Zigbee Networks And Applications Information Technology Essay

ZigBee networking has number of applications, these applications are not just limited to home automation, inventory tracking, and healthcare but its applications are taking into account in daily life routine.

Home automation is one of the major application areas for ZigBee wireless networking.

The typical data rate for home automation application is 10kbps in a typical resident building. The applications of home automations are further explained.

Security Systems

A security system might have several sensors, including motion detectors, security cameras and glass-break sensors, these devices are required to communicate with the central security centre by either wires or a wireless network. ZigBee-based security systems are simple to install and easy to upgrade Although ZigBee has a low data rate, it has still the capability to transfer images wirelessly with reasonable quality., ZigBee has been used in a wireless camera system which do record the videos of visitor at a

Front door and then transmit these recordings to monitor inside the house.

Meter-Reading Systems

Utility meters are needed to be read on a regular basis so as to generate utility bills. One simple way to do this task is by reading the meter manually at home premises and then enters values into a database. A ZigBee-based automatic meter-reading (AMR) system has the capability to create wireless mesh networks across residential complexes that makes link meters with utilities corporate offices. By using AMR, it provides the opportunity to remotely monitor the residence’s electric, gas, and water usage. In this way it eliminates the need for a human to visit each residential unit on a monthly basis.

Irrigation Systems

ZigBee can be used as a part of sensor based irrigation system which is used in efficient water management. Sensors are installed across the landscaping field which can communicate to the irrigation panel. It communicates the soil moisture level at different depth levels to the irrigation panel. The panel controller than tells the watering time based on moisture level, plant type, time of day and the season readings.

Light Control Systems

One of the classic examples of using ZigBee is Light control in a house or commercial building. In a typical light installation system, it is necessary to install a wire from the light to a switch in order to turn on or off the light. No wired connection between the light and the switch is necessary if the light and switch are equipped with the ZigBee devices. In this way, any switch in the house can be assigned to turn on and off a specific light. A ZigBee-enabled recess light is much expensive compared to a regular recess light, but the installation cost of a ZigBee-enabled light is lower than regular recess light as it requires no extra wiring to a wall switch. Wireless remotes to control the lights is not a new concept in our daily life, By using ZigBee it provides the opportunity to implement this versatile concept on a large scale by ensuring long battery life.

Multi zone HVAC Systems

The multizone control system have the ability to allow a single heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) unit to have separate temperature zones in a house. Zoning the HVAC system can be very helpful as it saves the energy by controlling the air flow to each room and preventing the cooling or heating to unnecessary areas. ZigBee devices control the motors based on the commands they receive from the main HVAC zone

Control panel and temperature sensors.

Hotel Guest Room Access

ZigBee-based systems can replace the magnetic key card systems which are widely used in hotels in order to access the guest rooms. The traditional room are accessed by plastic cards which have a magnetic strip on their back. The card reader installed on the guest door reads the information that is encoded on to the magnetic strip to allow or deny access to the room. The Installation of this reader to each door requires wiring through the door. A ZigBee- based room access system have a portable ZigBee device that acts as the key and a battery-powered ZigBee device inside the door that locks and unlocks it, the ZigBee based room access system do not require wiring of each door. In this way it reduces the installation cost.

Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are required to be checked after every 30 days in order to make sure that all canisters are charged and the filled in pressures are correct. Instead of checking the extinguishers manually, the alternative way is to connect a ZigBee-based monitoring system a sensor is to each fire extinguisher which will monitor its status and it will wirelessly communicate with the coordinator when maintenance is needed. A ZigBee-based monitoring system saves time and labor cost. It also helps to improve fire safety when the fire extinguisher is not working properly by alerting the authority.

Remote Control

ZigBee have applications that are used in wireless remote controls, game

Controllers, a wireless mouse for a personal computer, and many other applications…

An infrared (IR) conventional remote control communicates with televisions, DVDs, and other entertainment devices through infrared signals. There are limitations of IR remotes. One of the limitation is that IR remotes that provide only one-way communication from the remote to the entertainment device. Also, IR signals do not have the ability to penetrate through the walls and other objects and it therefore require line of sight for its peroration properly. Radio frequency (RF) signals have the ability penetrate through walls and most objects. ZigBee is a suitable replacement technology for IR technology in remote controls as it is low cost and has long battery. ZigBee can be used to create a two way communication between the remote control and the entertainment device. For example, song information or on-screen programming options can be directly fed in to the remote itself, even when the remote control is not in the same room as the entertaining device.

Healthcare

One of applications of ZigBee in the healthcare industry is to monitor a

Patient’s vital health information remotely. For example a patient is staying at his home but for him it is important that his physician monitor his blood pressure and heart rate regularly continuously. A ZigBee network has the ability to collect the data from various sensors that are connected to the patient. The 802.15.4 standard uses a 128-bit Advanced

Encryption Standard (AES) technology in order secure the data flow between ZigBee devices and other networks. A patient wears a ZigBee device that is interfaced with different sensors, such as a blood pressure sensor, which gathers the information from these sensors on a periodic basis. The received information is transmitted to a ZigBee gateway. A ZigBee gateway provides the interface between ZigBee and other types of networks, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The patient’s gathered information is then transmitted via Internet to a personal computer of a physician or nurse that they use to

Monitor the patient’s health status. This system could help hospitals in order to improve patient care and give some relieve hospital overcrowding by giving them the authority to monitor patients at home.