11 Conclusion

Both the Zigbee and Thread protocols take advantage of asynchronous non-beacon mode IEEE 802.15.4. Both protocols have roughly the same traffic and power profile between mesh nodes. When viewed as a holistic protocol, however, some important differences appear. Zigbee’s cluster library has been refined over the years to properly define application operation in the most efficient way possible. Thread relies on IP-based protocols, which have been defined to be flexible and readable. This flexibility allows for extensibility, but at the cost of over-the-air time.

The flexibility of Thread is a result of its basis in IP. The emphasis on network-level interoperability enables the addressing of Thread devices by other IPv6-enabled devices through border routers. This means that a computer on the local network can talk to a Thread device in the same way that a cloud server can talk to a Thread device. This level of adjacent network connectivity is not immediately available in Zigbee networks.

Finally, one of the most important questions to ask about a protocol is what the ecosystem around the device looks like. Zigbee offers a very well-defined local ecosystem of automation products, with years of application interoperability. Thread enables communication frameworks that have been industry-tested for decades on IP-bearing networks.

Designers can use the CC26x2r wireless MCU LaunchPad™ development kit to evaluate both of these connectivity technologies.