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ZigBee Wireless Standard Ratified
ductormalef writes "Today, the ZigBee Alliance announced the release (pdf) of version 1.0. ZigBee is a standard for low data-rate (250kbps max) wireless personal area networks (WPANs). It utilizes the IEEE 802.15.4 hardware and MAC layers which utilize frequency bands at 898MHz, 902-928MHz, and 2.4GHz. ZigBee supports mesh networking and claims to be 'wireless control that simply works.' They claim to be a solution to everything from wireless home automation to industrial control."
How can it be a "standard" when it was just released?
Putting the gas pedal on the right and the brake on the left is a standard--it is so universal that it invites no question as to its applicability.
This is not a standard yet, it is a specification. Let's get something right for once around here.
On topic remark: I can't wait for more interference from paging transmitters on 928MHz and between data devices on 2.4GHz. Oh, joy!
slashdot: A failed experiment.
Zigbee chips will be available for $5 in the first quarter of 2005, according to Bob Heile of the Zigbee Alliance. I had a long interview with him about Zigbee's prospects. He clearly enjoys his work.
Zigbee will be big in phones, and he reckons it's on target for 5 million units by the end of 2005.
Peter Judge. Techworld
zigbee is aimed at very price sensitive markets, but has one currently fatal flaw:
you have to purchase software stacks.
most any hardware a developer buys is worthless without another huge investment in a software stack to run the standard.
some people are just using a zigbee's basic transmit/recieve functionality withotu many of the integral spec features for this reason. its like buying an 802.11 chipset that doesnt work with anything else.
the zigbee industry desperately needs to get together and release free software for a number of different micro-architectures.
myren
Ultra Wide Band will make stuff like this somewhat secondary.
We're already making a "ZigBee" module, called the WISAN. $60 Q1, $30 Q100. Four-layer board, plugs into a two-layer board with your circuitry on it.
-russ
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
My company met Moto reps, they tried pushing it for our new network, but its range is pitiful. Depending upon which spec you look at 15 - 30 meters. There are some testimonials I've heard about using them in industrial settings. One guy had a problem with his network every monday morning. Turned out every monday morning, a Semi pulled between his two buildings blocking the signal. The solution? Why add a couple dummy nodes on the roof to route trafic around the truck.
Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
No, they're both dead at the hands of 802.11[fill in your favorite suffix]. Given that Zigbee and Bluetooth both have no security to speak of and never will, and the cost of 802.11[whatever] continues to drop, neither are worth investing or developing in.
Lots of people will spend lots of money with very exciting business plans and do the development for the niche applications used by others, but none of the developers or patent owners will get back the money they wasted on it.