ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

ZigBee is the most popular industry wireless mesh networking standard for
connecting sensors, instrumentation and control systems. ZigBee, a specification for
communication in a wireless personal area network (WPAN), has been called the "Internet of
things." Theoretically, your ZigBee-enabled coffee maker can communicate with your
ZigBee-enabled toaster. ZigBee is an open, global, packet-based protocol designed to provide
an easy-to-use architecture for secure, reliable, low power wireless networks. ZigBee and
IEEE 802.15.4 are low data rate wireless networking standards that can eliminate the costly
and damage prone wiring in industrial control applications. Flow or process control
equipment can be place anywhere and still communicate with the rest of the system. It can
also be moved, since the network doesn't care about the physical location of a sensor, pump
or valve. The ZigBee RF4CE standard enhances the IEEE 802.15.4 standard by providing a
simple networking layer and standard application profiles that can be used to create
interoperable multi-vendor consumer electronic solutions.

When you hold the TV remote and wish to use it you have to necessarily point your
control at the device. This one-way, line-of-sight, short-range communication uses infrared
(IR) sensors to enable communication and control and it is possible to operate the TV
remotely only with its control unit. Add other home theatre modules, an airconditioner and
remotely enabled fans and lights to your room, and you become a juggler who has to handle
not only these remotes, but also more numbers that will accompany other home appliances
you are likely to use. Some remotes do serve to control more than one device after
„memorizing' access codes, but this interoperability is restricted to LOS, that too only for a
set of related equipment, like the different units of a home entertainment system.

Now picture a home with entertainment units, security systems including fire alarm,
smoke detector and burglar alarm, air-conditioners and kitchen appliances all within
whispering distance from each other and imagine a single unit that talks with all the devices,
no longer depending on line-of-sight, and traffic no longer being one-way. This means that
the devices and the control unit would all need a common standard to enable intelligible
communication. ZigBee is such a standard for embedded application software.
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CHAPTER 2
HISTORY
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HISTORY

 ZigBee-style networks began to be conceived about 1998, when many engineers realized
that both WiFi and Bluetooth were going to be unsuitable for many applications. In
particular, many engineers saw a need for self-organizing ad-hoc digital radio networks.
 The IEEE 802.15.4 standard was completed in May 2003.
 In the summer of 2003, Philips Semiconductors, a major mesh network supporter, ceased
its investment. Philips Lighting has, however, continued Philips' participation, and Philips
remains a promoter member on the ZigBee Alliance Board of Directors.
 The ZigBee Alliance announced in October 2004 that its membership had more than
doubled in the preceding year and had grown to more than 100 member companies, in 22
countries. By April 2005 membership had grown to more than 150 companies.
 The ZigBee specifications were ratified on 14 December 2004.
 The ZigBee Alliance announces public availability of Specification 1.0 on 13 June 2005.

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CHAPTER 3
WHAT IS ZIGBEE
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

WHAT IS ZIGBEE?

Zigbee is a standards-based wireless technology developed to enable low-cost, low-

power wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) and internet of things (IoT) networks.

Zigbee is for low-data rate, low-power applications and is an open standard. This,
theoretically, enables the mixing of implementations from different manufacturers, but in
practice, Zigbee products have been extended and customized by vendors and, thus, plagued
by interoperability issues. In contrast to Wi-Fi networks used to connect endpoints to high-
speed networks, Zigbee supports much lower data rates and uses a mesh networking protocol
to avoid hub devices and create a self-healing architecture.
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CHAPTER 4
ZIGBEE SPECIFICATIONS
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ZIGBEE SPECIFICATIONS

Zigbee is based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

(IEEE) Standards Association's 802.15 specification. Zigbee is built for control and sensor
networks on the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard for wireless personal area networks
(WPANs). The Zigbee WPANs operate on 2.4 Ghz, 900 MHz and 868 MHz frequencies.

The Zigbee specifications, which are maintained and updated by the Zigbee Alliance,
boost the IEEE 802.15.4 standard by adding network and security layers in addition to an
application framework. The standards created by the alliance can be used to create
multivendor interoperable offerings. Manufacturers that are developing custom applications
that don't need to operate with the applications of other manufacturers can create their own
specific variations and extensions.

Zigbee PRO aims to provide the foundation for IoT with features to support low-cost,
highly reliable networks for device-to-device communication. Zigbee PRO also offers Green
Power, a new feature that supports energy harvesting or self-powered devices that don't
require batteries or AC power supply.

Zigbee RF4CE is designed for simple, two-way device-to-device control applications

that don't need the full-featured mesh networking functionalities offered by the Zigbee
specification.

Zigbee IP optimizes the standard for IPv6-based full wireless mesh networks, offering
internet connections to control low-power, low-cost devices.
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CHAPTER 5
DEVICE TYPES
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DEVICE TYPES

There are three different types of ZigBee device:

 ZigBee coordinator (ZC): The most capable device, the coordinator forms the root of
the network tree and might bridge to other networks. There is exactly one ZigBee
coordinator in each network. It is able to store information about the network,
including acting as the repository for security keys.

 ZigBee Router (ZR): Routers can act as an intermediate router, passing data from
other devices.

 ZigBee End Device (ZED): Contains just enough functionality to talk to its parent
node (either the coordinator or a router); it cannot relay data from other devices. It
requires the least amount of memory, and therefore can be less expensive to
manufacture than a ZR or ZC.
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CHAPTER 6
NETWORK TOPOLOGY

NETWORK TOPOLOGY
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

Network topology is the design of the elements such as links or nodes of a

communication network. It can be used to illustrate various types of telecommunication
networks. We already talk briefly about one of the three Zigbee network topology in previous
post. Now let dive in a little deeper about all three Zigbee network topology.

Zigbee network topology can be divided into three types. There are star topology, tree
topology and peer-to-peer or mesh topology. Each topology will have different affect on how
the messages are routed and which devices connect to which devices.

The first topology is the star topology. Star topology consist of a coordinator and few
end devices. It is the simplest and most limited one in the Zigbee. Devices are all connect to
single coordinator node and all communication goes via this coordinator. The interesting part
about the star topology is it actually define by the underlying 802.15.4 specification which
Zigbee builds on. The disadvantage of this topology is it may become hindrance and there is
no option path from the source to the end devices.

Star Topology

The second topology is tree topology. It consists of coordinator, few routers and end
devices that act as a central node or root tree. The routers operate as a extension for the
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network coverage. The end nodes that connected to the parent (coordinators or routers) are
called children. Only the end devices can communicate with the parent. The detriment of the
tree topology is if one parent is disable, the children of the disable parent cannot
communicate with other devices in the network even they are close to each other.

Tree Topology

The third and last topology is peer-to-peer or mesh topology. This topology consists
of a coordinator, a few routers and an end devices. You can expand the network range by
adding more devices into the network. If during the transmission one of the path is fail, the
node will find the alternate path to reach to the destination therefore eliminating dead zones.
Using this mesh topology it is easier for user to add or remove the device because they can
communicate with any destination device in the network.

Mesh Topology
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CHAPTER 7
HOW ZIGBEE WORKS?

HOW ZIGBEE WORKS?

 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

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.

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. Several topologies are supported by ZigBee, including star,
mesh, and cluster tree. 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.
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CHAPTER 8
ZIGBEE ARCHITECTURE
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

ZIGBEE ARCHITECTURE

on

Zigbee architecture is also called Zigbee stack. It consists of two layers as the foundation
on which Zigbee is built. They are:

 Foundation Layers

 Application and Interface Section

Fig. 1 – Zigbee Architecture (Zigbee Stack)

8.1 Foundation Layers in Zigbee Architecture

This Layer is defined by IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Both Physical layer and Medium Access
Control (MAC) layers act as foundation layers for Zigbee Architecture.

8.1.1 Physical Layer in Zigbee Architecture

The physical and electrical characteristics are defined by the Physical Layer. This layer is
responsible for data transmission and reception. Mapping bits of information and permits
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them to travel through the air by modulation and spreading techniques which is the basic task
of physical layer.

Functions of Physical Layer in Zigbee Architecture:

 Activation and deactivation of transmission and reception.

 Channel selection and its assessment.

 Sending and receiving of packets.

 Energy detection within the channel.

Fig. 2 – Zigbee Architecture (Zigbee Stack) Functions

8.1.2 Medium Access Control (MAC) Layer in Zigbee Architecture

This layer provides interface between the physical and network layers. It defines how
multiple 802.15.4 radios operating in the same area will share the airwaves. Data handling
and data management are the two main functions of the MAC layer.
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Data handling includes functions such as “Data Request” and “Data Confirm”. The MAC
layer adds destination address and transmits options for the outgoing data frames.

When the Zigbee network layer calls the “data request” function, the data gets formatted into
relevant MAC header and frame length is added which is the physical header. The data frame
is ready to be transmitted.

The purpose of “Data Confirm” function is to communicate the status of the transmitted data.
It sends a fail status when the transmission frames exceeds or when there is no response to
transmitted data.

Functions of Medium Access Control (MAC) Layer in Zigbee Architecture:

 Beacon generation and management.

 CSMA-CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) is implemented.

 Guaranteed Time Clot management (GTS).

 Data frame validation and acknowledgement.

 Data transfer for upper layers.

8.2 Application and Interface Section in Zigbee Architecture

This section is defined by Zigbee Specifications and contains following two layers:

 Network Layer

 Application Layer

8.2.1 Network Layer in Zigbee Architecture

Network Layer provides interface between MAC layer and the application layer. It is
responsible for routing and establishing different Zigbee network topologies namely Star,
Mesh and Tree topologies.
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When a coordinator attempts to establish a Zigbee network, an energy scan is initiated to find
the best RF channel for its new network. When a channel has been chosen, the coordinator
assigns a PAN-ID which will be applied to all the devices that join the network.

PAN-ID is a 16 bit number that is used as a network identifier. A node is allowed to

communicate on a network only when it undergoes the association process. The association
function is used to join a node to a parent.

Fig. 3 – Types of Network Nodes in Zigbee Architecture (Zigbee Stack)

When a node loses its parent, it is considered as an orphan device. It usually occurs when the
end device is mobile and is out of range or through a failure on the parent. In such case, an
orphan scan is performed by broadcasting an “orphan notification” command frame which
helps the device to find its parent.

If the parent gets the notification command, it responds back to the device that it exists and
the orphan can rejoin the parent. Thus the authenticity and confidentiality of a transmission is
ensured by the network layer.

Functions of Network Layer in Zigbee Architecture:

 Initiation of a network

 Assigning node addresses

 Configuring of new devices

 Providing secured transmission

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8.2.2 Application Layer in Zigbee Architecture

The Application Layer in Zigbee architecture consists of sub layers namely:

 Application Support Sub Layer

 Application Framework

Fig. 4 – Automation Using Zigbee Architecture (Zigbee Stack)

8.2.2.1 Application Support Sub Layer (APS)

This layer is responsible for filtering of packets for end devices, checks for duplicity of
packets which is common in a network that supports automatic retries. To maximize the
chance of successful transmission, it performs automatic retries, when the acknowledgement
is requested by the sender.
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It is involved in maintaining binding tables. Binding is the connection between the endpoint
on the node to one or more endpoints on other nodes. The address mapping associates a 64-
bit MAC address with a Zigbee 16-bit network address.

Functions of Application Support Sub Layer (APS):

 Maintaining binding tables.

 Address definition, mapping and management.

 Ensuring communication between devices.

 Filtering out packets for non-registered end devices or profiles that don’t match and
reassembling of the packets.

8.2.2.2 Application Framework

The Application Framework depends on the vendor who has chosen for specific applications
to interact with Zigbee protocol. This represents how end points are implemented, how data
requests and data confirmation is executed for that particular vendor.
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CHAPTER 9
USES OF ZIGBEE
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

USES OF ZIGBEE

Zigbee offers four inherent, beneficial characteristics:

1. Low cost:

The typical zigbee radio is cost effective. chipset prices can be as low as $12 each in
quantities as few as 100 pieces while the 802.15.4and the zigbee stacks are typically included
in this cost, crystals and other discrete components are not; design in module fall in the
neighborhood of $25 in similar quantities. This pricing provides an economic justification for
extending wireless networking to even the simplest of devices.

2. Range and obstruction issue avoidance:

Zigbee routers double as input devices and repeaters to create a form of mesh
networking. If two network points are unable to communicate as intended, transmission is
dynamically routed from the block node to a router with a clear path to the data‟s destination.
The use of low cost routers can also extended the networks effective reach when the distance
between the base station and remote node exceed the device range, an intermediate node or
nodes can relay transmission, eliminating the need for separate repeaters.

3. Multisource products:

As an open standard, zigbee provides costumers with the ability to choose vendors as
needed. Zigbee alliance work in groups defines interoperability profiles to which zigbee
certified devices must ad hire.
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4. Low power consumption:

Low power consumption, with battery life ranging from months to years. Considering
the number of devices with remotes in use at present, it is easy to see that more numbers of
batteries need to be provisioned every so often, entailing regular (as well as timely), recurring
expenditure. In the ZigBee standard, longer battery life is achievable by either of two means:
continuous network connection and slow but sure battery drain, or intermittent connection
and even slower battery drain. basic zigbee radios operate at 1mw RF power and can sleep
when not involved in transmission(higher RF –power zigbee radios for application needed
greater range also provide the sleep function.) because this makes battery-powered radios
more practical then ever, wireless devices are free to be replaced without power cable runs in
addition to eliminating data cable runs.
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CHAPTER 10
ADVANTAGES
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

ADVANTAGES

1. High node support: 

The Zigbee technology can support thousands of nodes together. It can support
65000 nodes under a single network. This helps in further expansion of the
transmission range. This is possible in a large area or a building with multiple levels
of floors or houses with various physical divisions.

2. Suitable for devices with low power: 

The Zigbee technology is suitable for devices with low power. Since it does
not require much bandwidth, small smart devices which are battery-operated, object
tags, sensors, etc., are suitable for this technology. It also acts as an alternative for Wi-
Fi and Bluetooth technologies.

3. Range: 

Zigbee is a mesh network. Hence, just like mesh networking, Zigbee has a
network whose transmission range can be expanded. It provides better stability
compared to a single router, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The content is expandable because,
in this technology, the individual nodes act as repeaters or wireless routers, and since
the technology supports numerous nodes, it’s easier to expand the network.

4. Flexible: 

The structure of the Zigbee technology is very flexible. It has an easy process
for installation, and it is less expensive as well. The working period of this technology
is short, and it also has a long battery life which results in less consumption of power.

5. Monitoring: 
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The Zigbee technology can be monitored and controlled easily. Since it is

mainly used for home appliances, it is easy to maintain it with the help of a remote.
There is no existence of a central controller. Across the network, loads of this
technology are distributed evenly.

CHAPTER 11
DISADVANTAGES
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

DISADVANTAGES

1. Channel noise: 

Zigbee technology is very prone to network interferences. This is because of

overcrowding and channel noise of the network. The technology is prone to
interferences since it uses a 2.4 GHz band, the same band used by Bluetooth devices,
cordless phones, microwaves, and other wireless devices.

2. The transmission rate is low: 

The technology used in Zigbee is of low bit rate since it is designed for
transmissions of low rate of data. As a result, its transmission rate is comparatively
lower than Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It is also not suitable for transmitting data at high
speed.

3. Security and compatibility: 

Zigbee technology has a lot of security threats. Since it is prone to

interferences, intentional interferences can cause loss of services provided by the
network, theft of data from a node, theft of an entire node. The hacker can also get
access to a node and even control it in an unauthorized process. It also has
compatibility issues. Since it is constantly competing with other technologies that are
wireless communications, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, users’ choices get limited. As
a result, it is rendered incompatible with mainstream devices like smartphones,
tablets, computers, and laptops.

4. Expensive: 
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

Implementation of a Zigbee technology can be expensive. There are various

reasons for it. The size of the network and the range of the network affect the cost of
implementation of Zigbee. The price is also affected by the availability of compatible
products and devices. For a particular use, the level of complexity of the technology
may also affect the cost.

5. Alternatives: 

The standard wireless communication Z-Wave provides as an alternative for

the Zigbee technology. Z-Wave wireless communication has a more extended range
when compared to Zigbee. It also offers better reliability and stability since it uses a
frequency band of 908 MHz
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CHAPTER 12

APPLICATIONS
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

APPLICATIONS

Zigbee Networking and Zigbee Technology has a wide range of application like Home
Automation, Healthcare and Material Tracking. Below are the few Applications of Zigbee
Technology, where Zigbee Devices can increase efficiency and reduce cost.

 Home Automation
o Security Systems
o Meter Reading Systems
o Light Control Systems
o HVAC Systems
 Consumer Electronics
o Gaming Consoles
o Wireless Mouse
o Wireless Remote Controls
 Industrial Automation
o Asset Management
o Personnel Tracking
o Livestock Tracking
 Healthcare
 Hotel Room Access
 Fire Extinguishers
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CHAPTER 13
CONCLUSION
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

CONCLUSION

ZigBee is one of the global standards of communication protocol formulated by the

relevant task force. ZigBee is the newest and provides specifications for devices that have
low data rates, consume very low power and are thus characterized by long battery life. Other
standards like Bluetooth and IrDA address high data rate applications such as voice, video
and LAN communications. So with all these features ZigBee in future will surely becomes
the talk of the town.

The ZigBee Standard enables the broad-based deployment of reliable wireless

networks with low complexity, low cost solutions and provides the ability for a product to run
for years on inexpensive primary batteries (for a typical monitoring application). It is also, of
course, capable of inexpensively supporting robust mesh networking technologies ZigBee is
all set to provide the consumers with ultimate flexibility, mobility, and ease of use by
building wireless intelligence and capabilities into every day devices. The mission of the
ZigBee Working Group is to bring about the existence of a broad range of interoperable
consumer devices by establishing open industry specifications for unlicensed, untethered
peripheral, control and entertainment devices requiring the lowest cost and lowest power
consumption communications between compliant devices anywhere in and around the home.
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CHAPTER 14
REFERENCES
 ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY

REFERENCES