# item.guide
Side-by-Side Comparison Smart Home & Mesh

EnOcean vs. Zigbee

Comparing 2 standards across 15 specifications. 15 key differences identified.

Comparing:
EnOcean
Zigbee

EnOcean is an ultra-low power, energy-harvesting wireless technology standardized under ISO/IEC 14543-3-10. By harvesting ambient mechanical energy (from the click of a switch), indoor light (via mini solar cells), or thermal differences, EnOcean devices transmit wireless telemetry in sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz bands completely batteryless and maintenance-free.

View full EnOcean spec sheet →

Zigbee is an open global wireless mesh networking standard maintained by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), based on IEEE 802.15.4. Operating primarily in the 2.4 GHz band at 250 kbps, it uses self-healing Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing to connect up to 65,000 nodes in smart lighting and home automation.

View full Zigbee spec sheet →

Specification Comparison Table

15 Parameters
Parameter / Spec
International Standard
ISO/IEC 14543-3-10 (Information Technology — Home Electronic Systems)
Operating Frequency Bands
868.3 MHz (EU), 902.875 MHz (US), 928.35 MHz (Japan), 2.4 GHz (Global BLE/Zigbee)
Max Bandwidth / Data Rate
125 kbps (Sub-GHz) / 1 Mbps (2.4 GHz)
Energy Required per Telegram
~50 µWs (micro-watt-seconds)
Energy Harvesting Mechanisms
Electrodynamic kinetic converter (ECO 200), mini solar PV cells, Peltier thermoelectric
Transmission Telegram Duration
< 1 ms (sub-millisecond burst)
Application Profiles
EnOcean Equipment Profiles (EEP 3.0)
Underlying Radio Standard
IEEE 802.15.4 (Physical & MAC Layer)
Frequency Bands
2.4 GHz (Global 16 channels) / 868 MHz (EU) / 915 MHz (US)
Raw PHY Data Rate
250 kbps (at 2.4 GHz with O-QPSK)
Network Topology
Full Mesh / Star / Cluster Tree
Routing Protocol
AODV (Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector)
Device Roles
Coordinator (ZC), Router (ZR), End Device (ZED / Sleepy)
Security Protocols
128-bit AES CCM* encryption with Network and Trust Center Link keys
Current Specification
Zigbee 3.0 (Unified Zigbee Cluster Library / ZCL)