Smart home networking

Smart home networking standards dispute wireless technology When the convergence of smart home networking standards has long been a controversy, the basic consensus is: wireless technology is more potential than wired technology, but wireless technology is more than one, which is not yet the best conclusion. At present, there are four kinds of wireless technologies in the field of smart homes: WiFi, Zigbee, Zwave, and Bluetooth. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

WiFi technology has high transmission speed, low product cost, and is most popular in life. WiFi-based smart home products have the highest market share. The disadvantages are low security, weak stability, high power consumption, and limited connected devices. . In terms of security, WiFi routers are generally cheap and simple to program. Hackers steal passwords. If a naughty hacker breaks into a home network center and activates a water switch, it can literally flood the house in minutes.

Zwave technology has stability and an effective indoor coverage area of ​​30 meters, making it suitable for narrow bandwidth applications. Its security is higher than WiFi but far less than Zigbee. In addition, Zwave adopts a tree-like networking structure. Once the upper end of the branch is broken, all the connected devices on the lower end are immediately collapsed. In terms of products, Zwave smart home applications are not common in China because the technology is non-civilian in China.

The public is familiar with Bluetooth technology, and is most commonly used in mobile devices such as mobile phones. Its power consumption and cost are between WiFi and Zigbee. However, limited to the transmission distance, Bluetooth is only applicable to personal mobile devices such as smart wristbands and headphones. If a large home network is established, it must be used in conjunction with other technologies.

Zigbee technology is a big brother in the field of smart home. First of all, the security is the highest. Because of its strict encryption system, there are no cases in the world. Second, the Zigbee system has developed a variety of products and solutions in a variety of applications including home automation, home security, smart meters, and building automation. Although Shenma WiFi, Bluetooth seems to be worth mentioning in front of Zigbee, but according to the principle of a penny, the Zigbee cost is relatively high.

The voice of support for WiFi is high in the industry. Zigbee's good congenital conditions make people unable to stop. There is also a small Bluetooth application scene. At present, it is too early to be blindly optimistic or pessimistic about any technology. If WiFi is lacking in security, its basic equipment and network coverage area is the most popular. Zigbee is beyond reach. CMIC believes that with the maturity of the Internet of Things and smart home industries, diversified market demands will gradually emerge. By then, various technologies can find their own position in the market, regardless of their form. Appears, the final integration is the general direction.

WiFi, Zigbee, Zwave, and Bluetooth contrast analysis WiFi technology Smart home products based on WiFi technology are the most common. Their advantages are the high transmission speed, low product cost, and the most popular life. For users, WiFi-based smart home portfolio The most convenient way to buy equipment directly to the network.

There are two sides in everything. Although WiFi is fast and widely used, it also has its own technical disadvantages: The biggest problem is that it has very low security and weak wireless stability. Power consumption is also one of its weak points, which will lead to its weaknesses. Applications in the home area are limited. For example, smart door locks, infrared relay controllers, and various sensors are not suitable for use. In addition, WiFi networking capabilities are relatively low. Currently, the actual size of a WiFi network is generally not more than 16 devices. However, in the actual home environment, the number of switches, lighting, and home appliances alone is far more than 16. Obviously, the development space has been limited.

Compared to the more widely used WiFi technology, the ZigBee technology to be mentioned below has a relatively high threshold for R&D and application, and it is not easy for anyone to control it, such as Schneider, Siemens, Sony, GE, Panasonic, etc. The Fortune 500 companies have joined the ZigBee camp, and domestic companies such as Huawei and Wulian Sensing are among the ZigBee camps.

Zigbee Technology First of all, the security of ZigBee technology is very high, and so far there has been no global precedent for hacking. Its security stems from its systematic design: using AES encryption (advanced encryption system), 12 times more stringent than the bank card encryption technology; secondly, Zigbee uses a honeycomb structure networking, each device can pass multiple directions Communication with the gateway provides high network stability. In addition, its theoretical network node capacity is 65,300, which is sufficient to meet the needs of home network coverage. Even intelligent communities and intelligent buildings can still fully cover. Finally, Zigbee has the ability to communicate in both directions, not only Can send commands to the device, and the device will also feedback the execution status, which is very important to the terminal experience, especially the security equipment. If you click close, but do not know whether the door is really locked, it will bring How much security risks come; In addition, Zigbee uses a very low-power design, can be fully battery-powered, theoretically a battery can be used for more than 10 years, energy saving and environmental protection.

Zwave technology Zwave's data transmission rate is 9.6kbps. The effective coverage of the signal is 30 meters indoor (outdoor is greater than 100 meters), suitable for narrow bandwidth applications, and has a certain degree of security and stability, but currently only used in home automation aspect. The main disadvantages are as follows: First, fewer nodes, the theoretical value of 256, the actual value may be only about 150, is considered to be able to accommodate the upper limit of the number of devices, in fact, many manufacturers can accommodate 20, 30 devices is good The second is the tree network structure. Once the upper end of the branch is broken, all devices at the bottom cannot communicate with the gateway. Third, there is no encryption method, and the security is poor and vulnerable. (The frequency band used by Zwave is non-civilian in China. Zwave smart home is not common in China, and more is still used abroad.)

Bluetooth technology everyone is familiar with Bluetooth technology, I am afraid it is a Bluetooth function on the phone. Its power consumption and cost are both between WiFi and Zigbee, but it has the shortest transmission distance and belongs to a point-to-point and short-distance communication mode. Because it is transmitted between mobile devices or a short distance, the Bluetooth product will provide some more Personalized use experience, such as Bluetooth headsets, Bluetooth speakers, smart scales, etc., due to its short transmission distance, it is not suitable for the formation of a huge home network.