After the birth of wireless LAN and Bluetooth, new International short-distance wireless

standard technology of ZigBee has applied rapidly in our life and recognized as core technology
to bring Ubiquitous life in near future.

Introduction
Terminology used to describe International standard of wireless communication (sensor
and control) and short-distance wireless communication.
ZigBee is one of short-distance wireless communication standard IEE 802.15.4 used for
wireless networking range of 10~20 meters mainly by home and offices and
International wireless communication standard for Ubiquitous computing.

Origin of word
Word ZigBee was originated from word ZigZag indicating cross-shaped network cables
and Bee to indicate economical communication method.
Word ZigBee was proposed and decided by committee members in early phase of
standard committee of ZigBee.

Introduction and characteristics

ZigBee consumes low electricity supply and can be configured to large scale sensor
networks by integrating with sensor (Activity, light, temperature and humidity, etc) and
transmitter/receiver devices. This type of structure is defined as foundation technology
for sensing, monitoring and controlling.
ZigBee has recognized as next generation short-distance wireless communication
standard based on strong advantages including lowest costs, lowest energy consumption
which can be last 2 years with 2 AA type batteries, scalability of up to 65,000 nodes,
simple network configuration and reliability from immediate recovery function from
data transmission errors. Especially, ZigBee supports multi-hop function to ensure
highest transmission success rates.

Applicable fields
ZigBee, unlike other wireless communication technology, consumes low electricity
power and inexpensive to implement. These advantages allow to be applied diverse
Ubiquitous environments including intelligent home networks, automated commercial
devices, building automation industry, commercial automation, environment
monitoring, toy and industries and telematics

ZigBee modem environmental interface, AiMiR has developed and provided by NURI Telecom
who has been leading C&I and Residential AMR industries since 1997. AiMiR, total automatic
meter reading system utilizes bidirectional digital
communication and ZigBee solution to measure energy usage rates including electricity, gas and
water supply as well as it provides Internet billing (EBPP) capability.

ZigBee solution has applied to provide various communication environments.

Self organization, Self healing, Mesh topology

Provide various meter reading data satisfying customer’s requirements

Remote meter reading data by required intervals (Day/Month/hour)
Provide current meter reading data, periodic billing data and Previous billing data

AMR system using NTP(Network Time Protocol)

Prevent meter reading error by recording time of billing and meter reading time
(Secure accuracy of billing by providing regular metering data without time difference)
Secure accuracy by applying NTP time for both pulse occurrence and meter readings.

Fast and accurate meter reading

Correct errors occurred by reserve rotation of meter reading wheel
Provide meter reading at speed of 250Kbps- Prevent invalid counterfeit of meter reading
data

C&I Modem
Residential Modem
Repeater
Concentrator
AiMiR Server

C&I and Residential AMR system for electric, water and gas utilities etc.
Integrated remote meter reading implementation of home networks
Measuring energy usage of resident companies in shopping complexes or buildings-
Residential AMR for intensive residential complexes (Villas, complex households,
corporate management households etc)
Remote meter readings for factories to minimize usage of energy
Remote meter reading to monitor and measure usage of energy

▶ Please download PDF file for more detailed

information.
NZM-50 developed by the state-of-the-art technologies of NURITelecom is a 2.4GHz ZigBee
wireless module. As an ultra-slim and ultra-light product weighing only 10g, NZM-50 has been
designed suitable for high-class products, especially home control, building automation and
AMR
2.4GHz World Wide ISM
IEEE 802.15.4 PHY and MAC
Sensor network
Monitoring and control service
Data service
Remote control by AT commands
External Reset Input
Transmission range up to 1200m
Data transmission up to 250Kbps
FCC and MIC compliance
Standard RS-232 TTL interface(1 UART)
8 channels digital input
8 channels digital output
8 channels analog input

Building Automation
Industrial Automation
Factory Automation
Oil Station Network
Vending machine remote stock monitoring system
Sensor network infra
RFID/USN
AMR

ZigBee is a specification for wireless personal area networks (WPANs) operating at 868 MHz,
902-928 MHz, and 2.4 GHz. A WPAN is a personal area network (a network for interconnecting
an individual's devices) in which the device connections are wireless. Using ZigBee, devices in a
WPAN can communicate at speeds of up to 250 Kbps while physically separated by distances of
up to 50 meters in typical circumstances and greater distances in an ideal environment. ZigBee is
based on the 802.15 specification approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA).

ZigBee provides for high data throughput in applications where the duty cycle is low. This
makes ZigBee ideal for home, business, and industrial automation where control devices and
sensors are commonly used. Such devices operate at low power levels, and this, in conjunction
with their low duty cycle (typically 0.1 percent or less), translates into long battery life.
Applications well suited to ZigBee include heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC),
lighting systems, intrusion detection, fire sensing, and the detection and notification of unusual
occurrences. ZigBee is compatible with most topologies including peer-to-peer, star network,
and mesh networks, and can handle up to 255 devices in a single WPAN.

Zigbee vs Bluetooth

There is a lot in common between Zigbee and Bluetooth, like both operating in the same
frequency band of 2.4 GHz and belonging to the same wireless private area network (IEEE
802.15). But even if this is the case, they are not exactly competing technologies. Also, there is a
multitude of differences between the two wireless technologies for ‘personal area networks’ both
application and technical. As will be explained in the article, both technologies aim towards a
different set of devices and applications and different means of designing for those applications.

Whereas Bluetooth is geared towards user mobility and eliminating cabling between short-
distanced devices, zigbee is more oriented towards remote control and automation. Bluetooth
aims at doing away with the cabling between devices that are in close proximity with each other
for example between mobile phone and a laptop or desktop or a printer and a PC. Users with
Bluetooth supported handsets are able to effortlessly exchange documents, calendar
appointments and other files.

Zigbee supports protocols for defining a type of sensor network that controls applications used in
residential and commercial settings such as air conditioning, heating and lighting. It harmonizes
the application software layers specified by the zigbee alliance and the IEEE 802.15 that defines
the physical and MAC protocol layers. Zigbee is anticipated to be able to eliminate electrical
cabling in houses thereby allowing the freedom of wireless light switches.

Technical parameters

• Typical joining a network using Bluetooth takes three seconds while for ZigBee it is 30
milliseconds.
• Depending on radio class, Bluetooth has a network range of 1 to 100 meters while Zigbee
is up to 70 meters with a maximum network speed of 1M bit per second to 250 M bit per
second respectively.
• Bluetooth has a protocol stack size of 250 Kilo bytes and 28K bytes for Zigbee.
• Batteries for blue tooth devices are rechargeable whereas for Zigbee they are not re
chargeable but longer lasting.

Read more: Difference Between Zigbee and Bluetooth | Difference Between

http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-zigbee-and-
bluetooth/#ixzz0ptNM8tFN

Summary
1. Zigbee aims at automation whereas Bluetooth aims at connectivity of mobile devices in close
proximity.
2. Zigbee uses low data rates, low power consumption on small packet devices while blue tooth
uses higher data rates, higher power consumption on large packet devices.
3. Zigbee networks support longer range devices and more in number compared to Bluetooth
networks whose range is small.
4. Given Zigbee’s almost instant network join times(30 milliseconds) its more suitable for
critical applications while Bluetooth’s longer join time is detrimental (3 seconds).

Read more: Difference Between Zigbee and Bluetooth | Difference Between

http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-zigbee-and-
bluetooth/#ixzz0ptNRtWzb

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ZigBee, An Embedded Wireless Network

Protocol, Connects Every Microcontroller
Embedded Everywhere
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Volume 73 (Dec 14, 2007)

How many microcontrollers do you think you have at home? Probably a hundred or more—
because microcontrollers are built into every consumer electronics product. For instance, you
may have a disk player, camera/camcorder, audio system, video game console, telephone, fax
machine, printer, refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave oven, electric/gas range, washing
machine, vacuum cleaner, ventilation system, utility meter, room air conditioner, and more.

Imagine what it would bring to your life if every embedded microcontroller everywhere in your
home started talking to each other over a radio wave. Hopefully it would make life more
convenient, environmentally friendly and safe. To explore these possibilities, we interviewed
Hidekazu Umeda, CEO of Skyley Networks, Inc., a network technology supplier that specializes
in ad-hoc mesh networking, and Hirokazu Yuasa of NEC Electronics' Multipurpose
Microcomputer Systems Division.

Peer-to-Peer Network

Q: Mr. Umeda, whenever we talk about "wireless communication," we usually think of mobile
phones or wireless LANs for personal computers. What is different in the wireless network
technology you are dealing with?
Hidekazu Umeda, CEO, Skyley Networks, Inc.

Mr. Umeda: "For instance, if you try to talk to someone in the room next to this room via mobile
phone, RF signals are first sent to the ground station antenna of the mobile phone company, after
which they pass through the mobile phone company's server and then once again return to the
ground station antenna before finally reaching the mobile phone in the next room. Makes for
quite the detour, doesn't it? That is why we are trying to develop a technology with RF signals
that need not pass through the mobile phone company's ground station antenna, but rather can
directly connect to the mobile phone in the next room via wireless communication. This is
commonly referred to as P2P (Peer-to-Peer) communications (*1). With this technology,
communication can also be carried out via relay of transmissions from the next room to the room
next to that, much like the way a bucket brigade works.

Figure 1 Topology of ZigBee′s mesh network (moving image)

Because the communications standard for P2P protocol has recently been released as the ZigBee
standard, we are now in the process of developing the communications protocol software that
works on NEC Electronics' microcontrollers. The name ZigBee (*2) came from the way bees fly
as they communicate with each other, exchanging information about how to reach good nectar.
Earlier I gave an example of communication between the room next door and the room two
doors down. With the ZigBee protocol, P2P communications have expanded even further, and it
has now become possible to build mesh networks (*3), which allows communication with
multiple terminals simultaneously (Figure 1).
 Figure 2 ZigBee vs. Bluetooth Figure 2 ZigBee vs. Bluetooth

Compared to Bluetooth® technology, the ZigBee protocol allows one to 65,000 nodes of
communication, while the Bluetooth one allows one to only seven nodes, though the data rate in
ZigBee-based products is slower. Additionally, the ZigBee standard requires much less power—
to the extent that ZigBee end devices can operate for a hundred days, or even several years, with
a battery (Figure 2). Moreover, ZigBee technology is easy to apply, compact in size, and cheap
enough to become more versatile in various applications.

Prospect for various applications

Q: Thank you, Umeda. That is very interesting indeed. Much like a bucket brigade, a
communications network can be expanded to include one terminal after another. But is there
actually a practical use for this?

Hirokazu Yuasa,
Senior System Integrator,
Multipurpose Microcomputer Systems Division
Mr. Yuasa: "We are so accustomed to star-shaped networks such as those in mobile phones. For
most people, it is not easy to think of the possible benefits of P2P mesh networking in a practical
application. One real application seriously being investigated is automated meter reading, AMR,
of utility meters for electricity, water, gas and heat. AMR using a P2P mesh network is expected
to contribute to energy conservation by real-time monitoring of consumption. Another
application could be a disaster-monitoring system used during a major earthquake or other
natural disaster. The self-recovery function of mesh networking will enable the monitors to better
grasp the extent of damage via sensor networks. Environment monitoring, via the placement of
sensors throughout forests to gather environmental parameters for use in nature conservation
efforts, may be another possibility. However, these application areas are just the beginning. If the
development of other uses for mesh networks advances, there would be good potential for us to
see this technology used in a broad range of fields. Though, at the beginning of this discussion,
we briefly touched on possibilities for household use, the implementation of the P2P mesh
networking first will be used for industrial applications, such as for the management of buildings
and factories."

Demonstration at the Office & Security EXPO (OSEC)

At the Office & Security EXPO (OSEC) held this past July in Japan, there was an exhibit by
Skyley Networks, Inc. in which a compact board equipped with NEC Electronics' 78K 8-bit
microcontroller and an IEEE 802.15.4 controller from Uniband Electronic Corporation (UBEC)
were used to connect a building's temperature-monitoring system with a ZigBee mesh network.
In the demonstration, sensors were placed in each room and then used to transmit data from
room to room in a bucket brigade-type fashion. If communications in one room went down, a
detour route was automatically detected, thus preventing data transmission from being disrupted.

NEC Electronics' ZigBee solutions

NEC Electronics offers a wide selection of all flash microcontrollers for use with ZigBee
wireless networks, thus allowing customers to choose from 8-, 16- and 32-bit microcontrollers to
meet their own individual needs. Boasting low power consumption and a wide operating voltage
range between 1.8V and 5.5V, NEC Electronics' all flash microcontrollers are the optimum
choice for battery-powered wireless stations. In addition, 8-, 16- and 32-bit microcontrollers are
also common for network development environments.

Q: What have been the advantages of working in collaboration with NEC Electronics?

Mr. Umeda: "All flash microcontrollers are well suited for use with ZigBee wireless networks.
For example, thanks to the self-writing function of NEC Electronics' all flash microcontrollers,
as long as you save the network settings to memory, you can quickly rebuild the network during
recovery if it happens to go down. Also, although we had been carrying out research and
development on our own for a multi-hop wireless network technology (*4) capable of bringing
together wireless communications and P2P technology, working in collaboration with NEC
Electronics has allowed us to offer wireless network solutions that capitalize on our wealth of
experience and know-how in network software development, which is one of our company's
greatest strengths."

Network viewer and development platform created using the ZigBee SDK software development
kit

In addition to Skyley Networks, Inc., NEC Electronics has also teamed with UBEC and
Application Corporation. The team has developed a development platform that uses the ZigBee
SDK software development kit for building mesh networks via P2P communications, and
already has a framework in place that will make it possible to start application development at
any time. Next on our list is collaboration with customers. As we work toward our goal of
making mesh networks a reality, we will continue to provide ZigBee network solutions.

Notes(*)
 1. P2P (Peer-to-Peer) Communications
P2P communications refers to the connection of numerous computers viewed as being
"peers" via a single computer network. This enables the direct exchange of data.
2. Standardization of ZigBee
The 802 Committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is
moving forward with the standardization of Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN)
through IEEE802.15.4. The ZigBee standard is built on the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC protocol
as a short-distance communication network. The ZigBee Alliance is developing
specifications for the communications protocol on the network and application layers.
3. Mesh Network
A mesh network is a type of network capable of expanding access points and service
areas independently through bidirectional communication among devices with wireless
communication capability.
4. Multi-Hop Wireless Network
A multi-hop wireless network is one that allows stable communication with another party
within an unstable network such as those used for mobile terminals. As implied by the
word "multi-hop," this type of network ensures communication not only among terminals
directly connected with one another, but also among terminals located further away in
areas outside the range of access for radio waves by creating a relay station out of several
terminals.

Volume 74

• The laser control core (pulse-width modulator) behind the development of high-speed,
high-definition printers

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o ZigBee® Solutions
 • Press releases:
o NEC Electronics and Skyley Networks Announce Compliance of ZigBee
Platform
o NEC Electronics, Skyley Networks, and UBEC Introduce Development Kits for
ZigBee™ Wireless Peer-to-Peer Mesh Networking

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