2015 Fifth International Conference on Communication Systems and Network Technologies

The Wireless Technologies for Smart Grid

Communication: A Review
Afshan Mulla∗ , Jaypal Baviskar† , Smith Khare‡ , Faruk Kazi§
∗§ Center of Excellence (CoE),
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Mumbai 400019, India
†‡ Department of Electrical Engineering,

Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Mumbai 400039, India

∗ afshan.m.mulla@ieee.org, † jaypal.j.baviskar@ieee.org, ‡ smith7khare@gmail.com, § fsk@vjti.org.in

Abstract—Since 2005, Smart Grid technology has revolu-
tionized the electric power system industry. Researchers have
shown a lot of interest in the opportunities offered by ICT
(Information and Communication Technologies), to modernize
the operation of electrical networks. This is possible by de-
carbonizing them as well as monitoring and controlling them
with sophisticated communication standards. For this purpose,
merging the technologies offered by electrical and telecommu-
nication sector is very crucial. Various wireless communication
standards viz. WiMAX, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GSM, GPRS,
UMTS etc. can be exploited to develop Smart Grid Network
and extend communication throughout the distributed system.
This paper gives a detailed comparative study of communication
protocols that can be implemented in this domain. It focuses
on various aspects such as network spanning, data rates, power
consumption, data security and encryption standards, data access
and spread spectrum techniques, modulation and duplexing
schemes for all the communication standards in Smart Grid.
Hence by addressing all the critical issues, this paper provides
a contemporary look in the still open research areas in Smart
Grid Communication.
Keywords:- Smart Grid, ICT, Monitoring and Controlling,
Communication Standards, GSM, GPRS, ZigBee, WiMAX, Wi-
Fi, UMTS, Communication Protocols, Distribution Substation,
Network establishment, power consumption, security.
I. I NTRODUCTION
The need to revolutionize the existing electrical power grid
in order to meet the growing demand for electricity, began
in early 2000. For many years there has been absolutely no
change in the basic structure of the grid. This has led to
deficiencies in automation system and analysis, slow responses
from switches, absence of sensing and controlling systems,
equipment failures, energy storage issues, lack of communi-
cation in grids, greenhouse gas emission problems etc [1]. To
top it all there has been serious concern pertaining to network
congestions leading to blackouts, by more than 40 years.
Hence, with a view to suggest a solution to these problems
a new concept of Smart Grid has emerged.
In the field of electrical power systems, Smart grid is defined
as an intelligent infrastructure integrating power generation,
power distribution, and modernizing interconnection between
power substations to consumer-end systems, by secure means.
Several researchers all over the world have been analyz-
ing industrial and commercial consumer demand curve for
electricity, providing real-time billing information, installing
infrastructure for the same and emphasizing on the deployment
of various communication protocols that support controlling
and data transmission in Smart Grid. Moreover, their main aim
has been to carry out the exchange of this critical information
over the standard protocols, in a very secure manner. The
technologies being considered for communication in smart
grid are GSM, PLCC, 3G, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, GPRS, Bluetooth,
WiMax etc. Hence, with smooth integration of energy sources
with modern communication technologies, it is possible to
build an efficient method for mitigating the issues discussed.
Researchers have been studying innovative methods for
establishing a reliable and real-time monitoring and controlling
infrastructure for power delivery from smart grid substations
to end-user units. Gungor et.al in [2] lists down the challenges
and opportunities of implementing Wireless Sensor Network
(WSN) in smart grid infrastructure. It presents an inclusive
field test study on the statistical depiction of wireless channel
in different power-system environments. Further, the technical
points and design principles required for hardware and soft-
ware deployment of WSN in smart grid is discussed in [3].
Specifically, radio technologies, energy-harvesting techniques,
and cross-layer design for Industrial WSNs (IWSNs) have
been discussed. Whereas, the after steps of installation i.e
analyzing and identifying failures are elaborated in [4]. It
uses Petri net (PN) for capturing the modeling details of
the protection system for studying malfunctioning in data
transmission in smart grid. Local Distribution Companies
(LDCs) are incorporating sophisticated metering and two-way
communication, mechanizing technologies to their distribution
systems [5]. All this implementation requires thorough knowl-
edge of all the available communication protocols.
In this paper, the comparative study of various wireless
technologies is illustrated in detail. All the important factors
for comparison are incorporated in the study. The paper is
organized as follows; Section II gives a brief overview of the
wireless technologies available for Smart Grid communication
along with their pros and cons. It proposes the basic grid
infrastructure. Section III presents a comparative analysis of
various communication standards being considered in smart
grid. Whereas, Section IV emphasize on the layered archi-
tecture of smart grid . Section V concludes the paper by
summarizing the overall study.

978-1-4799-1797-6/15 $31.00 © 2015 IEEE 442

DOI 10.1109/CSNT.2015.146
 II. W IRELESS T ECHNOLOGIES FOR S MART G RID
C OMMUNICATION
Unlike the conventional power systems, contemporary sys-
tems are more advanced and enriched with various features
which allows ease of operation.Smart grid is one such area
where efforts have been initiated since a decade ago to
modernize the conventional power grid and to facilitate the
seamless operation of the electricity delivery system even in
harsh environment, reducing the probability of failures. The
typical implementation of Smart Grid infrastructure is depicted
in Fig.1.
Fig. 1. Smart Grid Communication Infrastructure
The task of converting power grid to smart grid is not
possible without the incorporation of suitable wired or wireless
technology for enabling communication across the grid. One
of the report released by National Institute of Standard and
Technology (NIST) presents framework for smart grid interop-
erability standards [7] and provides generalized view of several
wired and wireless communication technologies, that can be
implemented for smart grid.
Initially, when the wireless technologies were relatively new,
they had slow rate of acceptance in electrical and power
industries. It was because of the following issues; [6]
• Primarily, practical data rates were low
• Unavailability of well defined and standard interface
• Protocols were vulnerable to various attacks
• Interference related issues
• Threat to security being compromised
• Limited product availability
Several amendments have carried out in existing standards
and all these issues were solved at certain level, for estab-
lishing a trusted standard for reliable communication. Now-a-
days, wireless technologies are proving their dominance over
wired ones, due to their remarkable pros [8] [9]. Hence we
are confining our discussion to the implementation of suitable
wireless technology for Smart Grid.
A. ZigBee over IEEE 802.15.4
ZigBee is a low data rate and ultra low power consump-
tion wireless communication technology developed by ZigBee
443
Alliance in 2002, specifically designed for control and sensor
networks. It restricts the data rate to 250 kbps in the global 2.4-
GHz Industrial, Scientific, Medical (ISM) band. ZigBee pro-
vides self-organized, multi-hop, and reliable mesh networking,
along with long battery life. Hence it facilitates low complexity
and low cost of deployment. It is thus suitable for automation
and control applications, as its primary aim includes energy
and power monitoring, building and home automation, home
area network, smart lightning control and remote meter reading
etc. The U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology
(NIST) [7] [10] has described ZigBee Standard and ZigBee
Smart Energy Profile (SEP) [2], [12] as the most suitable
communication standards for smart grid residential network
domain. In ZigBee implemented integrated smart meters,
Smart Home Automation System (HAS), Home Area Network
(HAN) [11] or in any automation system, ZigBee Coordinator
manages network configuration, exchange of information and
packet routing. ZigBee SEP facilitates reliable communication
and enables user to control and monitor the real-time energy
consumption.
1) Advantages: ZigBee is operated in ISM band of 2.4
GHz, having 16 no. of channels each with 5MHz of bandwidth.
Ultra low power consumption upto 0dBm (1mW) extends
the battery life over a year. Also data rates (40-250Kbps)
and range (1 to 100m) provided are suitable for control
and automation purpose. This makes ZigBee a indispensable
technology for smart grid implementations. This technology
supports low complexity, mobility, low cost of deployment,
robustness, low bandwidth requirements [12], self organizing
capability, operation within an unlicensed spectrum, easy
network implementation and configuration. Moreover, ZigBee
standard is more immune to attacks, since it has inbuilt 128 bit
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm and it uses of
Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) as multiple access
technique.
2) Disadvantages: As ZigBee is operated in unlicensed
ISM band network, coexistence is the main issue. It coexists
with other technologies such as IEEE 802.11 wireless local
area networks (WLANs), WiFi, Bluetooth [9]. It was found
that Wi-Fi has the most significant effect on ZigBee through-
put. Statistically, it causes 10% reduction in throughput of
ZigBee. But, it has been claimed that ZigBee interference has
an insignificant effect on Wi-Fi throughput [10] [9]. Also,
devices such as microwave ovens and cordless telephones
can cause interference with ZigBee. Hence along with low
processing capabilities and small memory size; interference
lays constraint on ZigBee for practical implementations. But,
with suitable energy efficient routing strategy, interference
detection and avoidance schemes; ZigBee technology can
coexist with minimum interference and can provide reliable
communication with long battery life.
B. Bluetooth over IEEE 802.15.1
Bluetooth is a standard designed for short-range wireless
radio systems to be configured as Wireless Personal Area
Network (WPAN). It can be used to replace cables for
computer peripherals such as mouse, keyboards, joysticks and
printer.There are two connectivity topologies defined i.e. the
piconet and scatternet. Piconet is a type of connection that is
formed between two or more Bluetooth-enabled devices such
as modern cell phones or PDAs. Whereas, scatternet is the
number of interconnected piconets that support communica-
tion between more than 8 devices. All these features enables
bluetooth to be implemented in smart grid application like
home area network and home automation.
1) Advantages: It uses FHSS as an access technique and
has in-built RC-4 algorithm. Hence, it provides a reliable and
secure communication. Though the bluetooth provides less
network span, its major advantage is that it operates on low
power. Moreover, no dedicated transmitter is required as it is
embedded in cellular phones and facilitates easier exchange of
data.
2) Disadvantages: Network span provided by bluetooth is
confined to 100m. Though the coverage can be increased by
using scatternet configuration, but there exists limitation on
number of nodes that can be served by the scatternet. Hence,
increasing the coverage area is a challenging task in bluetooth.
C. WiMAX over IEEE 802.16
Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access
(WiMAX) technology is one of the major wireless broadband
technology. It is mainly intended for Wireless Metropolitan
Area Network (WMAN) . It is part of IEEE 802.16 series,
started with an aim to achieve worldwide interoperability
for microwave access. The long distance coverage and
very high data rates are main objectives of WiMAX.
Basically, it provides data rate of 70Mbps and coverage of
50Km[13]. The range is different for Line Of Sight (LOS)
and Non LOS application. Mobile WiMax makes use of
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
air interface to increase the performance in the Non Line
of Sight environment. [13] The bands which are dedicated
for fixed and mobile communication are; 3.5 and 5.8GHz
for fixed and 2.3,2.5 and 3.5GHz for mobile communication.
It has bandwidth of 1.25-20MHz and 128,256 channels
respectively. WiMax systems provide broadband access
services efficiently at longer distance and hence known as
’Last Mile’ technology. WiMAX technology is therefore
an alternative to wired technologies such as cable modem,
Digital Subscriber Link ( DSL) and T1/E1 links.
1) Advantages: The long distance coverage and sufficiently
high data rate formulates WiMAX suitable in Automatic
Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for [6] wireless meter reading.
WiMAX network can be used to build real-time pricing
models based on real-time energy consumption without human
intervention. Moreover, a reliable two-way communication can
be established using WiMAX for fast outage detection and
restoration which will result in improvement of power supply
reliability. Another crucial feature of WiMAX is the use of
adaptive modulation technique for optimizing the performance
at desired Signal to Noise ratio (SNR). It facilitates efficient
operation even in harsh environment where Received Signal
444
Strength (RSS) is low. [14] Hence today’s WiMAX technology
has various advantages viz. seamless communications, low cost
of deployment, well developed security protocols, appropriate
bandwidth, high data rates, long network span and scalability.
2) Disadvantages: The primary disadvantage of WiMAX
is the expense of dedicated hardware required for WiMAX
frequencies, which make it too costly to implement for small
scale deployment. WiMAX frequencies above 10 GHz can
not penetrate through the obstacles, [6] and hence for AMI
application it cannot be implemented in urban areas. Since
the lower frequencies and unlicensed ISM band are already
crowded, leasing it from third party remains the only solution.
But eventually, it will also add up to the cost of deployment.
D. WLAN over IEEE 802.11
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) over IEEE 802.11
provides uninterrupted communication to user at higher data
rates. It allows multiple user to access the service [6] without
interfering much with the coexisting technologies; the use of
spread spectrum technologies such as Direct Sequence Spread
Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
(FHSS) and access technique viz. Carrier Sense Multiple
Access- Collision Avoidance (CSMA-CA) have made it pos-
sible. IEEE 802.11a was the first standard in WLAN. In 1999
further amendments were carried out by Wireless Ethernet
Compatibility Alliance (WECA) to bring interoperability [18]
amongst IEEE 802.11 products of various vendors. The efforts
have resulted into formation of ubiquitous Wireless-Fidelity
standard over 802.11b, that became famous with acronym Wi-
Fi. Under WLAN project many standards have been developed
as depicted in Table IV. [13], [18] Though IEEE 802.11a
provides data rates up to 54Mbps but is operated on 5.8GHz
licensed frequency band. Wi-Fi operates on 2.4GHz ISM
frequency band with DSSS modulation, yielding maximum
data rate of 11Mbps. Further the use of Orthogonal Fre-
quency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) [18] in packet based
communication has enhanced data rates up to 54 Mbps on
ISM band. This formed the base for enhanced Wi-Fi over
802.11g. Further, Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)
technology is introduced to form IEEE 802.11n standard
to achieve data rates up to 600 Mbps. IEEE 802.11i was
developed as a more secure standard. Though coverage area
provided by WLAN is just 100m but it is suitable in medium
range smart grid applications like remote monitoring, Home
Area Network (HAN), distribution protection systems and
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI).
1) Advantages: WLAN operates in two modes viz. Ad-Hoc
mode and Infrastructure mode which provides great flexibility
for application specific deployment. The key advantage of
WLAN is load balancing of the network [6] which optimizes
the network performance. Moreover, it provides enhanced data
rates from 54-600Mbps with use of Multiple Input Multiple
Output (MIMO) technology. The security specific standard
viz IEEE 802.11i is developed using Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES) to enhance the security [6] in wireless LANs.
Ability to operate in mesh networking mode and use of multi-
hop routing can significantly increase the coverage in urban
and rural areas. WLAN provides secure and reliable commu-
nication over a network facilitating high data rates, mobility
of devices, easy installation and cost effective deployment.
2) Disadvantages: Though the network span of WLAN
can be increased using mesh topology, it adds up to routing
complexity. As the packets have to pass through each node;
an extra overhead is required which causes reduction in
bandwidth utilization. Moreover, in smart grid applications
such as Home Area Network (HAN) or Advanced Metering
Infrastructure (AMI) the crucial metering information has to
be passed through every access point. This requires strong
encryption techniques for data security. Hence, widespread
coverage area like cellular technologies is a challenging task
in WLAN, especially in urban areas. Also, if mesh network
is implemented then network capacity, fading and trade-
off between reliable and flexible routing will be the major
challenges faced, [6] along with the interference and network
coexistence.
E. Cellular Network Communication
The explosive growth in cellular communication can be
seen from past few decades. Spearheaded by Global System
for Mobile (GSM) system, the cellular technology has been
improving in terms of data rates and coverage and leaning
towards the upcoming 4G and 5G standards. After 1G, GSM
had formed concrete base for cellular communication by
providing real time voice and SMS service over a circuit
switch network[15].
Further, the GPRS standard had built on top of GSM for
providing data access feature to user, yielding data rate of
115 Kbps. To satisfy the never ending demands of user, under
3GPPP program 3G standards viz. UMTS (WCDMA) and
CDMA2000 were developed; yielding data rates up to 2Mbps
with maximum throughputs. Now, 4G technology is on the
verge of occupying the market and soon will revolutionize the
already existing systems by transferring voice and data over
Inter Protocol (IP). It promises data rates more than 100Mbps.
Since, cellular technologies posses already existing well
developed infrastructure, they can be efficiently used for
Smart Grid communication without adding up to the cost of
deployment. Hence 2G, 2.5G, 3G, and Long Term Evolution
(LTE) can be used for smart metering deployments over a wide
coverage. Mostly power stations are situated far away and need
to be communicated. They generate large amount of data viz.
electrical parameters, meter readings etc. In order to process
such huge amount of data, high data rates are required along
with large network span. In such situations cellular technology
serves as the backbone for smart grid communication. In fact,
commercially such ventures have already been started.
Vehbi C. Gungor et. al [12] have provided detailed survey
of various companies who are using GSM, GPRS, CDMA,
WCDMA and UMTS technologies for smart grid communi-
cation. Telenor, Telecom Italia, China Mobile, Vodafone are
on the way to use their GSM network for smart metering
communications. Itron SENITEL has exploited the use of 2.5G
445
viz. GPRS by integrating it’s electricity meter with it. Verizon
and SmartSynch smart grid solutions are exploiting 3GCDMA
network, whereas Telenor with Cinclus technology is exploit-
ing the use of UMTS [16] for smart grid communication.
1) Advantages: Exploitation of cellular communication for
smart grid has an inherent advantage of availability of well de-
veloped communication infrastructure. Therefore, users don’t
have to incur extra cost infrastructure framework required for
smart grid. Also on-air privacy and security would not be
compromised as cellular technologies have in-built security
algorithms [13] viz (A3, A5, A8) algorithms in GSM, Token
based security in UMTS, SSD in CDMA. Cellular networks
have sufficient bandwidth for handling huge amount of data
generated by smart grid application. Also data rates provided
by different standards viz 9.6 Kbps in GSM, 115 Kbps in
GPRS and 0.384-2 Mbps in UMTS, is sufficient for various
smart grid applications such as HAN, Smart Metering etc.
Moreover, cellular technologies have 100% penetration in rural
and urban areas; hence widespread coverage is guaranteed. It
also facilitates low cost of deployment, better data security
and authentication and appropriate data rates.
2) Disadvantages: Limitations of cellular technologies are
exploited when some critical application needs continuous
availability of communications. As cellular network perfor-
mance is user dependent in densely populated area, it is not
desirable to use the network for other applications. Since,
the cellular network is shared by many users;in peak hours
probability of network congestion increases. This results in
degradation of performance in smart grid end application.
Sometimes in real-time applications, hard deadlines can be
missed resulting into catastrophic events. Unlike private net-
work and emerging WSN standards, availability of the network
is not guaranteed in harsh environmental conditions and nat-
ural calamities. Hence, reliability of cellular communication
becomes questionable in such situations.
III. C OMPARATIVE S TUDY OF VARIOUS W IRELESS
T ECHNOLOGIES FOR S MART G RID C OMMUNICATION
The different wireless technologies are mainly characterized
by the range of operation, maximum data rate and other per-
formance metrics such as power consumption, on-air privacy,
security in data communication, network node acquisition
time etc. Table I [12] below illustrates performance metrics
of wireless technologies and provides detailed comparison
among, short range viz. ZigBee, Bluetooth; Medium range
viz. Wi-Fi; Long range viz. WiMAX and cellular technolo-
gies (GSM,GPRS,UMTS). The key differences between these
wireless technologies are listed.
IV. I MPLEMENTATION OF W IRELESS TECHNOLOGIES IN
S MART G RID L AYERED A RCHITECTURE
In Smart grid communication, the coverage area and end
application are the crucial factors which decide the wireless
technology to be implemented along with other supportive
technologies. On the basis of coverage area, the communi-
cation infrastructure can be divided into Home Area Network
(HAN), Neighborhood Area Network (NAN) and Wide Area
Network (WAN).These architectures [11], [19] when imple-
mented together are known as three layer architecture. The
implementation of wireless technology in such communication
network scenario along with supportive topologies is elabo-
rated in this section (refer Fig.8).
Fig. 2. Implementation of Smart Grid in Layered Architecture
Each layer in the structural design follows a hierarchical
path. The Home Area Network (HAN), Neighboring Area
Network (NAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) described
above, together form the layered architecture. The first layer of
the layered architecture is the HAN. The information collected
in HAN from Data Collecting Modules (DCM) or sensors is
forwarded at a data rate of several hundred Kbps (which are
supposed to be as low as 250kbps) to the Control Module
(CM), using the short range technologies. Hence at layer1,
the short range technologies such as ZigBee or Bluetooth can
be used which will utilize the power efficiently.
In the second layer, NAN covers increased coverage area.
In order to interconnect several HAN’s a medium or a long
distance technologies can be considered viz. WiFi (IEEE
802.11a/b/g/n) and WiMAX (802.16). However, standard such
as ZigBee can also be deployed by increasing the number of
DCM/sensors or employing mesh architecture. Further, many
NAN’s together form a WAN, which contributes to the top-
most layer of the architecture. The Centralized Controller
Module (CC) is the central head of the WAN, which com-
municates with Central Controller Modules (CCM) of NAN’s.
Various standard long distance technologies viz. PLCC, Cel-
lular technologies, WiMAX etc. can be deployed.
V. C ONCLUSION
Smart Grid is on the verge of revolutionizing the conven-
tional electric power and distribution systems. Along with
well developed and dedicated architecture, suitable wireless
technology has to be implemented for reliable and seamless
communication. Selection of technology depends on various
parameters viz. network span, data rates, security and relia-
bility, number of channels, available bandwidth etc. which
446
influence the application area in Smart Grid. This paper
illustrates the various wireless technologies such as WiMAX,
ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GSM, GPRS and UMTS along with
their pros and cons with respect to smart grid. Further, it
illustrates the layered architecture for smart grid communi-
cation, where diverse technologies can be deployed for better
performance. Hence, this paper provides a better understanding
for implementation of any particular wireless technology as
per the application spectrum in smart grid.
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 TABLE I
COMPARISON OF THE W I MAX, ZIGBEE,BLUETOOTH, WI-FI, GSM, GPRS AND UMTS TECHNOLOGIES

Standard WiMAX ZigBee Bluetooth WiFi GSM GPRS UMTS

Application Lsat Mile Monitoring Cable Web, Email, Audio Call, Data Service Video calls
Focus Broadband and Replace- Video SMS on GSM mobile
Access Control ment Internet
Smart Grid Wireless Automation, Automation Distribution AMI,HAN AMI,HAN Monitoring for
Potential Automatic Remote HAS Protection Demand Demand Remote
Application Meter Reading Load Automation Response Response[12] Distribution
(WMAR)[6] Control HAN,HAS AMI,HAN [12] [6]
IEEE 802.16 802.15.4 802.15.1 802.11 GSM1900 Virtual Circuit Composite
Standard a/b/g Packet Switch CDMA,TDMA
Technology/ Broadband LR-WPAN WPAN WLAN 2nd 2.5 3rd
Generation (MAN) Generation Generation Generation
Range Long distance Short Range Short Range Middle Range Long Range Long Range Long Range
Categorized Technology Technology Technology Technology Technology Technology Technology
Frequency 10-66GHz* 868/915 MHz; 2.4 GHz 2.4 GHz; 900- 900- 1.92-1.98GHz
Band 2-11GHz** 2.4 GHz 5GHz 1800MHz 1800MHz 2.11-2.17GHz
Number of 128,256 1/10 ;16 79 14 125 125; 12
Channels 512;1024 (2.4GHz) (900MHz) 1000!!
Access Scheduling CSMA-CA TDMA CSMA/CA, TDMA TDMA CDMA
Technique Scheme (Centralized)
Spread OFDMA; DSSS FHSS DSSS TDMA TDMA DSSS
Technique SOFDMA FHSS
Duplexing TDD; TDD FDD TDD FDD FDD FDD
Technique FDD
Modulation AMC;QPSK; O-QPSK [13] GFSK OFDM;DSSS, 0.3 GMSK 0.3 GMSK QPSK,OQPSK
Technique 16-QAM CCK; DSSS,
64-QAM [13] CCK,OFDM [13]
Encryption 128-bit AES, 40-bit RC4 128-bit AES, 128-bit RC4, A5 and A8 Token based, Token based
3-DES, EAP block cipher block cipher stream cipher Algorithm WAP,IPSec Security
(WEP)
Maximum 30 Mb/s- 250 Kb/s 1 Mb/s 54 Mb/s 9.6 Kb/s- 115.2 Kb/s 0.384Mb/s-
Data Rate 50 Mb/s 14.4 Kb/s 02 Mb/s
Nominal 10-50Km; 10 - 100 m 10 - 100m 100 m 0.5-35Km 0.5-35Km 0.1-10Km
Range 1-5Km
Channel 1.25-20 MHz 0.3/0.6 MHz; 1 MHz 22 MHz 200KHz 200KHz 5MHz
Bandwidth 2 MHz
Data AES CMAC 16-bit CRC 16-bit CRC 32-bit CRC 3-bit CRC 3-bit CRC ANSI-41,SS7
Protection MD-5 with 1/2 with 1/2
HMAC Convolution Convolution
Max Number 1 more than 8 32 7cells/cluster 7cells/cluster 1-7cells
of Cell Nodes 65000 9,12,13!* 9,12,13!*
Node Acqui- 100ms 30ms 3s 2s Depends On Depends On Depends On
sition Time GOS GOS GOS
Node Wake- 100ms 15ms 3s 1s NA NA NA
up Time
Network Point to Star, Star, Star multipoint to multipoint to multipoint to
Topology Multipoint; Mesh, Piconet, Topology multipoint multipoint multipoint
multipoint to cluster-tree Scatter-net
multipoint
Power High Power Low Power Low Power Medium Power High Power High Power High Power
Categorized Technology Technology Technology Technology Technology Technology Technology
Power 100mW-10W 3.16μW 1-10mW 31.6-100mW 0.5-2W 0.5-2W 600mW
Consumption 20-40dBm -1mW 0-10dBm 15-20dBm 27-33dBm 27-33 dBm 27.78dBm
[17] -25 to 0dBm

HAS: Home Automation System, HAN: Home Area Network, AMI: Advanced Metering Infrastructure, CDMA: Code-Division
Multiple Access, TDMA: Time-Division Multiple Access, MAN: Metropolitan Area Network, LR-WPAN: Low-Rate Wireless Personal
Area Network, WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network, CSMA-CA: Carrier Sense Multiple Access-Collision Avoidance, OFDMA:
Orthogonal Frequency Devision Multiple Access, SOFDMA: Scalable-OFDMA, DSSS: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum
FHSS: Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum, TDD: Time-Division Duplexing, FDD: Frequency-Division Duplexing, AMC: Adaptive
Modulation Coding, QPSK: Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying, QAM: Quadrature Amplitude Modulation,O-QPSK: Offset-Quadrature
Phase Shift Keying, GFSK: Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying, CCK: Complementary Code Keying,GMSK: Gaussian Mask-Shift Keying
AES: Advanced Encryption Standard, DES: Data Encryption Standard, EAP: Extensible Authentication Protocol,RC4: Rivest Cipher4
WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy, WAP: Wireless Application Protocol, IPSec: Internet Protocol Security,CMAC: Cipher Based Medium
Access Control, MD-5: Message Digest-5 Algorithm, HMAC: Hash Message Authentication Code, CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check
ANSI-41: IS-41 Cellular Communication Protocol, SS7: Signaling System no.7, GOS: Grade Of Service
Asterics: *Line of Sight (LOS),**Non Line of Sight(NLOS),!!Logical Channels, !*Standard Number of cells in Cluster

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