Difference between Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and LoRa?

Question

I’m trying to understand the practical differences between Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and LoRa, especially in the context of IoT applications.
Can someone explain how they compare in terms of range, data rate, power consumption, and typical use cases?

Which one is better suited for battery-powered devices or long-range communication? Any insights or real-world examples would be appreciated.

Admin · Answer

Yeah, all the wireless stuff gets confusing. Here's the simple breakdown.

WiFi - you know this one. Fast internet for streaming and stuff. But it's a battery hog. Not great for small battery-powered gadgets.

Bluetooth - for short-range things. Connecting your phone to speakers, headphones, etc. range is basically just one room.

Zigbee - this is the go-to for smart homes. think philips hue lights or smart sensors. they all talk to each other to create a bigger network (a "mesh"). super low power so batteries can last for ages.

Lora - This is the long-distance king. LITERALLY means Long Range. We're talking KILOMETERS. The trade-off is you can only send tiny amounts of data. Perfect for a sensor way out in a field and uses almost zero power.

So,

For battery-powered devices? Go with Zigbee or LoRa. They're built for it.

For long-range stuff? LoRa all the way. Nothing else comes close.

Summary:

High Speed: Wi-Fi
Personal Devices: Bluetooth
Smart Home: Zigbee
Super Long Range: LoRa

Hope that clears it up!