ZigBee is a wireless technology (2.400–2.484 GHz, 902-928 MHz and
868.0–868.6 MHz) developed primarily as a cheap solution for
implementation of low-consumption wireless networks. It is intended for
data transmission in “radio-polluted” environment, which is nowadays
common in commercial and industrial applications.
Advantages
of ZigBee technology are:
• Low consumption
• Minimal time delay
• Support for several types of networks topology: static, dynamic, star
and mesh
• Technology of Pseudo-accidentally expanded spectrum (DSSS)
• Up to 65000 nods in the network
• 128-bit AES encryption – provides safe data transmission
• Avoided collisions in the network
• Indication of link quality
• Transmitting with repetition and notice of successfully sent message
• Setting criteria in accordance to the signal strength (Clear Channel
Assessment – CCA)
• Support for GTS (Guaranteed Time Slots) and data freshness
ZigBee has mostly been used in applications such as: lighting control,
AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) – systems for automatic meter reading, CO
and smoke detectors, wireless telemetry, air-conditioning (HVAC)
control, security systems, etc.
