| Vol. 4, No. 1, May 2007- Art. 5 |
| |
| ZigBee: The Journey Toward Deployment in Industrial
Applications |
|
 |
by
Gilles Thonet, Marc Bruel, Schneider Electric
Copyright
Copyright © Schneider Electric, 2007 |
| | | Abstract
ZigBee has recently been introduced as a promising technology for
low-cost, low-power wireless networks requiring flexibility in node
placement. Relying on the use of application profiles, ZigBee has
been specifically devised for such scenarios as home and building
automation as well as sensor networking and automated metering.
Although a first specification was completed in December 2004, few
products are found today on the market. One reason is that the standard
is still being amended and application profiles are not all finalized
yet. Another reason is that large-scale deployments in commercial
and industrial environments are perceived to be hampered by potential
hurdles. This article revisits the path toward ZigBee market introduction
in various industries. Objectives are twofold. The first one is
to identify technical issues that may constitute an impediment to
bringing ZigBee products to life. In particular, the following concerns
expressed by industry leaders and end customers, namely, the potential
coexistence problems between ZigBee and other wireless technologies
such as WiFi, are discussed and illustrated by experiments carried
out at Schneider Electric. The second objective of the paper is
to describe some of the most promising application areas and what
needs to be acted upon to complete the journey toward mass market
adoption for each. |
| | | |
|
