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Wireless Networking Hardware

Simple-to-use ZigBee Hardware 125

Posted by timothy from the what's-a-zigbee-you-ask dept.
An anonymous reader submits "I thought this was interesting. Up till now, ZigBee was only available as a chipset or some rudimentary modules. Now regular schmucks like me that don't want to mess with a soldering iron can use ZigBee and see if it sucks or not. These radios have a range of almost a mile and cost less than $100. Not bad since nobody else seems to offer anything like this (yet). Now I can get my laptop to communicate with some of my robotics projects without an RS-232 umbilical cord." (WikiPedia's page on ZigBee a is a good way to figure out whether this is interesting to you; in short, a low-power, medium-range radio spec for all sorts of interesting uses.)
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Simple-to-use ZigBee Hardware More

Simple-to-use ZigBee Hardware

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  • Let me be the first to say... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by koreth ( 409849 ) * on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:22PM (#13216490)
    "Thank you, Timothy, for adding an explanation of what the heck ZigBee is." That was very pleasant to see.
    • It's a new slashdot technique, by failing to mention what the article is about, you make sure First posts RTFA.
    • Let me be the first of several hundred others to say, "Thank you, koreth, for being so utterly lazy as to do a simple Google search for ZigBee before posting a response to Slashdot."

      At least I didn't have to watch your post go straight to +5 for asking what it was and then watching the guy who only posts what he found on Wikipedia via Google because he wanted to karmawhore.

      When did the "geeks" become so fucking lazy that they can't even use the technology they built to figure out something on their own?
      • You must be new here.

      • Yawn. Whatever. If you honestly believe it's preferable for a couple hundred thousand people to have to each individually hit a search engine to look up one sentence worth of background information than for the editor of a news site to add that one sentence to the original story and save everyone the hours of combined extra work, well, more power to you, I guess. I'd rather read three articles in a given amount of time than read one and go prowling around the net trying to figure out what the hell it's talk
        • As for laziness, guilty as charged and proud of it. Larry Wall's quote on the three virtues of a programmer is spot on. (I'd paste it here, but you can find it via Google, so I'd better not spoil the fun.)

          Heh. Nice.

          I'm actually not sure who's bitching at whom and for what reason, here.
    • I don't believe it. I think it's time we checked Timothy's basement for pods, because there's no way that could really be him!
  • That device doesn't look small to me, and I suspect it isn't very low power or cheap either.

    If ZigBee wants to compete with X10 and Bluetooth, it needs thumbnail sized modules costing a few bucks each.

  • Chipset (Score:3, Informative)

    by winavr ( 793523 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:30PM (#13216556)
    FYI: These modules uses Freescale's Zigbee chips according to Freescale's press release [freescale.com].
  • > Now regular schmucks like me that don't want to mess with a soldering iron can use ZigBee and see if it sucks or not.

    "No soldering required!"
    What you say?
    "$100!"
    At that price, even if I don't know what I doing, move ZigBee!

  • Looking forward to ZigBee home automation (Score:3, Interesting)

    by FerretFrottage ( 714136 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:32PM (#13216586)
    That's one are I think ZigBee can be very successful. X10 works, but has less than stellar reliability. RadioRA (Lutron I beleive) and the others are properitry and can be quite expensive. Conversely, "anybody" can make a ZigBee compliant device and it should work with any other ZigBee device--even from another manufacturers. This should help to keep ZigBee home automation devices price competitive--at least I hope so.

  • The range is what? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Sketch ( 2817 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:36PM (#13216616) Homepage
    According to the link:

    "capable of transmitting up to 0.9 miles (1.4 km) in line-of-sight conditions."

    According to the wikipedia article:

    "Transmission range is between 10 and 75 metres (33~246 feet)."

    There is quite a bit of a difference between those two. Is wikipedia out of date, or rfdesign overly optimistic?
    • "capable of transmitting up to 0.9 miles (1.4 km) in line-of-sight conditions"... Using a satellite dish or other hinky 2.4 GHz antenna's. In normal usage the wikipedia is dead on.

    • Re:The range is what? (Score:2, Informative)

      by vernjake ( 894801 )
      The module has increase power output (100 mW EIRP) and excellent receiver sensitivity (-100 dBm) so it can work with ZigBee networks and still get greater range with just a normal 2.1 dBi omni-directional antenna. Check the specs here: http://www.maxstream.net/products/xbee/xbee-pro-oe m-rf-module-zigbee.php [maxstream.net]
    • Standard wireless marketing claptrap. You see it in WiFi and WiMax, too. "Up to X miles". Or better yet, exploit metric ignorance and quote the distance in kilometers. The number will be larger and it'll seem much farther.
      Unless you know the conditions (antenna, radiated power, terrain, etc.) these specs are useless. Why bother quoting point-to-point highly directional links while selling the omnidrectional aspects of the technology? Because the "max distance" specs (see above) make it seem so much mo
    • Thats because you are looking at 2 different ZigBee modules that operate at different power ratings, from Maxstream.net(sellers of ZigBee modules), "The 1 mW XBee will perform up to 300' (100 m)" & "The 100 mW XBee-PRO will perform up to 4000'"
    • The 0.9 miles doesn't really suprise me. The MaxStream radios are pretty much designed to be drop in serial extenders. Where I work, we use these (well not the zigbee ones, but their propritary OEM ones) for http://www.sontek.com/product/rsadp/rsaov.htm [sontek.com]River Cats. There are a few quirks (nothing compared to the craptastic underwater modems that were wrapped in scotch tape) and every now and then we'll get a bad batch that has to be sent back, but these things go forever, and in most cases actually tend to w

  • I'd love to put my Linux box at home on a serial console, but I just haven't been inspired to run the cable I need to do it. If I could just drop the other end of these little radios on whatever machine I want to access to console, that would be great.

    Has anyone gotten serial consoles working over the radio?

  • Good for some, not for all (Score:4, Informative)

    by Kyru ( 836008 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:38PM (#13216638) Homepage

    We are working on putting Zigbee modules into devices where I work. The real benefit of them is the power consumption. They are meant to sleep 99% of the time they are out there, only waking up if they have to send data or to check if their host device wants to bug them. The devices these would go in are the kind you put out and forget about, maybe changing batteries every few months.

    The biggest problem right now though is that the technology is still rather young and it's not implemented uniformly. One company might have a chip that runs completely differently from the next company.

    If you can find a chipset that you are happy with though, 802.15.4 and Zigbee work well for low power, low data style transfers, but be prepared to have to fiddle with 'em to get exactly what you want.

  • I've used them (Score:3, Informative)

    by Apreche ( 239272 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:38PM (#13216640) Homepage Journal
    I've used these and Aerocomm at a previous job. They rule, I really wonder why it's not more popular. If you're doing any sort of electronics project with a remote control or a serial cable or anything like that, just use Zigbee instead. It's easy and worth it.

  • This is kind of a cool ZigBee based app (Score:3, Informative)

    by multiplexo ( 27356 ) * on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:38PM (#13216641) Journal
    for those of us with borderline OCD. A keychain monitor [wired.com] that tells you if the lights are off, doors locked, windows closed, etcetera. Now if they [homeheartbeat.com] could just add a module to let you know that the stove was turned off and the iron unplugged I'd be able to relax when I left the house.

  • Well... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Blue-Footed Boobie ( 799209 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:40PM (#13216659)
    This will be excellent for all kinds of wireless projects.

    Especially thos where you only have two weeks and a $100 budget...

  • More options...smaller, cheaper (Score:3, Informative)

    by Solder Fumes ( 797270 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:42PM (#13216668)
    This site has quite a range of wireless communications modules: http://www.sparkfun.com/shop/index.php?shop=1&cart =354104&cat=62& [sparkfun.com]

    Coin-size transceivers for $20. There's also Bluetooth modules in case you want to roll your own Bluetooth thingamajig.
  • This looks like it would be an ideal communication method for swarm robotics, or a wing of drone aircraft (robot flocking anyone?).
    Fun!
  • that our Homeland Security Overlords are probably working on a human version of. It's ZigBeef [zigbeef.com] an RFID solution for tracking cattle. Right now it requires ear tags, but it will either get smaller or TSA will just require everyone flying on a plane to have a non-removable tag stapled to their ear.

  • I'm all for slashdoting of intresting stuff, but simply because they put out an all in one module doesnt make this very exciting. Why is there front page cover of a post that is basically trying to sell these items?

    I for one, dont welcome our new corporate overlords.

  • Already available, elsewhere in Bluetooth (Score:3, Informative)

    by macemoneta ( 154740 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @02:52PM (#13216761) Homepage
    "Now I can get my laptop to communicate with some of my robotics projects without an RS-232 umbilical cord."

    Yeah, if only something like this [socketcom.com] existed.

  • What technology exists currently to provide the highest speed and radius with power levels attainable to a normal household (i.e. without special permits)?

    Something with 100 Mbps and 6-10 km radius without having LOS would be a dream. One could build a cellular network out of such gadgets, to create free and libré networking for urban areas.

    Think: what if every television set would have a transceiver inside it, and those transceivers formed an ad-hoc network and...

    • Something with 100 Mbps and 6-10 km radius without having LOS would be a dream. As an Amateur Radio operator, let me be the first to say, "Yes. Yes it is." The power restrictions you're facing with consumer electronics are measured in milliwatts. With the current regulations and field of devices, you'll be lucky to get a 300 foot, line-of-sight radius, even with the range-extending antennae for which Linksys/D-Link/Whomever will charge you out the arse. Mainstream Amateur Radio systems aren't currently

  • ZibBee for the Clueless (Score:1, Redundant)

    by N8F8 ( 4562 )
    Here is a link to a Wikipedia explaination for ZigBee. [wikipedia.org]

    ZigBee is a published specification set of high level communication protocols designed to use small, low power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for wireless personal area networks (WPANs).

  • A colleague of mine is working on this and could probably answer most of the questions. Unfortunately he's just left to go travelling for 3 weeks. Please schedule the repost for at least 3 weeks time. :)
  • This technology seems perfect for implementing a 'Star Trek' type 'Computer, please locate Mr. Spock' technology.'

    There is not a day that goes by that I don't wish that I had a real-time in-the-building locator system so I could find a particular person.

    Privacy advocates, prepare your mod points for flaming now...
    • Bat [att.com] is the only human tracking system I have seen implemented that actually works.

      It takes a lot more than just having a wireless link to do tracking. However, the Bat system was attempting to track location to the cm if you just want to figure out what room someone is then I can think of ways to do it. The general result is that you still need either gps (which is unreliable indoors) or beacons in each room in order to make it work.

      However, once implemented the Bat system's researcher discovered that

  • sigh (Score:1)

    by LoaTao ( 826152 )
    Something else to cause us 900 MHz WISPs headaches.
    • Well, this is 2.4Ghz.. but you have no right to whine anyway.

      If you built a business based on Part 15 devices, which have absolutely no precedent over any other transmission, you get what you deserve. You must cease transmission if you interfere with any licensed service, and you must work on equal terms sorting out interference with other Part 15 radiators, including home users.

      Suck it up, those have always been the rules.
  • First, the outdoor, Line-of-Sight spec is 4000', or slightly over 1km. That doesn't jive w/ the RF performance specs of 100mW EIRP and -100dBm sensitivity, which should be a 10km LOS distance @ 2.4GHz (for the math geeks: Transmit Power (Ptx) - Sensitivity(Prx) = Max Path Loss(Lp). Path Loss(Lp) = 32.44 + 20log10(F(MHz)*D(km)). Do that math and they should be 9.9km). So somewhere they're claiming a false spec, or they're leaving 20dB of path margin to account for rain fade, etc, but I've never known an
    • First of all, the line-of-sight range spec is conservative and is better estimate of practical (not theoretical) error-free ranges. Second, while most use these radios in NLOS settings, this spec makes it comparable to other technologies. While this isn't the best on current consumption, there is an interchangeable 1mW module that draws very low current and allows ZigBee networks to be flexible for the needs of the network. Plus power-down sleep modes are less than 5 microamps in sleep modes.
  • Microchip have the beginnings of a Zigbee stack for their PIC range:

    http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcServic e=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1406&dDocName=en021925 [microchip.com]

    Around £140 for two nodes if memory serves. I'm not sure I'm that impressed with the state of the stack at the moment, but it serves if you want to have a play.

  • Take a couple of these and a fist full of transitors
    (linear amp) and it will communicate well over a mile.

    http://www.rentron.com/remote_control/TWS-434.htm [rentron.com]
  • It's low-cost, low-complexity, and low-power. There's already a large consortium here [zigbee.org] promoting Zigbee, which consists of big players such as Honeywell, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Samsung, Philips, Cisco, Texas Instruments, and much more. With such industry support I'm sure something good will happen (or at least, I HOPE so!)

    For example, here's [exegin.com] a company that seems to be furthering the ZigBee movement along the Zigbee (and Slashdot?) ideals: "a GNU open source development tool chain allow rapid porting of you

  • Interested in microwave experimentation and RF hacking?
    Get a ham license and gain legal, high-power access to 900Mhz, 1.2 GHz, 2.3 GHz, 2.4Ghz, 3.4 GHz, 5.6 GHz, 10 GHz, 24 Ghz, 47 GHz, 75 GHz, 120 GHz, 142 GHZ, 241 GHz, and 300 Ghz and up. A guy nearby managed to be the first person to bounce a 24 GHz signal off the moon! Or check out one of the various local organizations (I randomly chose San Bernadino Microwave Society [ham-radio.com]) for more info.

    No morse code test required, and see Technician Test [qrz.com] for practice te
  • ZigBee Piggy,
    ZigBee Piggy,
    ZigBee Piggy,
    ZigBee Piggy!!!!
  • The device is described as 'Zigbee ready' which is marketing-speak for an 802.15.4 device with a proprietary application layer - at some stage it may be upgraded for Zigbee compatibility, but right now it can't be compatible with the standard, because there is no standard for Zigbee serial devices.

    A true Zigbee device must be tested for inter-operable conformance to an agreed 'profile', but so far only one profile has been created (for lamp/switch nodes). It is estimated that a new profile takes at least

  • I have had a project in mind for some time that perhaps could use this device and I would love to get some advice (I have not really done any project of this type since I was finished with my engineering education).

    The water supply to my parent's house is a well,and they are restrictive with water usage, especially in the summer, in order not to risk that the well becomes emptied (because if it does then one gets air into the pipe which then must be removed (by pumping water (from somewhere else) from t

    • I recently did a project using 802.15.4 (the MAC layer under Zigbee - I didn't implement the full ZigBee protocol).

      Anyway, 200 meters might be pushing it. From my experience, this distance is easily achievable outside, but if you have to go from inside a building like a well house into your house, the walls will probably prevent 200 meters.

      You shouldn't need a big car battery. One of the main points of 802.15.4 and ZigBee is low power consumption. You put the microcontroller and sensor circuitry into slee
  • this post sounds like some poorly written PR.

  • Ant protocol looks interesting for simple apps (Score:3, Informative)

    by wrmrxxx ( 696969 ) on Monday August 01, 2005 @05:46PM (#13218163)

    Zigbee was motivated largely by a need for simplicity and low power in comparison to Bluetooth. But it still looks like a fair bit of work to implement the software stack - not likely to fit comfortably in a tiny micro with only a KB or two of flash. The module linked to from the summary looks like it would take away this problem, but it's huge compared to the hardware I'd want to use it with. I'm hoping this will shrink down to chip size soon, like some of the hardware USB bridge chips [silabs.com] that are available now.

    There's another interesting new protocol around that is even simpler called ANT [thisisant.com]. It's proprietary and the only implementation I know of at the moment is the Nordic nRF24AP1 chip [nordicsemi.no], but there's full data available on the thisisant [thisisant.com] web site. It's so simple that I was able to read and understand the protocol document in one sitting. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some of these because they look perfect for home made hardware - they're tiny (5mm x 5mm), will work with cheap 8 bit micro's, and the software won't be too complicated.

  • I was interested to see this link since I've had in mind for a while a project to make a very low rate two way data messaging pair of radios that I could use while rock climbing. I find the existing solutions of voice radios suboptimal and sometimes they don't work even with a separation of 50 m if your line of sight has a bunch of rock in the way. I was thinking a bit rate on the order of 100 to 1000 bps would be plenty and would allow for such a large Eb/No that I could probably close a link even with a
  • Sometimes when a Wikipedia article is linked to from Slashdot, it immediately fills up with pictures of penises and other such nonsense. This fortunately has not happened this time.

    I have a suggestion: When linking to Wikipedia in a Slashdot article, link directly to the latest revision by clicking on History and copying the topmost timestamp link. That way, incoming Slashdotters will see a safe version of the version of the article, and more importantly there will be less incentive for the vandals to do th

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