Post date :
5/25/2011 12:00:00 AM
Source :
GainSpan
Of course there are other wireless technologies addressing WAN and PAN. One of the most often mentioned is ZigBee. So why should you use GainSpan Wi-Fi over ZigBee?
Well, why use an immature and proprietary solution that requires new infrastructure. Wi-Fi is a mature technology with an established and strong worldwide certification network. It is the most widely deployed WLAN technology in the world--in home, enterprise, industry, education and government. It continues to grow by double-digits year over year.
What's more, no other wireless technology is as IP friendly as Wi-Fi - which makes it instantly connectable to Web enabled services. This is not true for ZigBeeIP which requires the use of a bridge today. And, since Wi-Fi works with existing access points, it provides a lower total cost of ownership. ZigBee may have lower node costs, but it requires new infrastructure and that means higher total costs.
Wi-Fi also provides the highest bandwidth of any wireless technologies. GainSpan Wi-Fi, for example, provides up to 11 Mbps, with a fallback to 1 Mbps. ZigBee offers less than 250 kbps, with no fallback.
And when it comes to data protection, Wi-Fi provides well-proven encryption, authentication and end-to-end network security. You just can't say that about ZigBee.
GainSpan Wi-Fi
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ZigBee
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- IP to the Embedded System
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- Forklift upgrade to ZigBee IP –
Immature, must use bridge today
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- Lower Total Cost of Ownership –
works with existing access points
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- Lower node cost, but higher infrastructure cost – new infrastructure
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- Up to 11 Mbps, with fallback to 1 Mbps
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- Easy provisioning & IT friendly
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- Longer Range, no need for meshing
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- Shorter range, meshing required
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- Highly tested link layer encryption/authentication (WPA2, EAP, TLS/SSL)
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- Limited testing, security holes identified
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