# Ep. 9 | Mesh Networking for IoT Smart Homes with ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Bluetooth

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2020-09-11
- Length: 44m
- Episode: 9
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-zwave-and-bluetooth

## Summary

Ross Sebolsic, Vice President and General Manager of Industrial and Commercial IoT Products at Silicon Labs, discusses the landscape of mesh networking for IoT smart homes, specifically comparing Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Bluetooth Mesh. He explains how the 'Balkanization' of connectivity protocols creates interoperability challenges and details the technical trade-offs between sub-GHz Z-Wave and 2.4 GHz Zigbee/Bluetooth regarding range, power consumption, and ecosystem maturity. The conversation covers Silicon Labs' strategy of offering a comprehensive portfolio to unify these standards, the importance of secure boot and hardware-level security features like DPA protection, and the benefits of using pre-certified modules to accelerate time-to-market.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth#t=1) Introduction and Smart Home Challenges
- [5:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth#t=325) Z-Wave and Zigbee Landscape Comparison
- [9:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth#t=565) Bluetooth Mesh and Gateway-less Operation
- [12:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth#t=754) Range, Power Consumption, and Sleepy Nodes
- [21:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth#t=1276) Hardware Security and Secure Boot
- [31:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth#t=1888) Modules vs. SoCs and Certification
- [36:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth#t=2183) Silicon Labs' Role and Industry Collaboration
- [38:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth#t=2315) Lightning Round and Conclusion

## Topics

- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Silicon Labs (company)
- Z-Wave (product)
- Zigbee (product)
- Bluetooth Mesh (product)
- Z-Wave Long Range (product)
- Gecko (product)
- Doom (product)
- FCC (other)
- Amazon (company)
- Google (company)
- Philips Hue (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Z-Wave Alliance's Mitch Klein | Z-Wave, Connectivity Options, and Other Drivers in the Smart Home Market](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-04-27-z-wave-alliances-mitch-klein-z-wave-connectivity-options-and-other-drivers-in-th) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [CES 2019 Special: Matt Johnson, Silicon Labs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-16-ces-2019-special-matt-johnson-silicon-labs) (EE Times Current)
- [The Landscape of Smart Home Technologies in 2022 | Thread Group's Sujata Neidig | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2022-09-01-the-landscape-of-smart-home-technologies-in-2022-thread-groups-sujata-neidig-int) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [70: Make Us All into Sherlock Holmes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-10-03-70-make-us-all-into-sherlock-holmes) (Embedded.fm)
- [Biggest Opportunities in IoT | Silicon Labs' Matt Johnson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2022-07-05-biggest-opportunities-in-iot-silicon-labs-matt-johnson) (IoT For All Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2020-09-11-ep-9-mesh-networking-for-iot-smart-homes-with-zigbee-z-wave-and-bluetooth. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Moore's Lobby.