the comparison is unfair in that it only compares a single implementation of ZigBee and Wi-Fi in home ‘Smart Grid’ applications, focusing on power consumption as the primary evaluation criterions:
- The evaluation was based on old technology and tested only one implementation–an older version of ZigBee not up to current US Federal ‘smart grid’ standards
- The study’s design leads to inaccurate conclusions on power efficiency
- The study’s limited scope excluded important criteria in which Wi-Fi has key strengths, pointing out that Wi-Fi leads in a recent Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) study
The ZigBee Alliance pointed out its use in 40 million smart meters to date, along with GE’s present integration of ZigBee into appliances. The GE white paper (see article link) found that ZigBee consumed less energy, used cheaper processors and the ZigBee mesh network was superior to Wi-Fi’s model. GreenBeat from VentureBeat chronicles the serve-and-volley.