LDAPWiki: Zigbee

Overview#

Zigbee is an IEEE 802.15.4-based specification for a suite of high-level communication protocols used to create Personal Area Networks with small, low-power digital radios, such as for home automation, medical device data collection, and other low-power low-bandwidth needs, designed for small scale projects which need wireless connection.

Zigbee is a Low-Power and Lossy Network, with low data rate, and Wireless Network for Personal Area Networks

Zigbee networks are Personal Area Networks (or PANs). Each Zigbee network is defined with a unique PAN identifier (Zigbee PAN ID), which is common among all devices of the same network. Zigbee devices are either preconfigured with a PAN ID to join, or they can discover nearby networks and select a PAN ID to join.

Zigbee supports both a 64-bit and a 16-bit PAN ID. Both PAN IDs are used to uniquely identify a network. Devices on the same Zigbee network must share the same 64-bit and 16-bit PAN IDs. If multiple Zigbee Networks are operating within range of each other, each MUST have unique PAN IDs.

Device types#

Zigbee defines three different device types: coordinator, router, and end device.

Zigbee Coordinator#

Zigbee networks may only have a single Zigbee Coordinator. This Network device:

Starts the network, selecting the channel and PAN ID (both 64-bit and 16-bit).
Buffers wireless data packets for sleeping end device children.
Manages the other functions that define the network, secure it, and keep it healthy.
Cannot sleep; the coordinator must be powered on all the time.

Zigbee Router#

A ZigBee Router is a full-featured Zigbee node. This device:

Can join existing networks and send, receive, and route information. Routing involves acting as a messenger for communications between other devices that are too far apart to convey information on their own.
Can buffer wireless data packets for sleeping end device children. Can allow other routers and end devices to join the network.
Cannot sleep; router(s) must be powered on all the time.
May have multiple router devices in a network.

End device#

An end device is essentially a reduced version of a router. This device:

Can join existing networks and send and receive information, but cannot act as messenger between any other devices.
Cannot allow other devices to join the network.
Uses less expensive hardware and can power itself down intermittently, saving energy by temporarily entering a non responsive sleep mode.
Always needs a ZigBee Router or the coordinator to be its parent device. The parent helps end devices join the network, and stores messages for them when they are asleep.

Zigbee networks may have any number of end devices. In fact, a network can be composed of one Zigbee Coordinator, multiple end devices, and zero ZigBee Routers.

More Information#

There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:

[#1] - Zigbee - based on information obtained 2022-01-07