WPAN

▪A personal area network (PAN) is a

computer network used for
communication among computer
devices (including telephones and
personal digital assistants) close to
one person
▪Reach: A few meters
▪Use: Intrapersonal communication in
devices.
Connecting to a higher level network and
the Internet.
▪A wireless PAN consists of a dynamic
group of less than 255 devices that
communicate within about a 33-foot
range
 802.15
▪ IEEE 802.15 is the 15th working group of
the IEEE 802
▪ Specializes in Wireless PAN (Personal
Area Network)
▪ It includes four task groups (numbered
from 1 to 4)
ZigBee
•IEEE 802.15.4 - Standard released in May
2003 for LR-WPAN

•Zigbee - set of high level communication

protocols based upon the specification
produced by 802.15.4

•The ZigBee Alliance is an association of

companies working together to enable
reliable, cost-effective, low-power,
wirelessly networked, monitoring and
control products based on an open
global standard.
 Standards Expectations

This will satisfy

all requirements
Market Expectations

Disillusionment

Everything
Market is OK
Interest Products
Builds start to ship

Obituaries
ZigBee today
Written

Time
ZigBee Wireless Markets and Applications

CONSUMER
BUILDING ELECTRONICS
AUTOMATION
Remote Control PC & PERIPHERALS
Security, HVAC,
AMR, Mouse, Keyboard,
Lighting Control, Joystick
Access Control

RESIDENTIAL/
LIGHT COMMERCIAL
CONTROL
INDUSTRIAL
Security, HVAC, CONTROL
Lighting Control,
Asset Mgt, PERSONAL
Access Control
Process Control, HEALTH CARE
Energy Mgt
Patient monitoring
ZigBee Network
 Network Topology Models

Mesh

Star

PAN coordinator (PANC)

Full Function Device (FFD,Router)

Cluster Tree Reduced Function Device (RFD)
Wireless networking Basics
Network Scan
Device scans the 16 channels to determine
the best channel to occupy.
Creating/Joining a PAN
Device can create a network (coordinator) on
a free channel or join an existing network
Device Discovery
Device queries the network to discover the
identity of devices on active channels
Service Discovery
Device scans for supported services on
devices within the network
Binding
Devices communicate via command/control
messaging
 Network Pieces –PAN Coordinator

• PAN Coordinator
• “owns” the network
• Starts it
• Allows other devices to join it
• Provides binding and
address-table services
• Saves messages until they
can be delivered
• And more… could also have
i/o capability
• A “full-function device” –
FFD
• Mains powered
 Network Pieces - Router

• Routers
• Routes messages
• Does not own or start network
• Scans to find a network to join
• Given a block of addresses to
assign
• A “full-function device” – FFD
• Mains powered depending on
topology
• Could also have i/o capability
 Network Pieces – End Device
• End Device
• Communicates with a
single device

• Does not own or start

network
• Scans to find a network to join

• Can be an FFD or RFD

(reduced function device)

• Usually battery powered

ZigBee is Mesh Networking
 Traffic types
• Periodic data
• Application defined rate (e.g. sensing
temperature)

• Intermittent data
• Application/external stimulus defined
rate (e.g. light switch)

• Repetitive low latency data

• Allocation of time slots (e.g. mouse)
IEEE 802.15.4
ZigBee Alliance - IEEE - Customer Relationship

Customer
Application

Application Interface

Network Layer

ZigBee Alliance
Data Link Layer

MAC Layer

IEEE
MAC Layer

PHY Layer

ZigBee
Silicon Application
Stack
802.15.4 Architecture: Physical Layer

Application
s

ZigBe
e

IEEE 802.15.4
MAC

IEEE IEEE
802.15.4
868/915 802.15.4
2400
MHzPH MHz
PH
Y Y
Physical Layer functionalities:
Activation and deactivation of the radio transceiver
Energy detection within the current channel
Link quality indication for received packets
Clear channel assessment for CSMA-CA
Channel frequency selection
Data transmission and reception

ZigBee specifies two Physical media:

868 MHz/915 MHz direct sequence spread spectrum
(DSSS) PHY (11 channels)
• 1 channel (20Kb/s) in European 868MHz band
• 10 channels (40Kb/s) in 915 (902-928)MHz ISM band
2450 MHz direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS)
PHY (16 channels)
• 16 channels (250Kb/s) in 2.4GHz band
 IEEE 802.15.4 Physical Layer
• Operates in unlicensed ISM bands:
868MHz/ Channel 0 Channels 1-10
2 MHz
915MHz
PHY
868.3 MHz 902 MHz 928 MHz

2.4 GHz
PHY Channels 11-26 5 MHz

2.4 GHz 2.4835 GHz

IEEE 802.15.4 PHY Overview Packet Structure

PHY Packet Fields

• Preamble (32 bits) – synchronization
• Start of Packet Delimiter (8 bits)
• PHY Header (8 bits) – PSDU length
• PSDU (0 to 1016 bits) – Data field

Start of PHY PHY Service

Preamble Packet Header Data Unit (PSDU)
Delimiter

6 Octets 0-127 Octets

802.15.4 Architecture: MAC layer
IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
Design Drivers

Extremely low cost

Ease of implementation
Reliable data transfer
Short range operation
Very low power consumption

Simple but flexible protocol !

IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Overview
General Frame Structure

4 Types of MAC Frames:

Data Frame
Beacon Frame
Acknowledgment Frame
MAC Command Frame
 Data Transfer Model
Data transferred from device to coordinator
• In a beacon-enable network, device finds the beacon to synchronize to
the super-frame structure. Then using slotted CSMA/CA to transmit its
data.
• In a non beacon-enable network, device simply transmits its data using
un-slotted CSMA/CA

Communication to a coordinator Communication to a coordinator

In a beacon-enabled network In a non beacon-enabled network
 Data Transfer Model
• Data transferred from
coordinator to device
• In a beacon-enable
network, the
coordinator indicates in
the beacon that “data is
pending.”
• Device periodically
listens to the beacon
and transmits a MAC
Communication from a coordinator
command request In a beacon-enabled network
using slotted CSMA/CA
if necessary.
 Superframe: CSMA-CA + TDMA

GTS 2 GTS 1

Contention Access
Total 16 slots Period
Contention Free Period

15ms * 2n
where 0 ≤ n ≤ 14
Transmitted by network coordinator. Contains network
Network beacon information,
frame structure and notification of pending node messages.

Beacon extension Space reserved for beacon growth due to pending node
period messages

Contention period Access by any node using CSMA-CA

Guaranteed Reserved for nodes requiring guaranteed bandwidth [n =

Time Slot 0].
up to 7 GTSes
802.15.4 Architecture

Application
s
•Network Routing
•Address translation
ZigBe •Packet
e Segmentation
•Profiles

IEEE 802.15.4
MAC

IEEE IEEE
802.15.4
868/915 802.15.4
2400
MHzPH MHz
PH
Y Y
ZigBee Stack Architecture :
Comparison with peer technologies!
ZigBee vs Bluetooth

Competition or
Complementary?
Bluetooth is Best But ZigBee is Better
For : If :

• Ad-hoc networks • The Network is static

between capable • Lots of devices
devices • Infrequently used
• Handsfree audio • Small Data Packets
• Screen graphics,
pictures…
• File transfer
 Air Interface:

ZigBee Bluetooth
DSSS FHSS
11 chips/ symbol
62.5 K symbols/s 1 M Symbol / second
4 Bits/ symbol
Peak Information Rate
Peak Information Rate ~720 Kbit/second
~128 Kbit/second
 Timing Considerations

ZigBee:
• New slave enumeration = 30ms typically
• Sleeping slave changing to active = 15ms typically
• Active slave channel access time = 15ms typically

Bluetooth:
• New slave enumeration = >3s
• Sleeping slave changing to active = 3s typically
• Active slave channel access time = 2ms typically

ZigBee protocol is optimized for timing critical applications

 Initial Enumeration
ZigBee Bluetooth
Coordinator Coordinator
 Power Considerations

ZigBee Bluetooth
• Power model as a
•2+ years from ‘normal’ mobile phone
batteries (regular charging)
•Designed to optimise • Designed to
slave power maximise ad-hoc
requirements functionality

Application example of a light

switch with respect to latency and
power consumption …...
 Some Interesting Applications of
ZigBee
• Using the power of the mesh to automate a
manual process

Rental Car Return Automation*

• Long life battery powered sensing

Wireless Termite Detection*

*From Software Technologies Group

Automated Rental Car Return*

*From Software Technologies Group

 Termite Detection*

*From Software Technologies Group

 802.15.4/ZigBee Products

Chip Sets
•Ember,
Control4 Home Automation Eaton Home HeartBeat http://www.ember.com/index.html
System monitoring system •ChipCon, http://www.chipcon.com
http://www.control4.com/pro www.homeheartbeat.com •Freescale, http://www.freescale.com
ducts/components/complete
.htm

Software, Development Kits

•AirBee,
http://www.airbeewireless.
Crossbow Technology - Wireless Sensor
com/products.php Networks
•Software Technologies www.xbow.com
Group,
http://www.stg.com/wireles
s/
 SUMMARY:
• IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee
• Allows Designer to concentrate on end
application
• Silicon vendors and ZigBee Alliance take care of
transceiver, RF channel and protocol, ZigBee “look
and feel”
• Reliable and robust communications
• PHY and MAC outperform all known
non-standards-based products currently available
• Flexible network architectures
• Very long primary battery life (months to years
to decades)
• Low system complexity. (Due to its architecture)
 References:
❑ IEEE 2003 version of 802.15.4 MAC & Phy standard
❑ http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/download/8
02.15.4-2003.pdf
❑ ZigBee Specification
❑ http://www.zigbee.org/en/spec_download/downl
oad_request.asp
❑ 802.15.4 Tutorial
❑ http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/15/pub/2003/
Jan03/03036r0P802-15_WG-802-15-4-TG4-Tut
orial.ppt
❑ ZigBee Technology: Wireless Control that Simply
Works
❑ http://www.hometoys.com/htinews/oct03/article
s/kinney/zigbee.htm
❑ Home networking with Zigbee
❑ http://www.embedded.com//showArticle.jhtml?
articleID=18902431
❑ www.howstuffwork.com
❑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zigbee