New Prospect of ZigBee Wireless Technology

WIFI is quite familiar to everyone, but you know that ZigBee wireless technology is another technology that is favored by major manufacturers and researchers. It can connect more wireless devices and adapt to the use of the company and the family. The following describes its development potential in detail.

In a short time, you may see it in the remote control of smart electric meters and high-end TVs that PG & E has begun to install. In the not too distant future, you can use ZigBee wireless technology to control the lighting of your home, monitor the health of your elderly parents, or turn off the air conditioner when there is no one at home.

"ZigBee wireless technology is quite powerful and is a good technology for many applications," said SamLucero, an industry analyst at SamLuceroABI.

ZigBee works in the same frequency range as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth at 2.4 GHz. However, unlike the two, ZigBee wireless technology uses a low-speed transmission mode. This design is designed to send simple commands, such as opening a TV or a short data bit, such as whether the door is locked.

Due to its low speed, ZigBee consumes much less energy than other network technologies. The battery life of ZigBee devices is generally calculated over the years, unlike that of Wi-Fi in hours or Bluetooth in days.

In addition, ZigBee uses a mesh network standard, which enables automatic connection between ZigBee devices and does not have to go through a central gateway like a router when transmitting data to each other.

ZigBee wireless technology has been around for seven years. But so far it has been mainly used in alarm and monitoring systems for commercial and industrial purposes and home automation systems customized for luxury homes.

However, industry analysts believe that ZigBee wireless technology is about to become the mainstream.

"In recent years, the shipment of ZigBee chips has doubled every year and reached 20 million last year," said BobHeile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. The ZigBee Alliance is a non-profit standard organization that helps supervise and promote the technology. Its members include Intel, Marvell, and Cypress semiconductors. The Alliance is expected to ship 0.1 billion ZigBee chips this year.

Some of the expected growth is driven by power companies. To better track and control energy use in the home, PG & E and other utility companies began to install millions of smart meters in California and the United States.

"Three vendors in California plan to integrate ZigBee chips into their respective electric meters," Heile said. So if PG & E recently upgraded your electric meter, you may already have a device with the ZigBee function.

The Institute of National Standards and Technology of federal institutions has recommended that all electric meters nationwide use this technology.

The Institute and other ZigBee Wireless Technology supporters imagine that it was used to build a so-called home domain network. Such a network can connect a thermostat, main household appliances, sockets and smart electric meters, allowing consumers to closely monitor and control the energy usage of a device .. Lisboa rowsmith, an electronic industry analyst at IMSResearch, said: "ZigBee has a great opportunity to become one of the main smart energy management technologies in the family. American authorities are keen on ZigBee wireless technology ."

ZigBee may also enter the consumer's home through television. TV and other consumer electronics manufacturers are developing new remote controls using ZigBee and Other RF Technologies to replace infrared transmitters and sensors.

Infrared is a technology that is limited to straight lines. It does not work if there are obstacles or your remote control points in the wrong direction. Conversely, an RF remote control works in any direction. And because its signal will pass through the barrier, you can hide bulky equipment such as a set-top box or other audio equipment in a cabinet or other room, but you can still control them.

GreenPeak is a company that designs ZigBee chips, and its CEO has helped develop the Wi-Fi standard CeesLinks: "The advantage of ZigBee over other RF Technologies is that, the power is so small that you don't need to change the battery in your remote control until you're about to change your TV."

More importantly, ZigBee wireless technology may eventually lead to the birth of a general-purpose device. It does not only control your TV, but all the devices from the automatic thermostat to the blinds, it also monitors your real-time energy consumption.

Links and other insiders expect the first batch of ZigBee remote control to be available later this year, becoming a high-end characteristic of high-end TVs.

CraigMathias, an analyst at Farpoint, a wireless technology consultancy, said: "There is no doubt that the consumer electronics industry will switch to radio-frequency remote control ."

However, Mathias and others warned that ZigBee is competing with some other wireless and wired technologies, and it is not guaranteed that it will eventually win. Some manufacturers have already used Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology in their remote controls. The power outlets of Z-Wave and X10 and network connections are also used in home automation and monitoring systems.

"I don't think there will be a clear winner for a home area network," Arrowsmith said ." Even if ZigBee wireless technology eventually becomes the dominant technology, it will take a long time for many ZigBee devices to appear in the consumer's home. Because ZigBee devices are rarely replaced.

KenDulaney, a mobile technology analyst at Gartner, a market research company, said: "Can you handle the current low price because you want to remotely control your refrigerator ?"