The energy harvesting switch from ZF is compatible with various radio protocols. Depending on the application, these radio protocols have become established in the market which have different properties, and therefore their own advantages and disadvantages. Below, we set out the most important design parameters, and their correlations will be demonstrated by using the example of ZF’s energy self-sufficient and wireless switch.
The protocols which are supporting the ZF energy harvesting switch are Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0, KNX-RF & EnOcean 3.0. The reason for this diversity of different protocols is that each of them has different properties. Depending on the application and end device, the different protocols with their specific characteristics are more or less suitable.
For further details about frequencies, data rate and distance parameters of these radio protocols, please read this ZF article here – https://switches-sensors.zf.com/ehs-protocols-frequencies-distance-data-rate/
KNX RF
https://www.knx.org/knx-en/for-your-home/
KNX RF is a wireless communication protocol used for smart home and building automation. The KNX association has more than 80,000 partners in 190 countries.
An advantage of KNX RF is the complete compatibility with the well-known KNX TP (twisted pair) system. This is a 24V BUS system, which exchanges data from various sensors and actuators via cable lines with more than 9,600 bps.
For further information about the ZF wireless pushbutton module compatible with KNX-RF click here
Bluetooth
In its original form, Bluetooth was mainly used to connect headsets, headphones, loudspeakers and car radios. It involves the transmission of continuous data streams, such as audio, music or telephony.
Bluetooth versions beginning from 4.0 are also known as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It is a very energy efficient variant of Bluetooth. This results in numerous applications in the areas of health, sports, medicine, consumer electronics, home automation and car electronics. The big advantage of Bluetooth is the compatibility with numerous devices of different companies and industries.
With the introduction of Bluetooth 5.0, the speed of data exchange has been doubled, the distance range has been quadrupled, and the transmission capacity has increased 8-times compared to the 4.0 version. Another advantage is the mesh operation in which each Bluetooth device can forward data from neighboring devices. In addition, the risk of interference of signals in the same frequency range can be limited by intelligent frequency jumps with up to 1,600 jumps per second on free channels.
EnOcean
https://www.enocean-alliance.org/
The EnOcean Alliance was founded in 2008 and plays as a non-profit company a leading role in the development of maintenance-free and interoperable wireless solutions for Smart Home and Smart Buildings. The products are based on the international EnOcean RF standard (ISO / IEC 14543-3-10 / 11), which specifically targets energy harvesting solutions. With over 400 renowned members (e.g. Hager, Siemens, T-Systems), wireless sensors with low energy consumption and energy harvesting solutions are developed and marketed. The advantages are obvious: Simple installation without laying cables, energy and CO2 savings, no maintenance and low system costs.
To find an application example combining ZF Energy Harvesting Switch with with EnOcean3.0 protocol, please click here
ZigBee Green Power
https://zigbeealliance.org/solution/zigbee/
ZigBee is a global standard protocol based on the mesh network technology for indoor device communication at a frequency band of 2.4Ghz. As complete IoT solution, millions of products which are certified by the Zigbee Alliance can be connected and communicate with each other. Zigbee targets the smart home ecosystem and building automatization. Well known brands such as Amazon’s Echo Plus, Samsung SmartThings, Signify (Philips Hue) and more communicate with Zigbee IoT language.
Green Power is a feature of Zigbee and specially designed for energy-harvesting technology (no batteries, no wires). Therefore, Green Power is mainly used for large installations where changing batteries and accessing devices are expansively.
