ZIGBEE-A NEW GENERATION TECHNOLOGY

FOR WHY I AM CHOOSING THIS TOPIC: The wireless communications are rapidly spreading into many new areas, including the automation and the importance of the use of wireless technologies in the data acquisition, building control, monitoring systems and automation of manufacturing processes will grow. Thas article describes early experience with the developing with the Zigbee.

INTRODUCTION: Zigbee is a consortium of software hardware and services companies that have developed a common standard for wireless networking of sensors and controllers. While other wireless standards are concerned with exchanging large amounts of data, Zigbee is for devices that have smaller throughput needs. The other driving factors are low cost, high reliability, high security, low battery usage simplicity and interoperability with other Zigbee devices.

ZIGBEE: Zigbee is a low rate, low power wireless Personal Area Network Protocol (LRPAN) intended for low cost devices in automation, home controls and computer peripherals. Complex wiring in buildings and industries containing mesh of thousands of sensors can be done away with Zigbee technology.

ZIGBEE IN IEEE: Zigbee is a published specification set of high level communication protocols designed to use small, low-power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for wireless personal area networks (WPANs). The relationship between IEEE 802.15.4 and Zigbee is analogous to that existing between IEEE 802.11 and the Wi-Fi alliance.

ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY: Zigbee technology provides static and dynamic star, cluster tree and mesh networking structures the allow large area network coverage scalable networks and single point-of failure avoidance. Now, customers do not have to be tied to complex, costly proprietary solutions that increase their design time. They can use a standards-based solution, such as Zigbee technology.

APPLICATIONS: i) ii) iii) Home Automation. Industrial Automation. Field Automation.

FEATURES: Low Power Relatively low data rates Low cost Security Self-healing

Low power: Many applications must run unattended for years using battery power. Commercially available Zigbee system nodes consume less than 50mw when active and less than a microwatt in sleep mode. With a battery source of three watt-hours, such systems will last 2.5days if active100% of the time, but with a duty cycle of 0.1% the same system will last over 6 yrs without a battery change.

Relatively low data rates: Your average light switch communicates approximately 4 bits per day, or 46 micro baud. In many applications, high data rates are not requirement. The Zigbee v1.0 specification defines a communication rate of 250 kilobits per second, which is more than adequate for low-rate sensing and control applications.

Low costs: Zigbee networks are engineered to be built into a broad spectrum of products, many of which are cost sensitive. It is now possible to purchase Zigbee-compliant systems-on-a-chip for under $5.00, making them suitable for many commercial and consumer applications.

Security: Zigbee uses 128 bit AES encryption algorithms for highly secure networks. In commercial or industrial settings, hackers might try to perform a Denial of service on internet sites that they hack into. This might not done only to be disruptive, but on large buildings in major cities, hackers might be tempted to black out only some lights in order to spell word or slogans with the remaining lights.

Self-healing: While Zigbee can use a star topology (point to multipoint) or cluster tree topology (several linked point to multipoint systems) the most useful is a mesh topology. Higher densities of devices in an area lead to stronger, more reliable networks. If one device should fail, the path is automatically rerouted through other nodes on the network. In this way networks become self healing.

EXAMPLES: Lighting controls Automatic Meter Reading Wireless smoke and CO detectors HVAC Control Heating Control Home Security etc

ZIGBEE COMPARE TO BLUETOOTH: Zigbee: i) ii) Very low duty cycle, very long primary battery life. Static and dynamic star and mesh networks, > 65,000 nodes, with low latency available.

Bluetooth: i) Very high QoS and very low, guaranteed latency.

ii) Quasi-static star network up to seven clients with ability to participate in more than one network. CONCLUSION: Such Zigbee is a wireless communication and it is very useful to the peoples for a new generation.

SOURCE:

http://www.jennic.com/ http://www.daintree.net/ http://www.silabs.com/ http://www.wirelessnetdesignline.com/