02-06-2002, 09:53 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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ZigBee...friend or foe?
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,82724,tk,dn020402X,00.asp
Uh-oh. Is it time for another YARS (Yet another wireless "standard") already? Low power is always better, but are the differences here enough to make Bluetooth quiver in fear? I doubt it. It's taken Bluetooth years to become something close to resembling "reality", so if ZigBee even survives, we won't see it in practical form for several years. What would be useful here, unlike YARS, would be if ZigBee worked over the Bluetooth frequency and ZigBee devices could talk to Bluetooth devices. But will the tech industry deliver something that useful to us? Never!
"A standard for low-voltage, low-power chips for wireless devices will push the concept of ubiquitous computing from theory to reality in homes, offices, and even cars, an executive from Koninklijke Philips Electronics said here Monday. One of the emerging standards in the move toward a wireless world is an approach called ZigBee. ZigBee, formerly known by several other names, including HomeRF Lite, is a wireless technology focused on low-cost, low-power applications that is expected to cost only about $2 per module by next year, said Fred M. Boekhorst, vice president of Philips Research, in a keynote address at the 2002 International Solid-State Circuits Conference.
ZigBee will run at speeds ranging from 10 kilobits per second up to 115.2 kbps, which at the top end is about twice the speed of a dial-up modem, but only a fraction of the speed of Bluetooth, another wireless technology that has drawn a lot of attention in the past few years. ZigBee will have range of 10 meters (33 feet) to 75 meters, longer than that of Bluetooth. As for power consumption, ZigBee's wireless modules are expected to last between six months and two years if powered by a pair of AA batteries, Boekhorst said." Source: Jonathan Blackwell
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02-06-2002, 10:33 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Simple question: why would anyone use this!?
--bdj
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02-06-2002, 11:13 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 792
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ZigBee...friend or foe?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
As for power consumption, ZigBee's wireless modules are expected to last between six months and two years if powered by a pair of AA batteries...
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How long would a Bluetooth or 802.11b wireless module last with a pair of AA batteries?
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02-06-2002, 11:30 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 53
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Embedded
It may not be ideal for data-intensive applications but would be a great way to integrate sensors and household appliances into a wireless network.
If it's reliably cheaper than Bluetooth, I think there's a market.
__________________
Jeff McKean
Marketing Manager
Mobile Devices Division
Microsoft
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02-06-2002, 11:33 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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Didn't HomeRF at 1.6Mb already die?
The reference to HomeRF, the now decidedly dead WLAN standard just illustrated to me that this too little too late.
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02-06-2002, 11:56 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 134
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Yup. If this is like the infrared on my Pocket PC, then it will be okay. Most PDAs have infrared ports because they are cheap, they are low-power, and they are universal. Well, ZigBee is all these except universal, which is too bad. I think that ZigBee itself sucks, but if everything had it, I would like it a heck of a lot better than infrared. I think it's too late for ZigBee. If Bluetooth is even close to as low-power and cheap (?) as this, then I think Bluetooth will be successful. Oh well. I am sort of partial to 802.11b, as can only be expected (it's fast, it's long-range, and it's in wide-spread use). If I have Bluetooth built-in in my next Pocket PC, I won't worry about trying to remove it. 
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02-07-2002, 03:50 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 12
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All I can think is... what an unfortunate name.
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02-07-2002, 04:25 AM
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Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
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The great thing about standards is that there are so many of them, everyone can have one of their very own. :?
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02-07-2002, 05:10 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 792
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Sven
The great thing about standards is that there are so many of them, everyone can have one of their very own. :?
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Haha....gotta love the standards!
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