Ten years ago, Bluetooth, 802.11 and HomeRF were engaged in an acrimonious battle for supremacy over leadership as the short range radio standard.  HomeRF died, and in the following years Bluetooth and 802.11 found their areas of application and now coexist together, to the extent of joining forces in the new Bluetooth 3.0 specification.  Today a new and ferocious fight is taking place for the role of ultra low power radio champion.  This time, there is likely to be just one winner.

In the two main corners of the ring are ZigBee PRO and Bluetooth low energy (previously known as Wibree).  Alongside them, throwing lighter punches, are an array of lesser contenders, including Z-Wave, ANT, Wavenis, and Wireless M-Bus.  What is at stake is the prize of becoming the standard for connecting low power consumer products to the next generation of mobile phones and enabling smart energy devices within the home.

The industry has learnt a lot from the experience it has gained with Bluetooth and 802.11.  One of the first lessons was the need for interoperability between products from different vendors.  Interoperability isn’t something that comes from a specification alone – it needs a rigorous testing regime that ensures that different implementations work with each other and which check that every product entering the market is tested.  802.11 learnt that lesson.  It didn’t have that process until the Wi-Fi Alliance came along to complement the raw 802.11 specification and turn it into the usable experience that has made it successful.  Any new standard will need that from day one.

More here.