What is the Zigbee protocol?
To introduce the Zigbee protocol, we must say that Zigbee communication is a protocol based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. This protocol is used to connect smart devices that do not need a lot of bandwidth, and in fact, it is considered an alternative to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
If the definition of ZigBee seems complicated and technical to you, it will be easier to understand this concept with an example. If we have a lamp and a smart switch with the ability to support Zigbee, but they are made by different companies, the ZigBee system acts as a common standard between them and provides the possibility of controlling the lamp using the key.
History of Zigbee
The history of Zigbee goes back to the late 90s. At that time, engineers wanted to create new radio networks that could be organized automatically without the need to apply additional settings or use a network manager. As a result of these efforts, the IEEE 802.15.4 standard was completed in 2003 and the Zigbee protocol specification was approved in 2004.
What are the applications of Zigbee technology?
After familiarizing yourself with the Zigbee standard, you may ask what are the uses of the Zigbee protocol? We must say that this technology has various applications in the fields of home automation, building automation, industrial control, healthcare, and smart grid.
Zigbee protocol is widely used in the smart home and is used to control lights, home appliances, thermostats, and security systems. In addition, we can use the Zigbee protocol for energy management, or in other words, control of heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.
One of the applications of Zigbee is in building automation. We can use the ZigBee protocol to control lighting, control surveillance systems, manage energy consumption, and control heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.
The use of ZigBee in industrial control cannot be denied. This technology is used to monitor and control processes, track and monitor various industrial parameters and the status of important industrial devices. The ZigBee network reduces communication costs and enables stable control of industrial processes.
ZigBee protocol can be used to monitor smart grids, facilitate network fault location, reactive power management and remote temperature monitoring. Smart metering and remote meter reading provide the possibility to determine the amount of energy consumption in real-time and to deal with theft.
Zigbee in smart building
In smart homes, different devices can communicate with each other so that, for example, it is possible to adjust the lighting of the home optimally and intelligently, or when the security camera detects the owner of the house, the door of the house will automatically open for him.
In these examples, the sensors and security cameras communicate with the lights and the front door lock, respectively, which can be done via various protocols such as Zigbee or Z-Wave.
What does the Zigbee protocol do in a smart home?
As mentioned in the previous section of the article, the devices in smart homes are connected and exchange various information with each other. To connect these devices, we can use various communication technologies such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi network, which are not suitable for this task due to excessive consumption of electrical energy, range limitation, etc.
In addition, all the devices in the same house or different places are not manufactured by the same company and they need a common protocol to be able to work with each other in a network. The Zigbee protocol in the smart home can remove the barriers to connecting devices to each other.
Zigbee protocol standards and specifications
The Zigbee Association is responsible for compiling and updating the specifications of the Zigbee protocol. This technology is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard and has been updated by adding security layers.
The ZigBee network operates at 868 MHz, 915-921 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies, and its speed reaches 40-250 kbps.
Electronics manufacturers can create their own custom versions of the Zigbee project. The most important types of Zigbee protocol are Zigbee PRO, Zigbee RF4CE and Zigbee IP.
The Zigbee PRO protocol provides a framework for the Internet of Things that supports low-cost and stable networks for communication between electronic devices. This protocol offers a new feature called Green Power, which supports devices that provide their own energy independently and do not need a battery or connection to the power grid.
What is a Zigbee network?
Devices in the smart home, companies, hospitals, etc. can be connected to each other through ZigBee communication. As a result of connecting all these devices together, a network is created.
ZigBee technology does not use point-to-point communication technique; In this connection method, two devices are connected to each other. The Zigbee protocol works in a mesh network and is suitable for creating a smart building because it allows several different electronic devices to be connected to each other.
Zigbee architecture
Mesh network or mesh network is a local network implemented using Full Mesh or Partial Mesh structure. In the Full Mesh structure, each node representing a smart electronic device is directly connected to other nodes in the network. But in the Partial Mesh structure, there are nodes that are not directly connected to all network nodes.
In Zigbee protocol, there are three different types of nodes including coordinators, routers and end devices. Although each node can receive and send data, they play a different role in the network.
The Zigbee network consists of at least one coordinator that is responsible for managing and storing network data. Routers are intermediate nodes that transfer data from one device to another. End devices are low-power or battery-powered electronic devices that can only exchange data with coordinators and routers.
What are the advantages of the ZigBee protocol?
The Zigbee protocol offers us several advantages for the communication of different devices. some of
The strengths of Zigbee Hub are:
Flexible network structure.
Low power consumption.
Easy maintenance.
Support for multiple nodes up to 6500 nodes.
Low implementation cost.
Ease of implementing Zigbee network.
High stability and reliability.
Scalability of the Zigbee network and the possibility of adding new devices.
Monitoring and controlling electronic devices is easily possible in Zigbee network.
Disadvantages of Zigbee protocol are:
Less security of Zigbee compared to WiFi.
High cost of replacing broken devices in Zigbee network.
Low data exchange speed.
Due to the limitation in network coverage, it is not used for outdoor wireless communication.
High risk of using Zigbee in office work due to its lower security compared to WiFi network.
Similar to other wireless networks, it is possible to gain unauthorized access to a ZigBee network.
Zigbee products
Today, various products such as smart sockets, smart lamps, smart switches, smart security sensors, care equipment, industrial equipment, etc. support the Zigbee protocol.
Smart lights based on the Zigbee protocol can be controlled using a smartphone, voice assistant or automation systems. We can change the light intensity or the color of the light.
Smart thermostats can adjust the temperature of the home or workplace according to the user's preference, weather forecast or other indicators. We can control these thermostats remotely using a smartphone application.
We can view and control the components of the security system including door and window sensors, motion sensors and security cameras using a smartphone application or even web platforms.
The smart socket switch provides the possibility of monitoring the power consumption of the equipment connected to it and can be controlled remotely.
Health monitoring devices equipped with the ZigBee module are able to monitor vital signs, track treatment plans using medication, and send information to doctors.
Products based on the Zigbee protocol are not limited to those mentioned in this article, and this technology has a much wider application.