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Wireless IoT communication protocols comparison

There is no one-size-fits-all connectivity technology that can provide an optimal solution for all IoT applications. It is a question of selecting the best-suited option for each use case at hand.

FeaturesLTE Cat 1LTE Cat M1EC-GSM-IoTNB-IoT Rel 14ZigbeeSigFoxLoRaGoogle ThreadBluetooth LEWirepas Mesh
Channel Bandwidth1.4 MHz1.08 MHz200 KHz180 KHz600 KHz – 5 MHz0.1 KHz 100 Hz125 KHz600 kHz – 5 MHz2 MHz2 MHz
Downlink (DL) peak rate10 Mbps1 Mbps70 kbps (GMSK) – 240kbps (8PSK)127 Kbps20 – 250 kbps100 – 600 bps300 bps – 50 kbps20 – 250 kbps125 kbps, 500 kbps, 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps1 Mbps
Latency range10-15 msec10-15 msec700 msec – 2 sec<10 sec15 msec> 20 sec1 – 100 msec< 100 msec,13.5 msec – 1 sec< 3 msec,< 10 msec
Number of Antennae21111111
UE bandwidth20 MHz1.4 MHz2.4 MHz200 kHz200 kHz125 kHz
Maximum Transmission power23 dBm20/23 dBm23/33 dBm14, 20, 23 dBm (depending on UE power class)Case dependent (~0 dBm)22 dBm22 dBm
Case dependent (~0 dBm)		0, 4, 20 dBm< 10 dBm in EU, < 19 dBm in US
Standardization organization3GPP Rel83GPP Rel133GPP Rel133GPP Release 14Zigbee alliancePrivate company, open standardLoRa allianceThread groupBluetooth Special Interest GroupPrivate Company
Uplink (UL) peak rate5 Mbps1 Mbps70 kbps (GMSK) – 240kbps (8PSK)159 kbps20 – 250 kbps
100 to 600 bps (depending on the country)		~300 bps – 50 kbps20 – 250 kbps125 kbps, 500 kbps, 1 Mbps, 2 Mbps1 Mbps
PositioningE-CDIE-CDICell IDOTDOA, E-CIDYesSigfox GeolocationNative positioningiBeaconWirepas Positioning Engine / Thingsee Positioning Engine
Data EncryptionEPS-AKAEPS-AKAUMTS AKA(EPS-AKA)AES 128Private key, VPN+SSL128-bit NwkSkey/ AppSkeyTLS, DTLS,SHA-256AES-CCM, HMAC-SHA256, P256 ECDH, HMAC-SHA-256AES 128
Transmission DuplexityFullFull/HalfHalf (FDD)HalfHalfHalfHalfHalfFull/HalfFull/Half
Data limitNot definedNot definedNot definedNot definedNot defined140 msg/day uplink, 4 msg/day downlinkNot definedNot definedNot definedNot defined
Size of payload in a data packetNot definedNot definedNot definedNot definedMAC PDU 0 – 102 bytesPayload 0-12 B uplink, 8 B downlinkPayload 51-222 BMAC PDU 0 – 102 B0 – 2790 bits102 bytes
Duty cycleNot definedNot definedNot definedNot defined<1%Max 30 sec/hour (<1%)<1%<1% in some bandsNot definedNot defined
Device AuthenticationSIMSIMSIMSIMZigbee device authenticationUnique ID/ Private key64-bit DevEUIEC-JPAKESAFER+, HMAC SHA256Authentication Key
Voice communication supportVoLTEVoLTEGSMNoNoNoNoNoNoNo

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IoT Connectivity Protocol Comparison Table

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