ZigBee

ZigBee is a wireless networking standard that is aimed at remote control and sensor applications which is suitable for operation in harsh radio environments and in isolated locations. It is an established set of specifications for wireless personal area networking (WPAN). ZigBee is one of the global standards of communication protocol formulated by the relevant task force under the IEEE 802.15 working group which defines the physical and MAC layers. The main applications for 802.15.4 are aimed at control and monitoring applications where relatively low levels of data throughput are needed with range of 10–100 meters, and with the possibility of remote, battery powered sensors, low power consumption is a key requirement. Sensors, lighting controls, security and many more applications come under this technology.

The system is specified to operate in one of the three licenses free bands at 2.4 GHz, 915 MHz and 868 MHz. At 2.4 GHz the maximum data rate is 250 kbps. For 915 MHz the standard supports a maximum data rate of 40 kbps, while at 868 MHz can support data transfer at up to 20 kbps. There are three different network topologies that are supported by ZigBee, namely the star, mesh and cluster tree or hybrid networks. There are numerous advantages to the zigbee protocol, including its reliability, scalability and ability to self-heal its mesh network.

ZigBee PRO is a version of ZigBee that carries greater capabilities like routing techniques, Network hops, Max number of devices, Network security. By adopting ZigBee PRO as an enhanced version, it is possible to provide the additional capabilities of some applications, while retaining a simpler, low cost stack and retaining the lower power consumption for those applications that do not require the additional capabilities.