XBee

XBee for IoT

XBee is a registered trademark of Digi International. Zigbee is a wireless communications protocol and a registered trademark of the Zigbee Alliance. Clear? While both Zigbee® and Bluetooth® wireless protocols are widely supported for use in IoT applications, there are a few differences between the two that are worth noting when choosing a solution. Both of these protocols have strengths and weaknesses but we'll just focus on Zigbee here:

XBee Benefits

Zigbee has the ability to create large mesh networks that can cover much larger areas than any one individual radio. These mesh networks can configure themselves dynamically as nodes are added and removed. Even devices from different manufacturers and communicate seamlessly, supporting multiple network topologies such as point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, star, and mesh networks.

XBee Limitations

A limitation of this kind of Xbee mesh network is any node used to route messages and extend range, must be powered on at all times. End devices that can sleep to extend battery life can participate in the mesh, but not extend it. Zigbee doesn't use IP addressing and requires gateways to communicate with any "outside world" or internet-connected devices.