8 application areas of Zigbee communication protocol

 The Zigbee wireless technology is globally available to address the unique needs of low-power, low-cost wireless machine to machine networks and the Internet of Things (IoT). It runs on IEEE 802.15.4 physical radio specification in an unlicensed band including, 2.4 GHz, 900 MHz, and 868 MHz.

 

Zigbee communication protocol is a robust way to use WiFi, Bluetooth, and RF-based environments. Some of the technical details of the Zigbee protocol are:

l The Zigbee protocol operates globally on a single frequency of 2.4 GHz.

l Zigbee offers a wireless range of 70m indoors and 400m outdoors.

l It offers networking flexibility to cover homes of all sizes by giving support for multiple networks like point-to-point, and point-to-multipoint mesh-networks.

l Low latency and Low Duty cycle lead to lower power consumption giving sensors a long-lasting battery life up to 7 years.

l Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) helps to offer a higher data rate for quicker responses.

l Zigbee uses AES 128 encryption (government, commercial, and military-grade encryption used across the Internet), thus, protecting your information over the air transfers.

l Zigbee can easily integrate monitoring and control of light systems, security systems, convenience, and motion detection.

l The mesh-network operability of Zigbee reduces the chances of failure at nodes, and the ad-hoc routing offers better stability.

 

Use of Zigbee communication protocol:

Zigbee enables broad-based deployment of wireless networks with low-cost, and low-power solutions. It provides the ability to run for years on inexpensive batteries for a host of monitoring and control applications. Zigbee technology is making significant advancements in various spaces such as smart energy grid, AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), lighting controls, building automation systems, tank monitoring, HVAC control, medical devices, and fleet applications.

 

Zigbee protocol features:

l Support for multiple network topologies such as point-to-point,

l Point-to-multipoint and mesh networks

l Low duty cycle provides long battery life

l Low latency

l Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)

l Up to 65,000 nodes per network

l 128-bit AES encryption for secure data connections

l Collision avoidance, retries, and acknowledgments

 

Zigbee 3.0 protocol:

The member companies of the Zigbee Alliance has created and ratified the Zigbee 3.0 protocol. Over 300 leading semiconductor organizations, technology firms, OEMs, and service companies encompass the Zigbee Alliance membership. They designed the Zigbee protocol to offer an easy-to-use wireless data solution described by protected and steady wireless network architectures.

 

Applications areas of Zigbee communication protocol:

Zigbee network serves in different areas, some of these are:

l Home Automation

l Wireless Sensor Networks

l Industrial Control Systems

l Embedded systems

l Medical data collection

l Smoke and intruder alarming

l Building automation

l Configuration of wireless remotes.

 

Home Automation:

Some of the features of Zigbee for Home Automation are:

l Simplified setup and maintenance

l Ideal for new construction and remodeling

l Zigbee gives access to devices anywhere from the world just from your mobile phones.

l Monitors power use and allows you to turn on and off devices from remote locations

l Built-in security with interference avoidance methodologies ensures better preservation and worry-free operations.

l Help you customize lighting scenes based on daily schedules, events, and activities.

l Due to the low-power consumption of the Zigbee protocol, your security sensors can work for 7 years.