Introduction:

Zigbee is a rather new wireless technology that looks to have applications in a variety
of fields. Zigbee is a technological standard based on the IEEE 802.15.4 specification
for low data rates in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio bands. The
technology allows for devices to communicate with one another with very low power
consumption, allowing the devices to run on simple batteries for several years.
Zigbee is targeting various forms of automation, as the low data rate communication
is ideal for sensors, monitors, and the like. Home automation is one of the key
market areas for Zigbee, with an example of a simple network shown below.

Figure 1. Home Automation Network [4].

WHAT IS ZIGBEE
ZigBee is a technological standard, based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, which was created
specifically for control and sensor networks. Within the broad organization of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the 802 group is the section that deals with network
operations and technologies. Group 15 works more specifically with wireless networking, and
Task Group 4 drafted the 802.15.4 standard for a low data rate wireless personal area network
(WPAN). The standard for this WPAN specifies not only a low data rate but also low power
consumption and low complexity, among other things. The data rate is limited to 250 kbps in the
global 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, Medical (ISM) band, 20 kbps in the 868 MHz band used in
Europe, and 40 kbps in the 915 MHz band used in North America and Australia. The ZigBee
standard is built on top of this IEEE standard, addressing remote monitoring and control for
sensory network applications. This standard was created by an organization known as the
ZigBee Alliance, which is composed of a large number of companies and industry leaders
striving to enable such control devices based on said standard. Figure 1 below shows the
relationship between IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee.

Figure 1. ZigBee Stack Architecture [13].

As can be seen in the figure, IEEE 802.15.4 develops the Medium Access Control (MAC) Layer
and Physical (PHY) Layer, which address such things as the frequency and data rate
specifications. The Physical Layer also allows for two types of devices: full function devices
(FFD's) and reduced function devices (RFD's). ZigBee, meanwhile, develops the Network Layer
and Application Layer, which includes the Applications Support Sublayer, the ZigBee Device
Object, and the Security Services. The Network Layer and Application Layer are more specific
than the IEEE layers and involve such things as how a ZigBee network is to be set up, how the
devices in the network relate to one another, and so on.
Figure 2 below shows a comparison of the various 802 technologies for data rate and range.
Table 1 gives a more detailed compare and contrast for a few of the technologies in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The 802 Wireless Space [7].

Table 1. Wireless Comparisons [14].

A concern that could arise may be related to the specific frequency band that ZigBee uses - that
is, the 2.4 GHz band, which is the same band used by IEEE 802.11 and WiFi. A cursory reading
of the previous sentence may seem to imply that ZigBee could not co-exist with these other
technologies without interfering with one another. However, ZigBee-based products can access
up to 16 different 5 MHz channels within the 2.4 GHz band, several of which do not overlap
those of 802.11 and WiFi; data packets are automatically retransmitted in case interference does
happen to occur; and very few data packets are transmitted anyway, further reducing the
probability that data will be lost. Thus, ZigBee, with its specific application focus, is not
generally affected by other similar wireless technologies, but fits nicely into a field of everincreasing technological innovations.

WHAT DOES ZIGBEE DO

ZigBee is designed for wireless controls and sensors. It could be built into just about anything
you have around your home or office, including lights, switches, doors and appliances. These
devices can then interact without wires, and you can control them all . . . from a remote control
or even your mobile phone.
Although ZigBee's underlying radio-communication technology isn't revolutionary, it goes well
beyond single-purpose wireless devices, such as garage door openers and "The Clapper" that
turns light on and off. It allows wireless two-way communications between lights and switches,
thermostats and furnaces, hotel-room air-conditioners and the front desk, and central command
posts. It travels across greater distances and handles many sensors that can be linked to perform
different tasks. Figure 1 below gives a great example of how ZigBee can be applied.

Figure 1. ZigBee Application [16].

ZigBee works well because it aims low. Controls and sensors don't need to send and
receive much data. ZigBee has been designed to transmit slowly. It has a data rate of
250kbps (kilobits per second), pitiful compared with Wi-Fi, which is hitting throughput
of 20Mbps or more. But because ZigBee transmits slowly, it doesn't need much power,
so batteries will last up to 10 years. Because ZigBee consumes very little power, a
sensor and transmitter that reports whether a door is open or closed, for example,
can run for up to five years on a single double-A battery. Also, operators are much

happier about adding ZigBee to their phones than faster technologies such as Wi-Fi;
therefore, the phone will be able to act as a remote control for all the ZigBee devices
it encounters.

HOW ZIGBEE WORKS

ZigBee basically uses digital radios to allow devices to communicate with one another. A typical
ZigBee network consists of several types of devices. A network coordinator is a device that sets
up the network, is aware of all the nodes within its network, and manages both the information
about each node as well as the information that is being transmitted/received within the network.
Every ZigBee network must contain a network coordinator. Other Full Function Devices
(FFD's) may be found in the network, and these devices support all of the 802.15.4 functions.
They can serve as network coordinators, network routers, or as devices that interact with the
physical world. The final device found in these networks is the Reduced Function Device
(RFD), which usually only serve as devices that interact with the physical world. An example of
a ZigBee network is shown below in Figure 1.

Figure 1. ZigBee Network [11].

The figure above introduces the concept of the ZigBee network topology. Several topologies are
supported by ZigBee, including star, mesh, and cluster tree. Star and mesh networking are both
shown in the figure above. As can be seen, star topology is most useful when several end
devices are located close together so that they can communicate with a single router node. That
node can then be a part of a larger mesh network that ultimately communicates with the network
coordinator. Mesh networking allows for redundancy in node links, so that if one node goes
down, devices can find an alternative path to communicate with one another. Figures 2 and 3
below provide an example of how mesh networking allows for multiple paths between devices.

Figure 2. Mesh Networking Path 1 [7].

Figure 3. Mesh Networking Path 2 [7].

ZigBee operates in two main modes: non-beacon mode and beacon mode. Beacon
mode is a fully coordinated mode in that all the device know when to coordinate with
one another. In this mode, the network coordinator will periodically "wake-up" and
send out a beacon to the devices within its network. This beacon subsequently wakes
up each device, who must determine if it has any message to receive. If not, the
device returns to sleep, as will the network coordinator, once its job is complete.
Non-beacon mode, on the other hand, is less coordinated, as any device can
communicate with the coordinator at will. However, this operation can cause
different devices within the network to interfere with one another, and the
coordinator must always be awake to listen for signals, thus requiring more power. In
any case, ZigBee obtains its overall low power consumption because the majority of
network devices are able to remain inactive over long periods of time.

ZIGBEE VS BLUETOOTH

Figure 1. ZigBee vs. Bluetooth [15].

ZigBee is broadly categorized as a low rate WPAN, and its closest technology is Bluetooth. A
good bit of energy has been spent in analyzing whether ZigBee and Bluetooth are
complementary or competing technologies, but after a quick look at the two, it can be seen that
they fall a lot farther down the complementary side of the spectrum. They are two different
technologies with very different areas of application and different means of designing for those
applications. While ZigBee is focused on control and automation, Bluetooth is focused on
connectivity between laptops, PDAs, and the like, as well as more general cable replacement.
ZigBee uses low data rate, low power consumption, and works with small packet devices;
Bluetooth uses a higher data rate, higher power consumption, and works with large packet
devices. ZigBee networks can support a larger number of devices and a longer range between
devices than Bluetooth. Because of these differences, the technologies are not only geared
toward different applications, they don't have the capability to extend out to other applications.
As an example, for its applications, Bluetooth must rely on fairly frequent battery recharging,
while the whole goal of ZigBee is for a user to be able to put a couple of batteries in the devices
and forget about them for months to years. In timing critical applications, ZigBee is designed to
respond quickly, while Bluetooth takes much longer and could be detrimental to the application.
Thus, a user could easily use both technologies as a wireless solution in a PAN to suit all types of
applications within that network.

THE HYPE CYCLE

A hype cycle is a graphical representation of the visibility of a given entity over time. The
Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle, published yearly by a company named Gartner, places
many of the recent and upcoming technologies on its curve, which is roughly broken into five
sections. The "Technology Trigger" section represents the time when the technology has just
been made public, and awareness of that technology is on the rise. The "Peak of Inflated
Expectations" and "Trough of Disillusionment" sections represent the high point and subsequent
low point in the technology's visibility. The "Slope of Enlightenment" represents the rise up to
the "Plateau of Productivity," the final, more static state of visibility. Figure 1 below shows the
Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle for 2003. The ZigBee standard had not been officially
drafted at the time of this particular hype cycle, but the IEEE 802.15.4 standard had just been
released, as is seen in the figure.

Figure 1. 2003 Hype Cycle [1].

The next two figures, Figure 2 and Figure 3, show the 2004 and 2005
Emerging Technologies Hype Cycles, with sensor mesh networks circled on
the graphs. There was little change between 2004 and 2005, showing that
the technology must have climbed rather rapidly to the peak and is now
slowly making its way into the trough. The technology is also seen to be two
to five years from reaching the plateau.

Figure 2. 2004 Hype Cycle [2].

Figure 3. 2005 Hype Cycle [3].

ZIGBEE PRODUCTS
ZigBee is the next big thing to hit the market. There are many companies that are utilizing the
performance that the ZigBee technology holds, performance issues related to the frequency range
and the low power battery usage. These companies like Arcom, Chipcon, Freescale, CompX,
and Ember have already invested millions of dollars into ZigBee chips. Unfortunately, ZigBee,
which has most of its chip applications in home usage, does not hit the market big until 2006. As
of right now, ZigBee could be said to be between the market and the lab. A few products are out
there, as are "ZigBee-ready" products, but development is still taking place.
Two companies on the cutting edge of the ZigBee market include Chipcon and Arcom. Chipcon
is using ZigBee to produce a road map product that reduces the chip and system costs
and increases integration level with low power consumption. Chipcon's ZigBee SoCs
will include an IEEE 802.15.4 compliant RE transceiver; a low power, yet high
performance, microcontroller; flash program memory and RAM and a powerful
peripheral module. ROM based versions can be provided for very high volume
applications. Arcom has joined the ZigBee Alliance to produce ZigBee-ready radio products

using Chipcon's industry leading CS2420 device for low power network applications. Arcom
has many years of experience producing network gateway devices which link legacy and
proprietary devices to standard LAN, W-LAN, and cellular networks. The list [19] below gives
links to several other companies that are currently selling and developing ZigBee-based
products.
Helicomm (802.15.4/ZigBee) - The "IP-Link" modules are battery-powered
transceivers operating at 916 MHz and 2.4 GHz. The network consists of endpoints,
optional routers, and a PC gateway. The endpoint boards measure 1.40.90.4
inches without case or antenna, but the assembled plastic enclosures are
significantly larger.
MaxStream (802.15.4/ZigBee) - The "XBee" products are 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz
"wireless modems" with a serial UART interface. Operation seems to be peer-to-peer
and mesh topologies are listed as "coming soon".
Luxoft Labs (804.15.4/ZigBee) - MeshNetics(tm) is a Chipcon-based 2.4 GHz
transceiver measuring 50 x 50 mm, and running a modified TinyOS firmware
enhanced to support ZigBee. The devices are powered by dual AAA batteries and
support RS-232F, ISP JTAG, and SPI/l2C interfaces.
Crossbow Technology (802.15.4/ZigBee and nonstandard protocols) - Crossbow's
MICA2, MICA2DOT, MICAz, and MCS Cricket radios are OEM modules compatible with
a wide variety of Crossbow sensor modules (using the Atmel CPU). MICAz is the
2.4 GHz ZigBee radio (with Chipcon chipset). The Crossbows radios are relatively
large, except for the MICA2DOT which is extremely small. The non-ZigBee versions
use the open-source TinyOS stack, and support other frequencies such as 313.9316.1 MHz, 433.1-434.8 MHz, 868-870 MHz, and 902-928 MHz.
Innovative Wireless Technologies (802.15.4 and/or ZigBee) - The AXON(tm)
transceiver modules utilize Chipcon radios and are available in 2.4 GHz, 915 MHz,
and 868 MHz frequency bands. IWT also sells a nonstandard Synaptrix(tm) protocol
stack that can be used with the same hardware.
Right now, ZigBee development kits run between $100-$300 dollars, depending on the size of
the kit. Individual modules are less expensive, while the price of a ZigBee radio for a network
node is estimated to be $6 to the manufacturer once full-scale production takes place. Sensors
are currently being used in environmental and agricultural applications, but the main target home automation - has yet to be reached. ZigBee technology is also being used and tested in
applications related to health monitoring.
ZigBee is not alone in the world of home automation and sensor networks. It faces competition
from similar technologies such as Z-Wave, a technology based on the Zensys' Z-Wave open
standard. This standard focuses on the same areas as ZigBee and may actually control a bigger
corner of the market. However, it lacks a globalstandard and does not quite have the publicity
that ZigBee currently holds. Another existing automation technology
is Insteon by Smarthome. Insteon is very similar to ZigBee and Z-Wave technologies, except
that it offers a dual band network, as opposed to the single band networks of the latter two
technologies. Like ZigBee, Insteon has development kits available, while large scale
manufacturing is still on the not-to-distant horizon. Other proprietary mesh protocols based on

IEEE 802.15.4 ensure that ZigBee faces, and will continue to face, a competitive market in the
world of low rate networking.