By Jesse Berst

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Now another threat looms even larger – namely, the new Wi-Fi Direct standard. It allows peer-to-peer networking (no need for a standalone router in the middle). It's catching on fast too. Research firm In-Stat forecasts 173 million Wi-Fi Direct devices will ship in 2011 – close to one in every five Wi-Fi devices shipped this year.

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Will ZigBee trounce all comers? Will it be cast aside in favor of something else? Or… as I think most likely… will it become a niche standard, used for smart meters and HANs in a few parts of the country, with "bridges" to more widely used standards like Wi-Fi?

I'd like to hear your thoughts on ZigBee's likely future. Jump to our discussion forum to weigh in – and to see what other experts and insiders are saying about ZigBee's prospects. And, while you're at it, tell me what you think the ZigBee Alliance should be doing in the face of this mounting competition.