Wireless

ZIGBEE For Multiple Device

Control Using A Single Remote
Today’s homes have as many remotes as the number of devices to control.
Zigbee wireless technology does away with the need for separate remotes by
enabling a standard-based home-area network that doesn’t require line-of-sight
communication. Here is how ZigBee works and what it has in store for you

 MANUJ ARORA, VINEET ARORA

Z
igBee is a home-area network
device designed specifically to
replace individual remote con-
trols. It satisfies the market’s need for a
cost-effective, standard-based wireless
network that supports low data rates,
low power consumption, security and
reliability. A smart home and smart
office with flexibility and seamless
mobility, all without wires, are some
of the promises of ZigBee wireless
solutions.
The whimsical name of ZigBee
comes from the ‘Zigzag principle,’ i.e.,
the technique that honey bees use to
communicate new-found food sources
to other members of the colony. This
technique of honey bees is referred to
as Waggle dance.

Technical attributes
ZigBee is based on IEEE 802.15.4 stand-
ard for packet-based wireless data
transport. This standard addresses
communication needs of wireless ap-
plications that have low data rates and
low power consumption requirements.
To meet the global regulatory
requirements, ZigBee standard sup-
ports the following unlicenced radio
bands: 2.4GHz (worldwide), 868MHz
(Europe) and 915MHz (America).
Moreover, it has a remarkable range of
up to 75 metres.
Networking overview. ZigBee
network uses three types of devices:
ZigBee coordinator, ZigBee router

9 0 • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m
Wireless
(full-function device) and ZigBee end ZigBee routers are active continuously,
device. Various network topologies requiring a robust power supply. In
used by ZigBee are shown in Figs 1 non-beacon-enabled networks, nodes
through 3. talk in the same way as people con-
ZigBee coordinator. The coordinator verse; these briefly check to see that no
is the most capable device that main- one is talking before they start.
tains the overall network knowledge.
It forms the root of the network tree Comparison with Bluetooth
and might bridge to other networks. Bluetooth is an open wireless tech-
There is exactly one ZigBee coordina- nology standard for exchanging data
tor in each network. It is able to store over short distances. It too eliminates
information about the network, acting cabling between electronics products,
as repository for security keys. It is the such as between computers and print-
most sophisticated of the three types ers or between mobile phones and
and requires the maximum memory headsets. But Bluetooth is oriented
and computing power. Fig. 1: Various networking topologies used by more towards user mobility, whereas
ZigBee router. Routers act as inter- Zigbee ZigBee aims at grand-scale automation
mediate devices, passing data from and remote control.
other devices. Low latency
ZigBee end device. The ZigBee end is an important
device carries limited functionality, feature of ZigBee.
lowering the cost and complexity. It is When a ZigBee
generally found in network edge de- device is powered
vices. The device contains just enough off, all the circuit-
functionality to talk to its parent node ry is switched off,
(either the coordinator or a router); it except the clock
cannot relay data from other devices. which runs at 32
It requires the least amount of memory kHz. It wakes up
and is less expensive to manufacture and sends packets
than the ZigBee coordinator or router. Fig. 2: Zigbee network across the network

Traffic types
ZigBee employs either of beacon and
non-beacon modes to enable to-and-fro
data traffic. The beacon mode is used
when the coordinator runs on batter-
ies and thus offers maximum power
savings, whereas the non-beacon mode
finds favour when the coordinator is
mains-powered.
In beacon-enabled networks, special
network nodes called ZigBee routers
transmit periodic beacons to confirm
their presence to other network nodes.
Beacon-oriented networks use guar-
anteed time slots. That means nodes
are active only when a beacon is being
transmitted. The nodes may sleep be-
tween beacons, which lowers the duty
cycle and increases the battery life.
In non-beacon-enabled networks,
power consumption is asymmetrical:
some devices are always active, while
Fig. 3: The Zigbee end device has just enough functionality to talk to its parent node (either the
others are sleeping. the receivers of coordinator or a router)

9 2 • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m
 Wireless

Fig. 4: Beacon network

Fig. 5: Non-beacon network

in around 15 milliseconds, whereas

Bluetooth in the same state takes
three seconds to wake up and re-
spond.
The network range for Bluetooth is
10 metres, whereas ZigBee has a range
of 75-100 metres. Bluetooth is limited
to eight nodes per network, while Zig-
Bee can support up to 255 nodes.
Bluetooth battery requires frequent
recharging, whereas ZigBee battery Fig. 6: ZigBee applications
can last for years. Although ZigBee
offers less bandwidth than Bluetooth, first ZigBee phone at ZigBee Alliance thermostat which includes an intelli-
it consumes far less power, making it Festival. The ZigBee-applied P1 of gent software for better home monitor-
suitable for devices that need to con- Pantech&Curitel provides intellectual ing. It saves customers’ money by not
stantly transfer data. home/building networking services wasting resources that are not needed.
such as controlling electrical appli- Installers and contractors will benefit
Applications ances, alarming mail receipt, checking from easier installation, because by
ZigBee networks could be used in temperature and humidity and send- using ZigBee there would be no wires
homes, buildings and industries for ing mobile messages to alarm in case to connect up.
automation of lighting control, heating, of trespass. Moreover, with location- ZigBee-compatible general devices.
ventilation, air-conditioning, security, based services, the ZigBee phone can ZigBee devices demonstrated by a
etc (see box on next page). Basically, give more precise information on the company in San Francisco include a
ZigBee is the only standard-based route than the existing GPS function. key hanger that helps to keep track of
technology that addresses the unique For instance, it provides the names keys. The key hanger wirelessly con-
needs of most remote monitoring and of restaurants and even the menu nects to the user’s mobile phone and
control network applications. or price list of the chosen restaurant when the two go out of range, the mo-
without requiring wireless Internet bile phone warns its owner that he has
ZigBee-ready devices connection. lost his keys. The phone is able to tell
Mobile phones with ZigBee solution. ZigBee wireless thermostats. Air- whether it is at home, office or some
Pantech&Curitel launched the world’s bee has announced the first ZigBee outside location by connecting to other

w w w. e f y m ag . co m e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 • 9 3
Wireless

ZigBee Applications ZigBee has become

Purpose Application areas the chosen low-power
Home automation Building automation Industrial automation wireless standard for
Control ZigBee will make pos- ZigBee will integrate and ZigBee will extend existing advanced metering and
sible flexible management centralise the manage- manufacturing and process
of lighting, heating and ment of lighting, heating, control systems’ reliability
home-area networks.
cooling systems from cooling and security. It and improve asset man- Consequently, ZigBee
anywhere in the home. It
will automate control of
will automate the control
of multiple systems to
agement by continuously
monitoring critical equip-
chipset shipments are
multiple home systems improve conservation, flex- ment. projected to reach as
to improve conservation,
convenience and safety.
ibility and security.
much as 192 million
Conservation ZigBee will allow capturing It will reduce the energy It will reduce the energy
units in 2014
of highly detailed electric, expenses through opti- costs through optimised
water and gas utility us- mised HVAC management manufacturing processes of ZigBee technology for smart meters
age data and optimise and allocate utility costs and identify inefficient op- and home-area network products
consumption of natural equitably based on actual eration or poorly perform-
when it became the first company
resources. consumption. ing equipment.
to ship more than ten million Zig-
Convenience/ It will be possible to install, It will be possible to re- ZigBee technology will
automate data acquisi-
Bee wireless chips. This milestone
flexibility/effi- upgrade and network home configure lighting systems
ciency control system without quickly to create adaptable tion from remote sensors is reflected in the company’s record
wires and to configure and workspaces, extend and to reduce user interven- revenues and sales bookings, making
run multiple systems from upgrade building infra- tion and provide detailed Ember well positioned for almost 300
a single remote control. structure with minimal data to improve preventive
effort. maintenance programmes. per cent annual revenue growth in
2010. The company develops wireless
Safety Wireless sensors could be With ZigBee, networking It will make possible de- mesh networking technology (chips,
easily installed to monitor and integration of data ployment of monitoring software and tools) for smart energy,
a wide variety of condi- could be done from multi- networks to enhance em- connected homes, and many other
tions and give automatic ple access control points. ployee and public safety. monitoring and control applications,
notification upon detection Wireless monitoring net- It will also streamline data
of unusual events. works could be deployed collection for improved enabling greener living and work
to enhance perimeter pro- compliance reporting. environments.
tection. Across the world, billions are being
invested in smart grid programmes as
devices that are within its range. a mainstream technology. Despite part of grid modernisation and carbon
a challenging economy, sales of emission control measures. ZigBee has
What’s in store? 802.15.4/ZigBee units have increased become the chosen low-power wireless
ZigBee has a very promising future on an average of 62 per cent a year standard for advanced metering and
ahead. Research claims that fuelled by since 2007. Moreover, chipsets using home-area networks. Consequently,
rapid rise in home networking, ZigBee ZigBee specifications made up 75 per ZigBee chipset shipments are projected
would entirely change the wireless cent of the 802.15.4 units shipped in to reach as much as 192 million units
world. It is set to squeeze this world 2009. in 2014, up from just over five million
into a single touch control. ON World has identified over 350 units in 2008, according to research
Low-power wireless sensing and companies that offer or are developing firm West Technology Research Solu-
control markets, enabled by ZigBee, ZigBee products with combined an- tions.
are experiencing exponential growth. nual revenues of more than $1 trillion. ZigBee and the underlying IEEE
ZigBee chipset suppliers are today ZigBee supporters include some of the 802.15.4 standard promise a low-cost,
shipping tens of millions of units and world’s largest companies including low-power and reliable wireless net-
the market is poised to grow to hun- AT&T, GE, Hitachi, Kroger, Panasonic, work technology for a wide range of
dreds of millions of units within the Philips, Samsung, Siemens and Sony. control and monitoring applications
next few years. Demonstrated by new ZigBee com- within the private sphere and indus-
ON World Inc., a provider of ponent suppliers such as BlueRadios, trial environment. The IEEE 802.15.4
world-class business intelligence on CEL, Dust Networks and SyChip, mo- PHY has been specified with focus on
smart technology markets, in its re- mentum is growing. highly integrated and low-power chip
search on more than 600 companies Boston-based Ember Corporation solutions which promote simple and
has found that the ZigBee market reached a key milestone in its quest to flexible end-application designs at low
has crossed the chasm and is now become the world’s foremost provider cost. 

9 4 • D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 • e l e c t ro n i c s f o r yo u w w w. e f y m ag . co m