What is the Zigbee communications protocol?

The Zigbee communications protocol works above the physical and MAC layers specified by IEEE 802.15.4. Firstly, the Zigbee protocol can support a star, cluster or wireless mesh technology topology.

The different devices on the Zigbee network are :

• Zigbee Coordinator
• Zigbee End Device
• Zigbee Router

The Zigbee Coordinator device is like the supreme dictator. The Zigbee Communications Protocol supports only one “Zigbee Coordinator” in the entire network. You could also call the Zigbee Coordinator the “Creator” since it is the first device on the network. The Zigbee Coordinator stores all information about the network and has to be always powered.

The Zigbee Router device is like the classic “snitch”. It can pass information from the coordinator and end devices.

The Zigbee end devices are like mere citizens. They sleep most of the time and have to be woken up to communicate with the router or the coordinator. The Zigbee end devices are typically battery operated. The Zigbee end devices are low power devices,typically attached to sensors in the Zigbee network

The Zigbee Protocol incorporates major security considerations. This includes provision for crytographic keys, access control lists and encryption. The fundamental security basis for Zigbee is the 128-bit AES encryption support.

Firstly, it is important to note that the security technology in Zigbee devices is mature. However, Zigbee networks in home automation IOT applications were compromised recently by “security holes” in the Zigbee stack.

Start with reading this review of the top Zigbee modules to get a headstart on your IOT application using the Zigbee communications protocol. In addition, the Zigbee modules will include the Zigbee protocol stack to get your IOT design started quickly.