The Connectivity Standards Alliance has released Zigbee 4.0, an updated version of its wireless mesh networking standard with improved security, better battery life, and batch setup of new devices like smart lights, switches, and plugs. It’s also announcing a new feature called Suzi, short for Sub-GHz and Zigbee.
While Zigbee smart home devices typically operate on the 2.4GHz band, which may experience signal loss due to obstacles such as thick walls, the Suzy-branded devices will be able to operate on the European 800 MHz and North American 900 MHz frequency bands. In this way, the group says they will offer coverage for smart devices installed outside and far from the home, without the need for additional hardware to expand the network.
Suzi is similar to other branded features that have been added to the 802.15.4-based specification over the past few years, such as Zigbee Smart Energy Usage Monitoring Gear, and low-power/low-maintenance Zigbee Green Power devices that draw energy from sources such as light or heat rather than using batteries.
As companies like Ikea are transitioning to Matter Over Thread, which also operates on the 2.4GHz band, Suzy’s advantages will help keep the Zigbee protocol competitive, and not just in the home. “Semolina is ideally suited for commercial and industrial use cases that present challenging environments such as thick walls, multiple levels, and large deployments,” said Ginny Peshkova, president of Zigbee Product Marketing Group. The Verge In an email.
The list of improvements coming with Zigbee 4.0 includes a simplified authentication process, increased exchange of information between devices, improved security, and better battery life for devices with communications that may be limited to set schedules.
A new feature called Batch Commissioning will streamline large-scale installations by allowing multiple smart devices to be installed simultaneously. An electrician can install Zigbee-compatible light bulbs long before a new home gets power, and when a hub is later installed and operational, they can be activated all at once rather than connecting them to the network individually.
Zigbee Direct, an optional feature added two years ago, is now standard in 4.0. It allows smartphones to directly connect, control, and even integrate nearby Zigbee devices into the network using Bluetooth Low Energy without a hub.
According to Peshkova, Zigbee 4.0 is fully backward compatible with Zigbee 3.0 and smart energy devices, and devices with “sufficient operational resources” can potentially be upgraded over-the-air once certified. But exactly which devices will be eligible to take full advantage of the improvements is not yet known. The semolina certification program is scheduled to launch sometime in the first half of 2026.