirelesstechnologiesthatenablethemtocommunicatewitheachotherandwithyoursmartphoneorvoiceassistant.Thesetechnologies

areprotocolsorstandards,andtheyhavedifferentfeatures,benefits,and

drawbacks.SomeofthemostcommonareWi-Fi,Thread,Matter,Zigbee,AmazonSidewalk,Z-Wave,Bluetooth,andproprietary.Here’sacomparisonofthesesmarthometechnologiestohelpyoudecidewhichsuitsyourneedsandpreferences.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fiisthemostwidelyusedandfamiliartechnologyforconnectingsmarthomedevices.Itusesthesamewirelessnetworkthatyouuseforyourlaptop,tablet,

orphone,anditoffershigh-speeddatatransferandwidecoverage.Wi-Fiis

compatiblewithmostsmarthomedevicesandplatforms,suchasAmazonAlexa,GoogleAssistant,AppleHomeKit,andSamsungSmartThings,justtonameafew.Wi-Fioperatesonthe2.4GHzand5GHzfrequencybandsandcansupportdataratesuptoseveralgigabitspersecond.

Line-powereddevicesandbattery-powered

devices(rechargeableorhighercapacityprimarycellbatteries,i.e.,alkaline):

•Smartspeakers,smartdisplays,smartTVs,andsmartcameras

•Smartthermostats,smartlocks,andsmartdoorbells

•Smartplugs,smartswitches,andsmartbulbs

Wi-FiMeshUseCases:

Wi-FiMeshcanimprovetheconnectivityand

functionalityofsmarthomedevices,includingthoselocatedoutdoors.Thisincludesdeviceslikesecuritycamerasandlighting.

/wireless/wi-fi

UseCases

Advantages

Disadvantages

Highdatarateandbandwidth,suitableforstreamingvideo

andaudio

HighPeakpowerrequirement–Requiresbatteriescapable

ofsupplyinghundredsofmAofpeakcurrent

Ubiquitousandcompatiblewithmanydevicesand

platforms

PronetointerferenceandcongestionfromotherWi-Fidevicesandnetworks

Easytosetupandusewithexistinginfrastructureandstandards

Limitedrangeandcoverage,especiallyinlargeormulti-storybuildings

Supportscloudandremoteaccessandcontrol

Wi-Fiiswidelyusedandfamiliar,

makingitacommontargetforhackers.TheextensiveuseofWi-Fimeansthatvulnerabilitiesaremorelikelytobe

discoveredandexploited

PAGE3SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

fHREAD

Thread

Threadisalow-power,mesh-basedwirelessprotocolbasedon802.15.4.Ituses

thesamefrequencybandasWi-Fi,butitcreatesaseparateanddedicatedlow-

powermeshnetwork.Threaddevicesuserobustmeshnetworkingtocoverhomesandevencommercialbuildings.Threaddoesnotdefineanapplicationlayer,so

UseCases

Line-powereddevicesandbattery-powereddevices(primarycellandcoincellbatteries):

•Smartsensors,suchasmotion,temperature,humidity,andlightsensors

•Smartswitches,smartplugs,smartlights

•Smartlocks

manufacturersneedtodeveloptheirownormaybeabletosupportanexistingecosystemlikeAppleHomeKit.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Consumeslesspowerthan

Wi-Fi,whichmeansthat

battery-operateddevicescanlastlonger

Lowdatarateandbandwidth,unsuitableforstreamingvideoandaudio

Maintainsastableand

robustconnection,asit

canautomaticallyadjusttochangesinthenetworktopologyorenvironment

Dependentonaborderrouterorgatewaydeviceforinternetandcloudaccess

Supportsalargenumberofdevices,anddevicescanactasroutersthatextendthe

networkrange.LikeMatteritsupportsIP

Limitedavailabilityandadoptionofdevicesandproducts.Threadonlydefinesthelayersuptothenetworklayersanddoesnotdefinethe

applicationlayer.DeveloperswouldneedtocreatetheirownapplicationlayeroruseanapplicationlayerthatsupportsThreadnativelylikeMatter,KNXandDali+

BeyondtheDoorThreadApplications:

•Sensornetworks,Assettracking,andControlsystems

•Garden/Backyardautomation,Poolmonitoring,andOutdoorlighting

/wireless/thread

PAGE4SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

UseCases

Matter

Matterisasmarthomeprotocolreleasedin2022bytheConnectivityStandardsAlliance(CSA),agroupofcompaniesthatincludesAmazon,Apple,Google,

Samsung,SiliconLabs,andmanyothers.Matteraimstocreateauniversaland

interoperablestandardforsmarthomedevices,regardlessofthebrand,platform,ortechnology.

•Smartspeakers,smartdisplays,smartTVs

•Smartthermostatsandairconditioners

•Smartplugs,smartswitches,andsmartbulbs

•Smartsensors,smartbuttons,andsmartremotes

•Smartappliancesandwhitegoods

•Security,smartlocks,anddoorbells

•ElectricVehiclechargers,batterystorage,andsolar

/wireless/matter

MatteroverWi-FiandMatteroverThreadaddressdifferentdevicetypes

dependingonkeyrequirementsinareassuchasthroughput,range,andbatterylife.Thebelowimageprovidesguidanceonwhichwirelesstechnology(MatteroverWi-FiorMatteroverThread)appliestovariousdevicesandapplications.

Lined-powereddevicesandbattery-powereddevices:

Advantages

Disadvantages

Supportsmultiplewireless

technologiesandprotocols,

enablingflexibilityandversatility

Lowdatarateandbandwidth,unsuitableforstreamingvideoandaudio

SupportsIP-based

communicationand

interoperabilitywithother

devicesandplatforms.Enablescommoncertificationandlogoforinteroperability

Mayfaceinitialchallengesand

interoperabilityissuesbetween

vendorsanddifferentEcosystems

Supportshighsecurityand

encryptionwithpublickey

infrastructureanddevice

authentication.AlsoSupportedbyexistingEcosystemsand

productsinthefieldfrom

companieslikeGoogle,Apple,AmazonandSamsung

Adoptionuncertainty

Controllers/

Bridges

Routersand

AccessPoint

Sensing

Safetyand

Control

AirQuality

Controls

SmokeandCO2

Detection

Switches

Lightingand

Electrical

Water

Management

Closures

22'

Energy

Management

WhiteGoods

(Appliances)

RobotDevices

Cameras

TVs

Devices

HVAC

Control

MatterOverThre

ad

MatterO

verWi-FI

5

SmartHomeProtocolsComparison

PAGE

/ecosystems

2zigbee

Zigbee

Zigbeeisoneofthemostestablishedsmarthomeprotocolsusedbymany

popularbrands,includingPhilipsHue,Ikea,andHoneywell.It’salsoalow-powermesh-basedprotocolthatoperatesonthesamefrequencybandasWi-Fi,but

itusesadifferentmodulationandcodingscheme.Zigbeedevicescanforma

networkofhundredsofnodesandcancommunicatewitheachotherorwitha

centralhuborcoordinator.Zigbeeisdirectlysupportedaroundtheglobebykeysmarthomeecosystems,includingAmazon,Samsung,andTuyaaswellasmanyinternetserviceproviders.

UseCases

Advantages

Disadvantages

Consumesverylittlepower,whichmeansthatbattery-operateddevicescanlast

foryears

Routersformeshnetworkingneedtobeline-powered(thisistypicalforanymeshnetwork)

Supportsavarietyofdevicetypesandhasalargebasedonavailableproducts

Notsuitableforhigh-speeddatatransmission,likevoiceandvideo

Zigbeemeshnetworking

combinedwithhighoutput

powerandsensitivityprovidesgoodcoverageinthehome

andbeyondthefrontdoor

Zigbeedoesrequireahub/gateway.

Certainecosystemdevicesanddevicemakershavethisnative

Lined-powereddeviceandbattery-powereddevices(coincellbatteries):

•Smartsensors,suchasmotion,temperature,humidity,andlightsensors

•Smartswitches,smartbuttons,smartplugsandsmartlighting

•Smartlocks

•Smartmeters

Largebuildingandbeyond-the-doorZigbeeapplications:

•Sensornetworks,assettracking,andcontrolsystems

•Outdoorsensors,poolmonitoring,andoutdoorlighting

/wireless/zigbee

PAGE6SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

ama,zonsidewalk

AmazonSidewalk

AmazonlaunchedSidewalkin2021,asmarthomeprotocolthatenables

sharedwirelessnetworksconnectingIoTdevicesinhomes,beyondthefront

door,neighborhood,andcity.It’salong-rangeandlow-bandwidthprotocol

thatuses900MHz(LongRange)and2.4GHzBluetoothLEtoconnectsmart

homedevicesandextendtheirnetworkcoverage.AmazonSidewalkusestwomodulationtechniquestotransmitdataoverthe900MHzband:frequency-shiftkeying(FSK)andchirpspreadspectrum(CSS).

AmazonSidewalkusesFSKformedium-rangecommunicationbetween

AmazonSidewalkBridgedevices,suchasEchoorRing,andAmazon

Sidewalk-enableddevices.CSScanprovidealongerrangethanFSKbut

muchlowerdatarates.ByusingFSKandCSS,AmazonSidewalkcancreateareliableandsecurewirelessnetworkthatcoversalargeareaandsupportsavarietyoflow-powerdevices.

UseCases

Advantages

Disadvantages

Improvestheconnectivity

andfunctionalityofsmart

homedevices,especially

thoselocatedoutdoorsor

farfromtherouter,suchas

securitycameras,smartlights,orpettrackers

Consumessomeofyourinternet

bandwidthandpower.Canhave

limitedcompatibilityandavailability,asitonlyworkswithcertaindevicesandiscurrentlylimitedtothe

USregion

Becauseit’sasharednetwork,userscanaccessAmazon

Sidewalkwithouthavingactualinfrastructuredevices

Itcanraisesomeconcernsaboutdatasharingandprivacy

IntheHome(BluetoothLE):

•Tracking

•TheftPrevention

•AccessControl

•HomeAutomation

BeyondtheFrontDoor(Sub-GHzFSK):

•OutdoorLighting

•WaterMitigationandControl

BeyondtheFence(Sub-GHzFSKandCSS):

•ParkManagement

•EnvironmentalManagement

•BuildingandCampusManagement

•Airports

/amazon-sidewalk

PAGE7SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

Z-Wave

Z-Waveisalow-power,meshnetworkprotocolthatoperatesonthe

800-900MHzfrequencyband.ItisdevelopedbytheZ-WaveAlliance,whichincludesover300companiesthatproduceZ-Wave-compatibledevices.

Z-Waveiswidelyusedinsmarthomedevices,especiallyforsecurity,sensing,andclimatecontrol.

Designedtobereliable,scalable,andsecure,Z-Waveusesameshnetworktopology.Thismeansthateachdevicecanactasarepeaterandextendtherangeofthenetwork.Italsousesencryptionanddeviceauthenticationto

preventunauthorizedaccessandhacking.AZ-Wavenetworkcanhandleamaximumof232devices(nodes),includingtheprimarycontroller.

UseCases

enablesmulti-dwellingpropertymanagerstocoverabuildingorcomplexonasinglenetwork.

Z-WaveInHome-Linedpowereddeviceandbattery-powereddevices(coincellbatteries)

•Smartsensors,suchasmotion,temperature,humidity,andlightsensors

•Smartswitches,smartplug

•Smartlocks,smartdoorbells,andsmartsecuritysystems

Z-WaveLR–Linedpowereddeviceandbattery-powereddevice:

•Z-WaveLRenableswirelessconnectivityfor

sensors,doorlocks,andlightingwithoutthe

needforrepeatersorextenders.Itcancover

largerareaslikegardens,driveways,orbackyards,andprovidemorereliablecommunicationinharshweatherconditions.

/wireless/z-wave

Z-WaveLongRange(LR)provideshigheroutputpowerforNorthAmericaandsupportsmoredevicesinasinglenetwork,upto4,000nodes,allowinguserstoaddmoresmarthomefeaturesandfunctionalitiestotheirhomes.Thisalso

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canavoidinterferenceand

congestionfromotherWi-Fidevices,asitusesadifferentfrequencyband(868MHzor908MHz,dependingon

theregion)

Z-Wavedevicesoperateinthe

sub-GHzband,whichvariesregionally.Thismeansproductsarespecificto

regionsandrequirevendorstohaveregion-specificproductsbasedonregulatoryapprovals

Ensuresahighlevel

ofcompatibilityand

interoperability,asitfollows

astandardizedandcertified

protocolthatismaintainedbytheZ-WaveAlliance

Z-Wavedeviceshaveamaximum

datarateof100kbps,whichis

sufficientforsimplecommandsandstatusupdatesbutnotforstreamingaudioorvideo.grows

Z-WaveLRcanextend

therangertohundredsof

meters,allowingforreliable

communicationbeyondthe

fenceforapplicationslikegateopenersandirrigation,aswellasmulti-dwellingunits

WhileZ-WaveisbackwardcompatibletostandardZ-Wave,itdoesrequire

aLongRangecompatiblehubforextendedrange

PAGE8SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

Bluetoothi

BluetoothLE

BluetoothLEisanothercommonandfamiliartechnologypredominatelyused

forconnectingdevicestophones.ItusesthesamefrequencybandasWi-Fi,

butithasashorterrangeandalowerdatarate.Bluetoothdevicescan

communicatewitheachotherorwithasmartphoneortablet,andtheycanformanetworkofuptosevendevices,calledapiconet.Typicalsmarthomedevicesarelocksandlightingthatusethephoneforin-homecontrol.Bluetooth

requiresahubforcontroloutsideofthehome.

Bluetoothmesh

BluetoothmeshisanetworktopologythatallowsBluetoothdevicestorelay

messagestoeachother,formingameshnetworkandovercomingtherange

limitationsofBluetoothLE.ThismeansthatBluetoothdevicescancommunicatewitheachotherwithoutrelyingonacentralhuborrouter,cancoveralargerarea,andcansupportmoredevices.Bluetoothmeshalsooffersfeaturessuchasself-healing,scalability,security,andlowpowerconsumption.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Self-healing,rerouting

messagesthroughother

devicesifonefailsorgoesoutofrange,ensuring

uninterruptedoperationandreliablemessagedelivery

Usesarepeatingmesh,sotheydon’t

scaleaswellasroutingmeshnetworks.Bluetoothmesh1.1introducedDirect

Forwarding,whichhelpsreducetraffic

Supportsalargenumber

ofnodestomeettheneedsoflarge-scaleandcomplexIoTapplications

Largenetworksrequirecarefulplanningandconfigurationtoreducedelays

andlatency

Hasafeaturetostandardize

interfacewithphones,which

havenativeBluetoothsupport.That’sanadvantageover15.4meshtechnologies

Advantages

Disadvantages

Easytosetupanduse,as

youonlyneedtopairyour

deviceswithyoursmartphoneortablet.Itiswidelyavailableandsupported,asmost

smartphones,tablets,laptops,andsmarthomedeviceshaveBluetoothcapabilities

Moretargetedtowardsconnectivity

throughphonesandnotforlargersmarthomeapplications

Supportslocationestimationtolocateandtrack

Limitedrange

PAGE9SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

UseCases

BluetoothLE

•Wirelessheadphones,speakers,andearbuds

•Wirelesskeyboards,mice,andgamecontrollers

•Smartwatches,fitnesstrackers,andhealthmonitors

•Smarttags,trackers,andbeacons

UseCases

Bluetoothmesh

•SmartLighting

•BuildingAutomations

•AssetTracking

•EnvironmentalMonitoring

pr。prietary

Proprietary

Proprietarywirelesstechnologiescanoperateondifferentfrequency

bands,suchassub-GHzor2.4GHz,andcansupportdifferentdataratesandbandwidths,dependingonthevendorormanufacturer.Proprietarywireless

devicescanformdifferentnetworktopologies,suchasstar,tree,ormesh,

dependingonthevendorormanufacturer.Proprietarynetworksrequiretheirownhuborgatewayanddon’thavedirectconnectionstoecosystems.Thesedevicescanbeenabledtoworkwithecosystems,suchasGoogleNestandAppleHomeKitthroughActionsorSkills.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Offersauniqueorexclusivefeatureorfunctionalitynotavailableinotherprotocols

Maylimitthecompatibilityandchoice

ofsmarthomedevices,asyoumaynotbeabletomixandmatchproductsfromdifferentbrandsorplatforms

Ensuresahighlevelofqualityandperformance,astheyareoptimizedandcustomizedfortheirowndevices

Canhaveincreasedcostscomparedtostandard-basedtechnologies

Providesbettercustomer

serviceandsupport,astheyhaveadirectanddedicatedrelationshipwiththeirusers

Poseariskofobsolescenceor

discontinuation,astheymaynotbeupdatedorsupportedbytheirmanufacturersorplatforms

UseCases

•Proprietarysmartsensors,smartbuttons,andsmartremotes

•Proprietarysmartlocks,smartdoorbells,andsmartsecuritysystems

/wireless/proprietary

PAGE10SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

SmartHomeProtocol

ComparisonConclusion

Asyoucansee,thereisnosingleorbestsmarthomeprotocolorstandard,as

eachonehasitsownstrengthsandweaknesses,andtheymaysuitdifferentneedsandpreferences.Table1showsthesummaryofallprotocols.

Bycomparingandevaluatingthefollowingfactors,youcanfindthebestsmarthomeprotocolorstandardforyoursmarthome.

Whichsmarthomewirelessprotocolshouldyouuse?

•Wi-Fi’subiquityandcompatibilitywithmanydevicesmakeita

versatileandscalableoption,butitalsocomeswithapotential

threatofgettinghacked.Wi-Fiisagreattechnologyfordevices

thatneedhighbandwidthorareline-powered.Appliances,lighting,smartplugs,etc.

•Forcompatibilityandinteroperabilityofsmarthomedevices

withyourexistingorpreferredplatform,Matterisrecommended.Regionaladoptionmayaffectthis.Matterdoeshavethemost

adoptionacrossglobalecosystems,butdevicetypes,etc.,arestillramping.

•Z-Wavetechnologyisastrongcontenderforsmarthome

technologythatrequiresextendedrangeandcoverage.Z-Waveoperatesonasub-GHzfrequencyband,whichallowsforameshnetworkwhereeachdevicecanactasarouterorrepeaterto

extendthenetwork’srangeandcoverage.

•AmazonSidewalkcanalsobeconsideredduetosub-GHzsupportthatprovideslongerrange.

•Zigbeeishighlightedforitslow-powerandlow-data-ratewirelesstechnologydesignedforapplicationsthatrequirelongbatterylife,networkreliability,andsecurity.Zigbeedevicescanformameshnetworktoextendtherangeandcoverage,whichalsocontributestoefficientpowerusage.

ama,zonsidewalk

3Bluetoothi

pr。prietary

fHREAD

zigbee

•Whileconsideringpowerconsumption,Zigbee,MatteroverThread,andZ-Wavecanallprovideyearsofbatterylifeforsensorsoncoincells.Wi-Fiisaviableoptionfordevicesthatcanrunonlarger

primarycell(thinkalkaline)batteriesbutisnotthebestforsensorsduetothesmallsizeandsmallbatteryrequirements.

•Whenitcomestoscaling,mosttechnologieswillscaletoalargerenoughnumberofdevicesforahome.

•Whileconsideringthecostandcomplexity,Wi-Fihasthebroadestinstallbaseandhasthatadvantage,butitcanbedifficulttosetup,especiallyfordevicesthatdon’thaveaanytypeofauserinterface.

•TechnologieslikeZigbee,Z-WaveandAmazonnSidewalkareveryeasytocommissionontothenetworkbutwillrequireahubthat

supportsthem.Matterdoeshaveanadvantageasitsimplifies

commissioningforWi-FiandcansupportMatteroverThreadfordevicesthatWi-Fiarenottheoptimaltechnologychoice.

•Proprietaryprotocolscanbeoptimizedforperformance,providingfasterresponsetimesandmorereliableconnections.Thisis

particularlyimportantforapplicationsthatrequirereal-timedatatransmission,suchassecuritysystemsorhomeautomation.

•BluetoothMeshcanbeagreatchoicewhenyoudon’trequireacentralhubforcommunicatingbetweendevices.

Basedontheapplicationrequirementsanddevicetype,youmayseemorethanonesmarthomeprotocolthatisbeingused.RefertoTable2fortheSmartHomeProtocolSelectorGuide.

Wi-Fiisagreattechnologyfordevicesthatneedhighbandwidthorareline-

powered.Appliances,lighting,smartplugs,etc.Zigbee,Z-Wave,andMatteroverthreadaregoodfordevicesthatneedlongbatterylife(measuredinyears)orneedtorunoncoincells.Wi-Ficanbeanoptionfordevicesthatcanrunonmultiple

alkalinebatteries(wemainlyseethisinSmartLocks),buttheydoprovidelessbatterylifethanZigbee,Z-Wave,orMatteroverThread.

Z-Waveiscommonlyusedduetoitsecosysteminteroperability,securityfeatures,sub-GHzlongrange,reliability,andlongbatterylife.

Wi-FiisagoodmatchforappliancesrequiringIPconnectivityduetoitshighbandwidthcapabilities.

Forapplicationssuchasenvironmentalmanagementandbuilding/campus

managementthatrequireextendedcoverageacrossdifferentlevelsandrooms,

Z-WaveLRisrecommendedbecauseitcansupportalargenumberofdevicesandoffersreliablecommunicationusingsub-GHztechnology.AmazonSidewalkisalsoagoodchoice.

PAGE11SmartHomeProtocolsComparison/ecosystems

Bluetooth

Bluetooth

mesh

ama,zonsdewalk

zigbee

pr。prietary

MarketFocus(Home)

Lighting,Locks

Lighting

SmartHome

SmartHome

SmartHome

SmartHome,Metering

SmartHomeandHomeSecurity

SmartHome

FrequencyBands

2.4GHz

2.4GHz

2.4GHz(Thread)

2.4&5GHz(Wi-Fi)

2.4GHz(Bluetooth)Sub-GHz(FSK&

CSS)

2.4&5GHz

2.4GHz

Sub-GHz

2.4GHzandSub-GHz

Range

InHome

InHome

BeyondFrontDoor

BeyondFence

Beyo