 |
 |
|
 |
|
| Summer 2005 | Frontpage | Subscribe | Feedback | ||
|
| ||||||
|
|
|||||
| ||||||
| |
|
|
Zigbee vs. Bluetooth Is Bluetooth about to be uprooted? In the last issue we discussed the current push for Wireless USB and how it will affect the market for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) currently presided over by Bluetooth. But we should also discuss ZigBee, another new technology based on the IEEE 802.15 standard used by Bluetooth. To be precise, ZigBee is based on IEEE 802.15.4 whereas Bluetooth is built around IEEE 802.15.1 - it's similar, but of course different. ZigBee is all about making things simple. It is intended to be cheap, easy to implement, and to use very little power. The estimated cost for a node is $2 - $5 versus $5 - $10 for Bluetooth. A fully-functional ZigBee node should require about 10% of the software a typical Bluetooth device might require and battery life will be measured in months or years as opposed to hours. ZigBee is aimed at applications with low data rates and low power consumption. The ZigBee Alliance (www.zigbee.org) is primarily targeting monitoring and control appliances - sensors and actuators for the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry. Ideal ZigBee applications are the wireless light switch, smoke alarms, security sensors, thermostats, power meters etc. where the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is in the $5 - $10 range. Companies like Philips and Mattel Toys are among its promoters. ZigBee won't transfer enough information to take over Bluetooth's cable-replacement duties - it has a maximum data rate of 250Kbps (using the 2.4GHz ISM band). But as far as making and breaking connections goes, ZigBee is much faster. New network nodes can be recognized and added to the network in 30 milliseconds (versus several seconds for Bluetooth) and a sleeping node will wake up in about 15 milliseconds. ZigBee also allows for large sensor networks with up to 65,000 nodes, making it a feasible solution for big industrial environments. Where ZigBee may end up competing with Bluetooth and others is as the short-range wireless interface for cell phones, PDAs and other personal accessories that can be used as remote controllers - will developers choose the industrial standard to interface to consumer devices, or the consumer standard to talk to industrial appliances? As all of these technologies get smaller and cheaper, it is possible that a number of devices/systems will support multiple interfaces. Just as a notebook computer today might support USB, Firewire, Bluetooth and IrDA, tomorrow's cell phones may include a combination of ZigBee, Bluetooth, WUSB and WiFi as standard features. As always, there is no one tool that fits all applications. 
For more info on Zigbee and Wireless USB in your design, contact Nuvation. Customer service · To subscribe yourself or a friend, please click here. · Questions? Comments? Send us your feedback. |
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
GO TO NUVATION.COM
Copyright © Nuvation Research Corporation 2004. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | About Nuvation |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
