HISTORY OF ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY:

ZigBee networks is a new style type of network which began around 1998, when many installers
realized that both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi were not so suitable for certain applications and other
programs. Many engineers saw a need for self-organizing ad-hoc digital radio networks. The real need
for mesh has been in doubt since then or in particular as mesh is largely absent in the market.

Zigbee in the year 2004: The IEEE (institute of electrical and electronics engineering)
802.15.4-2003 standard was accomplished in May 2003.
Philips Semiconductors which is a major mesh network supporter discontinued their investment in the
summer of 2003. Philips Lighting however continued Philips participation and it remains a supportive
member even today on the ZigBee Alliance Board of Directors. The ZigBee Alliance declared in
October 2004 that the membership had more than doubled in the previous year and had increased to
more than 100 member companies, in 22 countries. By April 2005 membership had grown to more
than 150 companies, and by December 2005 membership had passed 200 companies. The ZigBee
specifications were confirmed on 14 December 2004.The ZigBee Alliance announced opportunity of
Specification 1.0 on 13 June 2005 also known as the ZigBee 2004 Stipulation.
Zigbee in the year 2006: In September 2006, the ZigBee 2006 Specification was announced.
The 2004 stack is now more or less out dated.2006 mainly replaces the Message or Key Value Pair
structure used in 2004 with a cluster library.
Zigbee PRO: ZigBee PRO also known as the enhanced ZigBee Pro Specification was posted on 30
October 2007 and was finalized that same year. It is also sometimes called ZigBee 2007.ZigBee PRO
is fully backward adaptable with ZigBee 2006 devices. A ZigBee 2007 device may operate on a
ZigBee 2006 network and vice versa. Due to differences in routing options, ZigBee PRO devices must
become non-routing ZigBee End-Devices (ZEDs) on a ZigBee 2006 network. ZigBee 2006 devices
should become ZEDs on a ZigBee PRO network.
The applications running on those devices work the similar techniques, regardless of the stack profile
underneath them. The first ZigBee Application Profile, Home Automation, was announced 2
November 2007.

USES OF ZIGBEE TECHNOLOGY:
ZigBee protocols are designed for embedded applications requiring lower data rates and lesser power
consumption. The resulting network will use least amounts of power; individual devices should have a
battery life of at least two years to pass its certification.
Typical application areas include:
a) Home Entertainment and Control
b) Home automation such as in QIVICON
c) smart lighting
d) Advanced temperature control
e) Safety and security
f) Movies and music
g) Wireless sensor networks:
i) Starting with individual sensors like Telosb/Tmote and Iris from Memsic
ii) Industrial control
iii) Embedded sensing
IV) Medical data collection
v) Smoke and intruder warning
VI) Building automation

STANDARD AND PROFILE OF ZIGBEE:
The ZigBee Alliance is a group of companies that maintain and publish the ZigBee standard. The term
ZigBee is a registered trademark of this group which isnt a single technical standard. The Alliance
broadcasts application profiles that allow numerous OEM sellers to create inter operable products.
The relationship between IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee is quiet similar to that between IEEE 802.11 and
the Wi-Fi Alliance.
License: For non-commercial purpose, the ZigBee specification is accessibly free for general public
use. An entry level allowance in the ZigBee Alliance also called Adopter, which provides access to
the as-yet unprocessed specifications and provides permits to create products for selling in market
using the specifications. The necessities for membership in the ZigBee Alliance create problems for
Free Software developers as the annual fee conflicts with the GNU General Public Licence. The
requirements for the developer to join the ZigBee Alliance similarly clashes with other free software
licenses. The ZigBee Alliance board has been requested to make their license more compatible with
GPL, but the ZigBee board had refused. The refusal came,, even though Bluetooth had already
changed their license to make it compatible with GPL. Linux developers seem ready to drop out
ZigBee, and use TCP/IP instead of it.

Application Profiles: The list of application profiles published or in development are:
Released specifications
A) ZigBee Home Automation 1.2
B) ZigBee Smart Energy 1.1b
C) ZigBee Telecommunication Services 1.0
D) ZigBee Health Care 1.0
E) ZigBee RF4CE Remote Control 1.0
F) ZigBee RF4CE Input Device 1.0
G) ZigBee Light Link 1.0
H) ZigBee IP 1.0
I) ZigBee Building Automation 1.0
J) ZigBee Gateway 1.0
K) ZigBee Green Power 1.0 as optional feature of ZigBee 2012
l) Specifications under development
M) ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0
N) ZigBee Retail Services
P) ZigBee Smart Energy 1.2/1.3
Q) ZigBee Light Link 1.1
R) ZigBee Home Automation 1.3
The ZigBee Smart Energy V2.0 specifications direct an IP-based protocol to monitor and control,
inform and barbarize the delivery and usage of energy and water. It is an enrichment of the ZigBee
Smart Energy version 1 stipulation. Also by adding services for plug-in electric vehicle (PEV)
charging, installation, configuration and firmware download, prepay services, user information and
messaging, load control, demand response and common information and application profile
consolidates for wired and wireless networks. It is being developed by partners including:
A)Home Grid Forum answerable for marketing and certifying ITU-T G.hn technology and products.
B) Home Plug Power line Alliance
C) International Society of Automotive Engineers SAE International
D) IPSO Alliance
E) Sun Spec Alliance
F) Wi-Fi Alliance.
G) In 2009 the RF4CE (Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics) Consortium and ZigBee Alliance
allied to jointly deliver a standard for radio frequency remote controls. ZigBee RF4CE is designed for
a high range of consumer electronics products such as TVs and set-top boxes. It assures many
advantages over existing remote control solutions, including richer communication and increased
reliability, enhanced features soundness and flexibility, inter operability, and no line-of-sight barriers.
The ZigBee RF4CE specification releases some networking weight and does not encourage all the
mesh features, which is bartered for lesser memory configurations for lower cost devices such as
remote control of consumer electronics. With the establishment of the second ZigBee RF4CE
application profile in 2012 and increased strength in MSO market, the ZigBee RF4CE team adds an
overview on present status of the standard, applications and future of the technology.