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Router for ZigBee Networks
ZigBee is not necessarily a replacement for the wireless standards you may already be familiar with but is specifically designed for a unique set of applications, situations, and scenarios where existing wireless standards fall short or won’t work at all.
ZigBee differs from existing networking standards to address several key areas:
The table below outlines some of the key characteristics of ZigBee and how it stacks up against other common wireless standards.
|
|
ZigBee |
802.11 (Wi-Fi) |
Bluetooth |
UWB (Ultra Wide Band) |
Wireless USB |
IR Wireless |
|
Data Rate |
20, 40, and 250 Kbits/s |
11 & 54 Mbits/sec |
1 Mbits/s |
100-500 Mbits/s |
62.5 Kbits/s |
20-40 Kbits/s
|
|
Range |
10-100 meters |
50-100 meters |
10 meters |
<10 meters |
10 meters |
<10 meters (line of sight)
|
|
Networking Topology |
Ad-hoc, peer to peer, star, or mesh
|
Point to hub |
Ad-hoc, very small networks |
Point to point |
Point to point |
Point to point |
|
Operating Frequency |
868 MHz (Europe)
|
2.4 and 5 GHz |
2.4 GHz |
3.1-10.6 GHz |
2.4 GHz |
800-900 nm |
|
Complexity (Device and application impact) |
Low |
High |
High |
Medium |
Low |
Low |
|
Power Consumption (Battery option and life) |
Very low (low power is a design goal) |
High |
Medium |
Low |
Low |
Low |
|
Security |
128 AES plus application layer security
|
|
64 and 128 bit encyption |
|
|
|
|
Other Information |
Devices can join an existing network in under 30ms
|
Device connection requires 3-5 seconds |
Device connection requires up to 10 seconds |
|
|
|
|
Typical Applications |
Industrial control and monitoring, sensor networks, building automation, home control and automation, toys, games |
Wireless LAN connectivity, broadband Internet access |
Wireless connectivity between devices such as phones, PDA, laptops, headsets |
Streaming video, home entertainment applications |
PC peripheral connections |
Remote controls, PC, PDA, phone, laptop links |
No, while ZigBee can be used for a wide variety of networking topologies, in some cases, users may want to build a network based more directly on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard to utilize features or capabilities which are not supported or accessible using the current ZigBee standards.
For example, this might include beaconing or Guaranteed Time Slice support (GTS)..
With our broad range of experience, we can help you understand how ZigBee or other related networking technologies fit into your plans and can help you make the right choice for your devices and applications.