Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

ZigBee, Z-Wave, Thread and WeMo: What's the Difference?

However, most of these networks also need a "primary" device that serves as a network controller. If the primary device drops out of service, another device can often take over. Interfaces with smartphones or tablets can be handled by hubs, commercially available devices that are often compatible with two or more of these standards, as well as with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

"You have to have a hub to connect with the home network" for most of these protocols, said Tom Kerber, director of research, home controls and energy for Dallas-based market-research firm Parks Associates. "Hubs used to be $200, but now they come on USB sticks, cost $10 and plug into the back of the router."

Fortunately, many widely sold hubs can communicate with devices using two or more of these standards, allowing customers to mix 'n' match to some extent. But let's look at the differences among them.

From the article "ZigBee, Z-Wave, Thread and WeMo: What's the Difference?" by Kevin Parrish.

Previously In The News

One in three smart home owners control them through a network, like Alexa

More people are buying smart home devices, and connecting them through platforms or systems like smart speakers and hubs. So says a new report from Parks Associates which found that 35 percent of smar...

Sling TV: How Many Subscribers Does It Have?

Parks Associates thinks so. The research group this week issued a study showing that Sling has surpassed the one million subscriber mark, becoming the nation's sixth leading subscription streaming ser...

For Sprint, T-Mobile, Plans Will Be Unlimited—And Less.

Wireless data usage is growing steadily from 2015-16 as consumers shift data-heavy activities from desktop to mobile. According to Parks Associates’ latest survey data, average monthly wireless data c...

OTT Churn Edges Up In US

About 20% of US broadband homes had cancelled at least one OTT service in the last 12 months at the end of 2015, according to data from Parks Associates. Netflix has the lowest churn among US OTT s...