ZigBee - The Connection Highway
A communication protocol that expands and connects multiple IoT devices
INTERNET OF THINGS
Jeugene John V
10/7/20252 min read
IoT
Smart City or Smart home is the latest tech buzzword alongside AI. They basically refers to a pair of devices or sensors that link together, resulting in a electronic grid inter communicating, and passing binary data.
There are two categories at play here. IoT (Internet of Things) and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things ). As the name suggests, the former focuses mainly on consumer electronics and home appliances while the latter encompass Industrial equipment like robots, error detection sensors.
Central to this tech, is the intercommunication between various smart devices. This is well managed through various protocols/architecture. There are several of them a prominent being ZigBee.
The Origin
ZigBee traces its origin to 1990 when a need for low latency, high bandwidth and faster data transfer was necessitated. After much iteration and field testing, the official launch came in 2004. It was based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard. This is an official framework for wireless communication for low cost, low power devices.
Bandwidth ranges are from 868Mhz, 902-928Mhz to 2.4 GHz. The data rate transfer is 250 kbps supporting two way communication between sensors and controllers. Maximum range is 10-1000 meters which can be extended using a router. Supports both Master to Master and Master to Slave configuration
Architecture
Divided into four main sectors based on their functions. They include
Physical Layer : Forms the foundation part and deals with radio transmission. Determines the frequency bandwidth, data transfer rate, and modulation technique.
MAC (Media Access Control) : Responsible for collision avoidance, data acknowledgment and packet retransmission in case of error.
Network Layer : Operates on top of MAC and deals with network structure formation and security analysis.
Application Layer : Top most layer and interfaces with user management. Functions include device discovery and standard management.
Network Topology
Provides the framework by which IoT devices interconnects and communicate with one another. There are three major topology which includes
Multi-point : Here each device switches between master and slave, meaning there is no single central node. This allows for new device integration to an existing network a smooth transistion. Each node communicates and updates status in a fixed interval . Even if a node becomes default or inactive, the network readjusts itself to the effected change.
Point to Point : A simpler approach which is also low cost, this network consist of only two devices which are interconnected between each other. They switch between master and slave based on transmission and reception. Extra devices cannot be added to this topology making it least used.
Mesh or Star : There is a single node which connects to all other devices, and manages the entire network. Communication only occurs with the main node while the rest of the devices are isolated from one another. This topology resemble a star where a single node branches out to multiple devices. Though less complex, it has a single point error factor. In case the main node defaults, the whole network gets compromised.
Verdict
If the user wants a low cost, low power IoT network, ZigBee is the preferred choice. Add to it, ease of installation and strong community support.