FEATURE IOT SUPPLEMENT ZIGBEE: THE WAY FORWARD
comparably secure, and like WiFi, is rarely impacted by interference. ZigBee is essentially low power WiFi. Because it only needs to send a small signal every once in a while it does not require the bandwidth or the power needed for streaming video or audio, gaming, voice, etc. Because of the low power requirement, a small watch type battery can provide enough power to energise a ZigBee radio for many years. The real gating factor is the actual lifetime of the battery. In other words, the battery will be able to power the device’s radio for the lifetime of the device. This makes the devices essentially maintenance free. Install it – stick on the window and wall, connect to the local ZigBee network, and the system should run for a decade or so. There are other ZigBee applications –
Cees Links, Founder & CEO of GreenPeak Technologies discuses three things that Sentroller device and system developers need to Know about ZigBee in the wake of the trend towards IoT devices
T
he IoT and M2M market is starting to explode. In many homes today, there
are a plethora of web connected devices – game boxes, laptops, tablets, smart phones, desktop computers, cameras, streaming audio and video players, etc. The connected home devices are rapidly adding to that total. Sentroller (sensors, controllers and device actuators) type applications such as security systems, home climate management, health monitoring, and home automation will all be adding numerous connected devices to that mix. Where today, a typical home may have
between five or ten connected devices, within a decade, a smart home could easily have over a hundred different connected sentrollers in the building - sensors and cameras tracking and sensing, local and cloud based controllers to manage the network, and actuators that can turn on and off the various applications, controlling almost every aspect of the home environment. Connecting to a local home gateway, that in turn connects to the web, all of these home services can be managed by a Smartphone or other web connected devices. Depending on data bandwidth needs,
range and power options, the smart home of the future will probably offer
S16 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015 | ELECTRONICS
two networks – a high speed WiFi based network for AC connected, big data devices like TVs, audio systems, gaming consoles, etc. In comparison, the network of small, wireless and battery powered devices scattered through the home will be powered by ZigBee.
ZIGBEE IS ALREADY IN THE HOME – OR IS ON THE WAY Originally developed a decade or so ago, ZigBee is becoming commonplace in homes worldwide. Comcast, EchoStar, and other operators are putting ZigBee in almost all their new set top boxes and home gateways. By ZigBee enabling these boxes to use ZigBee as the connection between the box and the remote control, these operators have taken the first step to integrating ZigBee in the home. Once ZigBee is in the box – whether it is a standalone home control box, part of an Internet gateway, or even built into a TV set, this ZigBee connectivity enables a central control point for the new home cloud. Everything you need to know about
WiFi essentially applies to ZigBee. ZigBee uses the same spectrum (2.4GHz), transmits through walls, floors and furniture, offers about the same range (more or less 100 feet or so), is
Figure 1:
Small system data architecture
such as light switches – that do not require any power at all. The energy expended by a person flicking a ZigBee light switch is enough power to successfully send an, on/off signal across the room to a light, thereby turning it on. Even more interesting, depending on how the switches radio is programmed, that one flip of the switch can travel to the home gateway, turning on an entire family of lights, closing the garage door, or be used to manage a network of smart devices.
ZIGBEE AN INTERNATIONAL STANDARD Finally, like WiFi, ZigBee is an international wireless communication standard. This means that when a device developer rolls out a new sentroller product they don’t need to create and stock different versions for differing regions of the world. Like WiFi, ZigBee is ubiquitous. Unlike several other proprietary wireless networking technologies, ZigBee is an international standard that can be used anywhere without requiring additional government or industry certifications and testing. The Internet of Things is coming
quickly and as it does, there are going to be an overwhelming demand for sentroller and edge devices – in the home, in business and enterprise, as well as in industry. An international standard that is similar to an existing standard makes ZigBee a safe bet for aspiring sentroller device developers.
GreenPeak
www.greenpeak.com +33 676 361 702
Enter 214 / ELECTRONICS
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