Below is a quick overview of the ZigBee Technology, we will continue to expand this section over time, if there is anything you wish to know about the new ZigBee technology or our ZigBee ready modules please contact us now. What is ZigBee?ZigBee is a low-cost, low-power, wireless mesh networking standard. A communication protocol using small, low-power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2006 standard for wireless personal area networks. ZigBee offers Excellent wireless control path network. It was not designed for high-speed / data applications, instead, working on battery power the ultra low power consumption of a ZigBee module makes them ideal for low cost wireless monitoring and control.
ZigBee Basic Network CharacteristicsZigBee networks consist of three parts: - ZigBee coordinator(ZC): The most capable device, the coordinator forms the root of the network tree and might bridge to other networks. There is exactly one ZigBee coordinator in each network since it is the device that started the network originally. It is able to store information about the network, including acting as the Trust Centre & repository for security keys.
- ZigBee Router (ZR): As well as running an application function a router can act as an intermediate router, passing data from other devices.
- ZigBee End Device (ZED): Contains just enough functionality to talk to the parent node (either the coordinator or a router); it cannot relay data from other devices. This relationship allows the node to be asleep a significant amount of the time thereby giving long battery life. A ZED requires the least amount of memory, and therefore can be less expensive to manufacture than a ZR or ZC.
The Diagram below shows a basic ZigBee network consisting of a Network Coordinator and several nodes:  
Below are some examples: 
What are the Uses of ZigBee?As a newly developed technology ZigBee's potential applications are far from being full developed, for now the following markets are begining to adopt this new protocol:
Home Entertainment and Control — Smart lighting, advanced temperature control, safety and security, movies and music Home Awareness — Water sensors, power sensors, smoke and fire detectors, smart appliances and access sensors Mobile Services — m-payment, m-monitoring and control, m-security and access control, m-healthcare and tele-assist Commercial Building — Energy monitoring, HVAC, lighting, access control Industrial Plant — Process control, asset management, environmental management, energy management, industrial device control
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Zigbee Technology