Zig Bee

INTRODUCTION

ZigBee is a low-power wireless technology, rewriting the wireless sensor equation. It is a

secure network technology that rides on top of the recently ratified IEEE 802.15.4 radio
standard. It is designed to interact with the remote controlled devices, which are put under
a single standardized control interface that can interconnect into a network. Once
associated with a network, a ZigBee node can wake up and communicate with other
ZigBee devices and return to sleep.

Zigbee’s key technical features include three license free frequency bands-2.4GHz,
868MHz, 915MHz;multiple channels; up to 100mts range; CSMA-CA channel access; low
power, long battery life; supporting up to 255devices per network.

Zigbee is used in home security systems where wireless sensors are easily installed than
sensors that need wiring. The same is true in industrial environments, where wiring
typically accounts for 80% of the cost of sensor installations. And then there are
applications for sensors where wiring isn't practical or even possible. ZigBee promises to
put wireless sensors in everything from factory automation systems to home security
systems to consumer electronics.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME ZIGBEE

The network name comes from the zigzagging path a bee (a data packet) takes to get from
flower to flower (or node to node). The technique that honeybees use to communicate
newfound food sources to other members of the colony is referred to as the ZigBee
Principle. Using this silent, but powerful communication system, whereby the bee dances
in a zigzag pattern, they are able to share information such as the location, distance, and
direction of a newly discovered food source to her fellow colony members.

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 CHARACTERISTICS

• Low cost — Extends wireless to virtually any sensor

• Low power consumption — Ideal for battery operation
• Small size, light weight — Easy to integrate
• Ease of implementation
• Reliable data transfer
• Appropriate levels of security
• Direct sequence spread spectrum — Fast acquisition time
• Range- 50m typical (5-500m based on environment)
• Multiple topologies- star, peer-to-peer, mesh
• Data rates of 250 kbps (@2.4 GHz), 40 kbps (@ 915 MHz), and 20 kbps (@868 MHz)

ARCHITECHTURE

ZigBee stack architecture follows the standard Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
reference model; ZigBee's protocol stack is structured in layers. The first two layers, physical
(PHY) and media access (MAC), are defined by the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The layers
above them are defined by the ZigBee Alliance.
The model has five layers namely
1. Physical (PHY) layer
2. Media access control (MAC) layer
3. Network (NWK) and security layers 4. Application framework
5. Application profiles

ApplicationFramework ZP ZigBee Device

UI
Object (ZDO)
Application Application
Object 240 Object 1
[On Endpoint 240] [On Endpoint 1] [On Endpoint 0]

AP APSDE-SAP APSDE-SAP APSDE-SAP AP

SS S
E- M
SA E-
Security P Application Support (APS) Layer SA
P
Service NL NLDE-SAP NL
Provider SE
-
M
E-
SA
P Network (NWK) Layer SA
P

MCPS-SAP MLME-SAP

MediumAccess Layer (MAC) Layer

PD-SAP PLME-SAP

Physical (PHY) Layer

Figure: ZigBee Stack Model

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 PHYSICAL LAYER:

ZigBee-compliant products operate in unlicensed bands worldwide, including 2.4GHz

(global), 902 to 928MHz (Americas), and 868MHz (Europe). Raw data throughput rates of
250Kbps can be achieved at 2.4GHz (16 channels), 40Kbps at 915MHz (10 channels), and
20Kbps at 868MHz (1 channel). The transmission distance is expected to range from 10 to
75m, depending on power output and environmental characteristics. Like Wi-Fi, Zigbee
uses direct-sequence spread spectrum in the 2.4GHz band, with offset-quardrature phase-
shift keying modulation. Channel width is 2MHz with 5MHzchannel spacing. The 868 and
900MHz bands also use direct-sequence spread spectrum but with binary-phase-shift
keying modulation

Table: Frequency bands and data rates

Spreading Parameters Data Parameters

PHY Frequency Band Channel Numbering
Chip Rate Modulation Bit Rate Symbol Rate Modulation

868 to 870 MHz 0 300 k chip/s BPSK 20 kb/s 20 k baud BPSK

868 to 915 MHz
902 to 928 MHz 1 to 10 600 k chip/s BPSK 40 kb/s 40 k baud BPSK

16-ary
2.4 GHz 2.4 to 2.4835 GHz 11 to 26 2.0 M chip/s O-QPSK 250 kb/s 62.5 k baud
Orthogonal

MEDIA ACCESS CONTROL LAYER

The media access control (MAC) layer was designed to allow multiple topologies
without complexity. The power management operation doesn't require multiple modes of
operation. The MAC allows a reduced functionality device (RFD) that needn't have flash nor
large amounts of ROM or RAM. The MAC was designed to handle large numbers of devices
without requiring them to be "parked".

The MAC provides network association and disassociation, has an optional superframe
structure with beacons for time synchronization, and a guaranteed time-slot mechanism for
high-priority communications

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Frame structure:
Figure illustrates the four basic frame types defined in 802.15.4: data, ACK, MAC
command, and beacon.

Figure::
Figure:: The four basic frame types defined in 802.15.4: Data, ACK, MAC command, and
beacon

The data frame provides a payload of up to 104 bytes. The frame is numbered to ensure that
all packets are tracked. A frame-check sequence ensures that packets are received without
error. This frame structure improves reliability in difficult conditions.

Another important structure for 802.15.4 is the acknowledgment (ACK) frame.

frame. It provides
feedback from the receiver to the sender confirming that the packet was received without
error. The device takes advantage of specified "quiet time" between frames to send a short
packet immediately after the data-packet transmission.

A MAC command frame provides the mechanism for remote control and configuration of
client nodes. A centralized network manager uses MAC to configure individual clients'
command frames no matter how large the network.

Finally, the beacon frame wakes up client devices, which listen for their address and go back
to sleep if they don't receive it. Beacons are important for mesh and cluster-tree networks to

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keep all the nodes synchronized without requiring those nodes to consume precious battery
energy by listening for long periods of time.

NETWORK LAYER

ZigBee's self-forming and self-healing mesh-network architecture lets data and control
messages pass from one node to another by multiple paths. This feature extends the network
range and improves data reliability. It may also be used to build large, geographically
dispersed networks with smaller networks linked to form a 'cluster-tree' network.

Mesh

Star

PAN coordinator
Cluster Tree Full Function Device
Reduced Function Device

The NWK layer supports multiple network topologies including star, cluster tree, and mesh,
all of which are shown in Figure

In a star topology, one of the FFD-type devices assumes the role of network coordinator and
is responsible for initiating and maintaining the devices on the network. All other devices,
known as end devices, directly communicate with the coordinator. In a mesh topology, the
ZigBee coordinator is responsible for starting the network and for choosing key network
parameters, but the network may be extended through the use of ZigBee routers. The routing
algorithm uses a request-response protocol to eliminate sub-optimal routing. Ultimate
network size can reach 264 nodes (more than we'll probably need). Using local addressing,
you can configure simple networks of more than 65,000 (216) nodes, thereby reducing
address overhead

Security layer

Security and data integrity are key benefits of the ZigBee technology. ZigBee leverages the
security model of the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC sub-layer which specifies four security services:
access control—the device maintains a list of trusted devices within the network

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• Data encryption, which uses symmetric key 128-bit advanced encryption standard

• Frame integrity to protect data from being modified by parties without cryptographic
keys

• Sequential freshness to reject data frames that have been replayed—the network
controller compares the freshness value with the last known value from the device and
rejects it if the freshness value has not been updated to a new value

COMPARISION BETWEEN THE WIRELESS STANDARDS

APPLICATIONS
Potential applications of zigbee include the building automation, industrial, medical and
residential control & monitoring

A new twist on, "I've fallen and I can't get up”

The figure basically shows a home-monitoring system for senior citizens. Zigbee-based
sensors keep an eye on elderly residents living alone and warn medics about changes in
habits that are potentially serious; It includes a light switch with a tiny digital camera
(left); a pendant (center) worn around the neck; and movement tags (right), which can let
the system generate an alert based either on detected movement or the lack of any movement.

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Zigbee doesn't have the bandwidth to handle video. So light switch / camera combos deliver
still images to a controller. An alert from the pendant or from one of the tags activates the
camera.

The pendant includes accelerometers that detect the forces of a person falling. It also
contains a panic button. The device can send a warning either to a monitoring company or
family member if something is up. It can be programmed to generate an alert, for example, if
a bedroom or refrigerator door hasn't opened by noon.

The bugs this system catches aren't in software

One of the more offbeat applications for Zigbee sensors is in catching termites.
Wireless bait stations are devised which act as Zigbee nodes.

In operation, the bait stations go into the ground at numerous spots surrounding a
house. Each bait station has a special sensor that triggers when termites eat at the wood it
contains. The station then signals this activity to a receiver, which sends an e-mail.

This wireless approach beats the technique now used on several levels. Existing methods
force exterminators to physically check each station for activity. Termites could cause severe
damage long before evidence of them could turn up during a periodic inspection. In contrast,
the Zigbee bait stations monitor pest activity 24/7. And exterminators need not make long
trips just to examine bait stations

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 Two key components of the system are a base station and a Home Key. The Key is
envisioned to go into your pocket or onto a key chain. When the Key leaves the range of
the base station, it carries with it the last status of items such as doors, windows, and
lights, as read by sensors on the Zigbee network. Homeowners wondering whether they
left the garage door open could conceivably tell by looking at the LCD in their Home
Key. (However, the system stops short of asking a sympathetic neighbor to come over
and rectify the problem.)

The base station is smart enough to notice if one of the sensors changes state when the
Home Key is out of range. In this case it can send the homeowner's cell phone a text
message detailing what's wrong.

A variety of sensors have been devised for the system. In addition to proximity switches for
doors and windows, there are devices designed to detect leaking pipes, ac loads, and even
remind homeowners about periodic maintenance items such as low batteries in smoke
detectors or the need for seasonal gutter cleaning. One worthy piece of the system is a water
shut-off valve.

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 Zigbeef is a solution for tracking cattle. Zigbee sensors give beef producers the ability
to electronically identify cattle whether their herds are crowded into chutes, gathered into
pens, or grazing open pasture. ZigBeef radio-based cattle ear tags offer superior reading-
range over passive wand-based tag technology. Producers are no longer limited to infrequent
opportunities to scan IDs. ZigBeef allows identification of each animal on the range, pen, or
working chute, at virtually any time. ZigBeef tags use mass-produced, non-proprietary
wireless sensor technologies, offering a proven solution at an inexpensive price. [refer the
greeting preview for the figure].

CONCLUSION

There are many wireless monitoring and control applications for industrial and home markets
which require longer battery life, lower data rates and less complexity than available from
existing wireless standards like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. So, there was a need for a standard
based, interoperable wireless technology that addresses the unique needs of low data rate
wireless control and sensor based networks. In this regard, zigbee was poised to become the
global control/sensor network standard.

Zigbee promises to put wireless sensors in everything from factory automation systems to
home security systems to consumer electronics. Zigbee is a new standard that still needs to
pass through the circles or rigorous technology critics and establish its own place in the
industry. The next zigbee challenge will be devising the proposed extension to the 802.15.4
standard,’4a’ which could be based on ultra-wideband (UWB).

REFERENCES

1. Electronics for you- November 2004

2. Computer networks-by Tanenbaum

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3. www.zigbeealliance.com
4. www.zigbee.org
5. www.zigbeef.com
6. www.nuri.com

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