ZigBee and Bluetooth: strengths and weaknesses for industrial applications

Most industry analysts are forecasting explosive growth in the use of wireless data network technologies in industrial applications. For both ZigBee and Bluetooth separate alliances of companies worked to develop specifications covering the network/link, security and application profile layers so that the commercial potential of the standards could be realized. Real industrial wireless networks are inevitably be hybrids including ZigBee/802.15.4 and Bluetooth in complementary roles that suit the characteristics of each. The key to success is in deploying the right wireless technologies for the requirements of the application and avoiding the temptation of trying to make one technology meet all needs.