The Differences of between ZigBee and Bluetooth technologies

Can Kaya201171221

CENG 502 Computer Networks - Cankaya UniversityAnkara, TURKEY

November 15, 2012

 What is a ZigBee Wireless Network?

ZigBee networks can be cluster, star or mesh networks as shown in the diagram. Each ZigBee network has one device that is setup as a coordinator that controls and initializes the network. Other devices can either be setup as routers that can pass data or as End Points, that can only have one connection. End points or Reduced Function Devices can be set to sleep mode so they use very little power and so can be battery operated.

Because of this very low power requirement, ZigBee is ideal for sensor networks or other control applications, which require:

Low to medium data rates Lots of nodes (up to 65,565) Easy addition or removal of nodes from network robust mesh network that doesn't fall over if one node fails very low power, battery operated equipment

ZigBee protocols are intended for use in embedded applications requiring low data rates and low power consumption. ZigBee’s current focus is to define a general-purpose, inexpensive, self-organizing mesh network that can be used for industrial control, embedded sensing, medical data collection, smoke and intruder warning, building automation, home automation, etc. The resulting network will use very small amounts of power – individual devices must have a battery life of at least two years to pass ZigBee certification.

ZigBee is a low-cost, low-power, wireless mesh networking proprietary standard. The low cost allows the technology to be widely deployed in wireless control and monitoring applications, the low power-usage allows longer life with smaller batteries, and the mesh networking provides high reliability and larger range.

ZigBee can activate (go from sleep to active mode) in 15 msec or less, the latency can be very low and devices can be very responsive — particularly compared to Bluetooth wake-up delays, which are typically around three seconds. Because ZigBees can sleep most of the time, average power consumption can be very low, resulting in long battery life.

Where to use ZigBee?

Building Automation Remote Control Home energy savings Health and fitness monitoring Smart homes Easy-to-use touchpads mice, keyboards, wands LED lighting control etc…

What can ZigBee do for you?

ZigBee protocols are intended for embedded applications requiring low data rates and low power consumption. The resulting network will use very small amounts of power — individual devices must have a battery life of at least two years to pass ZigBee certification

Home Entertainment and Control — Home automation, smart lighting, advanced temperature control, safety and security, movies and music

Wireless sensor networks — Starting with individual sensors like Telosb/Tmote and Iris from Memsic

Industrial control Embedded sensing Medical data collection Smoke and intruder warning Building automation

What is a Bluetooth Wireless Network?

Bluetooth technology was invented in 1994 by engineers at Ericsson. Bluetooth is a standard and a communications protocol primarily designed for low power consumption, with a short range (power-class-dependent: 100m, 10m and 1m, but ranges vary in practice) based on low-cost transceiver microchips in each

device. Bluetooth makes it possible for these devices to communicate with each other when they are in

range.

Where to use Bluetooth?

Specifically, Bluetooth connects devices such as;

Mobile phones, PDA, laptops, Pcs together Modems, headsets, computer mouse, keyboards Digital Camera Personal digital assistants Printers, Fax machines Car Kits etc….

Bluetooth exists in many products, such as telephones, modems and headsets.. I you are specific users to file transfer or synchronization something, multi-functional cell phone and so on.

What can Bluetooth do for you?

The technology is useful when transferring information between two or more devices that are near each other in low-bandwidth situations. Bluetooth is commonly used to transfer sound data with telephones (i.e., with a Bluetooth headset) or byte data with hand-held computers (transferring files).

For instance, you can use your phone or PDA to consult databases located in your laptop, or even to print documents. You can use your MP3 player around the house to listen to music stored on your PC.

Recently, car manufacturers such as BMW, Lexus and Toyota have equipped some of their models with Bluetooth car kits. This allows you to use the features of your cell phone through the car's audio system while the phone itself is stored away in the trunk, for instance.

What are differences between ZigBee and Bluetooth wireless networks?

There is a table about difference between ZigBee and Bluetooth wireless network technologies. We listed major difference between the two technologies.

ZigBee Bluetooth

Range 10-100 meters 10 meters

Networking Topology Ad-hoc, peer to peer, star, or mesh Ad-hoc, very small networks

Operating Frequency 868 MHz (Europe)900-928 MHz (NA), 2.4 GHz (worldwide)

2.4 GHz

Complexity (Device and application impact)

Low High

Power Consumption (Battery option and life)

Very low (low power is a design goal)

Medium

Security 128 AES plus application layer security

64 and 128 bit encryption

Typical Applications Industrial control and monitoring, sensor networks, building automation, home control and automation, toys, games

Wireless connectivity between devices such as phones, PDA, laptops, headsets

Modulation techniqueSpreading

Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)

Protocol stack size 28 Kbyte 250 Kbyte

Battery Not rechargeable (one reason batteries will last for up to 10 years)

Intended for frequent recharging

Data Rate 250 Kbit/s 1 Mbit/s

Typical network join time

30 milliseconds 3 seconds

Application Monitoring and Control Cable replacement

Number of devices for Network

64K 7

Typical Applications

Industrial control and monitoring, sensor networks, building automation, home control and automation, toys, games

Wireless connectivity between devices such as phones, PDA, laptops, headsets

Physical/ MAC layers IEEE 802.15.4 IEEE 802.15.1Basic Cell star Piconet

Bluetooth is more oriented toward user mobility and eliminating short-distance cabling; ZigBee aims more for grand-scale automation and remote control.

REFERENCES

http://docs.zigbee.org/zigbee-docs/dcn/07-5482.pdf

http://www.askmen.com/money/how_to_200/221_how_to.html#ixzz2CIeHy0DS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZigBee

http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-zigbee-and-bluetooth/

http://www.sena.com/blog/?p=359

http://news.techworld.com/mobile-wireless/2406/zigbee-is-the-future-dead-in-the-water-delete-as-appropriate/

http://www.zigbee.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth

http://www.bluetooth.com/