News

7/8/2003

ZigBee Alliance Announces Ratification of IEEE 802.15.4

IEEE and ZigBee Standards to Enable Reliable, Cost-Effective, Low-Power, Wireless Monitoring and Control Products Worldwide

The ZigBee(TM) Alliance announces its endorsement of 802.15.4, recently ratified by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), as the first global wireless standard for reliable, secure, low power remote monitoring and control applications. The IEEE is an international standards organization that defines technical specifications for various wireline and wireless technologies.

IEEE 802.15.4 is a simple but powerful packet data protocol providing high reliability through message acknowledgement, error checking, prioritized communications, direct sequence spread spectrum, the ability to change frequencies to avoid interference and user-selectable security levels. IEEE 802.15.4 specifies the physical (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layers, and defines three license-free frequency bands, including 2.4GHz, 915MHz and 868Mhz, making it a truly global standard.

The ZigBee Alliance, in collaboration with the IEEE, is defining the network, security, and application layers above the IEEE 802.15.4 PHY and MAC layers. This cooperation will result in an easy-to-use, standards-based wireless network platform optimized for wireless monitoring and control applications.

Network layer architectures include star, mesh, and cluster-tree (a hybrid star/mesh) topologies. Key management for AES encryption will enable highly secure networks, and application profiles will provide interoperable products and systems. This standardization of the radio and network layers will enable companies to focus their development and marketing resources on higher value added activities instead of having to invest in proprietary systems development.

Members of the ZigBee Alliance will be meeting in Austin August 18-22 to further discussion of the establishment of the ZigBee standard.

www.zigbee.org