Bluetooth Vs Zigbee

FINAL PROJECT
COMPARISON OF SHORT RANGE
WIRELESS NETWORKS (PAN’s)
ZigBee vs. Bluetooth

Course: Mobile Communication and Networks
Date: 1st June 2011

Dedication

I dedicate this project to myself, dear parents
and sisters who were a great support.

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Acknowledgement

First of all I thank ALLAH, the Almighty, for bestowing me with determination and grit
to undergo the project. I owe my gratitude to many people for the guidance they
endowed me with. Foremost on the list is Ms Jaweria Malik, my supervisor, who was
sheer source of guidance and encouragement. I am also gratified to my family whose
suggestions have helped me to improve and render this project

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Abstract

In this research report we have done a comparative study of Bluetooth and zigbee. Both
are the short range wireless technologies (PAN’s). But in this research report we try to
explain the working of both the technologies and their comparison too. With time as all
the technologies get developed then how these short range devices make their own place
in the world of technology. And the full overview of both technologies and their
comparison.

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Table of Contents

Sr. Page
Content
no No
1 ZigBee……………………………………….…….…....................... 6
2 Introduction………………………………………………………..... 6

3 How zigbee works………………………………………….……….. 7

4 ZigBee Network Topologies…….…...…...…………………..……... 8

5 How ZigBee Operates……………………………………….……..... 9

6 What zigbee do…..………………………………...………………... 9

7 BLUETOOTH…...……………………………………………..…… 11

8 Introductioon….…………………..….…………………………..…. 11

9 How Bluetooth Creates a Connection ……..…………………..…... 12
10 How Bluetooth Operates……………………………………..…...… 13
11 Bluetooth Pico nets ..…………………………………………..……. 14
12 Bluetooth Security ….……………………………………….….…... 16
13 Difference between ZigBee and Bluetooth……………………….… 17
14 Conclusion……………………………………………………….…... 20

ZigBee: -

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Introduction:
ZigBee is a technological standard, based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, which was
created specifically for control and sensor networks. Within the broad organization of
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the 802 group is the section
that deals with network operations and technologies. Group 15 works more specifically
with wireless networking, and Task Group 4 drafted the 802.15.4 standard for a low
data rate wireless personal area network (WPAN). The standard for this WPAN
specifies not only a low data rate but also low power consumption and low complexity,
among other things. The data rate is limited to 250 kbps in the global 2.4 GHz
Industrial, Scientific, Medical (ISM) band, 20 kbps in the 868 MHz band used in
Europe, and 40 kbps in the 915 MHz band used in North America and Australia. The
ZigBee standard is built on top of this IEEE standard, addressing remote monitoring and
control for sensory network applications. This standard was created by an organization
known as the ZigBee Alliance, which is composed of a large number of companies and
industry leaders striving to enable such control devices based on said standard. Figure 1
below shows the relationship between IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee.

Figure 1: ZigBee Stack Architecture

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As can be seen in the figure, IEEE 802.15.4 develops the Medium Access Control
(MAC) Layer and Physical (PHY) Layer, which address such things as the frequency
and data rate specifications. The Physical Layer also allows for two types of devices:
full function devices (FFD's) and reduced function devices (RFD's). ZigBee,
meanwhile, develops the Network Layer and Application Layer, which includes the
Applications Support Sublayer, the ZigBee Device Object, and the Security Services.
The Network Layer and Application Layer are more specific than the IEEE layers and
involve such things as how a ZigBee network is to be set up, how the devices in the
network relate to one another, and so on.
How ZigBee Works:
ZigBee basically uses digital radios to allow devices to communicate with one another.
A typical ZigBee network consists of several types of devices. A network coordinator is
a device that sets up the network, is aware of all the nodes within its network, and
manages both the information about each node as well as the information that is being
transmitted/received within the network. Every ZigBee network must contain a network
coordinator. Other Full Function Devices (FFD's) may be found in the network, and
these devices support all of the 802.15.4 functions. They can serve as network
coordinators, network routers, or as devices that interact with the physical world. The
final device found in these networks is the Reduced Function Device (RFD), which
usually only serve as devices that interact with the physical world. An example of a
ZigBee network is shown below in Figure 2.

Figure 2: ZigBee Network
The figure above introduces the concept of the ZigBee network topology.

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ZigBee Network Topologies:
Several topologies are supported by ZigBee, including star, mesh, and cluster tree. Star
and mesh networking are both shown in the figure above. As can be seen, star topology
is most useful when several end devices are located close together so that they can
communicate with a single router node. That node can then be a part of a larger mesh
network that ultimately communicates with the network coordinator. Mesh networking
allows for redundancy in node links, so that if one node goes down, devices can find an
alternative path to communicate with one another. Figures 3 and 4 below provide an
example of how mesh networking allows for multiple paths between devices.

Figure 3: Mesh Networking Path 1

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Figure 4: Mesh Networking Path 2
How ZigBee Operates:
ZigBee operates in two main modes: non-beacon mode and beacon mode. Beacon
mode is a fully coordinated mode in that all the devices know when to coordinate with
one another. In this mode, the network coordinator will periodically "wake-up" and
send out a beacon to the devices within its network. This beacon subsequently wakes up
each device, who must determine if it has any message to receive. If not, the device
returns to sleep, as will the network coordinator, once its job is complete. Non-beacon
mode, on the other hand, is less coordinated, as any device can communicate with the
coordinator at will. However, this operation can cause different devices within the
network to interfere with one another, and the coordinator must always be awake to
listen for signals, thus requiring more power. In any case, ZigBee obtains its overall
low power consumption because the majority of network devices are able to remain
inactive over long periods of time.
What Does ZigBee Do:
ZigBee is designed for wireless controls and sensors. It could be built into just about
anything you have around your home or office, including lights, switches, doors and
appliances. These devices can then interact without wires, and you can control them all.
Although ZigBee's underlying radio-communication technology isn't revolutionary, it
goes well beyond single-purpose wireless devices, such as garage door openers and
"The Clapper" that turns light on and off. It allows wireless two-way communications
between lights and switches, thermostats and furnaces, hotel-room air-conditioners and
the front desk, and central command posts. It travels across greater distances and
handles many sensors that can be linked to perform different tasks.
ZigBee works well because it aims low. Controls and sensors don't need to send and
receive much data. ZigBee has been designed to transmit slowly. It has a data rate of
250kbps (kilobits per second), pitiful compared with Wi-Fi, which is hitting throughput
of 20Mbps or more. But because ZigBee transmits slowly, it doesn't need much power,
so batteries will last up to 10 years. Because ZigBee consumes very little power, a
sensor and transmitter that reports whether a door is open or closed, for example, can
run for up to five years on a single double-A battery. Also, operators are much happier

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about adding ZigBee to their phones than faster technologies such as Wi-Fi; therefore,
the phone will be able to act as a remote control for all the ZigBee devices it encounters.

Figure 5 below gives a great example of how ZigBee can be applied.

Figure 5: ZigBee Application

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BLUETOOTH: -
Introduction:
When you use computers, entertainment systems or telephones, the various pieces and
parts of the systems make up a community of electronic devices. These devices
communicate with each other using a variety of wires, cables, radio signals and infrared
light beams, and an even greater variety of connectors, plugs and protocols.
There are lots of different ways that electronic devices can connect to one another. For
example:
• Component cables
• Electrical wires
• Ethernet cables
• WiFi
• Infrared signals
The art of connecting things is becoming more and more complex every day. Bluetooth
can streamline the process. A Bluetooth connection is wireless and automatic, and it has
a number of interesting features that can simplify our daily lives.
The Problem:
When any two devices need to talk to each other, they have to agree on a number of
points before the conversation can begin. The first point of agreement is physical: Will
they talk over wires, or through some form of wireless signals? If they use wires, how
many are required -- one, two, eight, 25? Once the physical attributes are decided,
several more questions arise:
How much data will be sent at a time? For instance, serial ports send data 1 bit at a time,
while parallel ports send several bits at once.
How will they speak to each other? All of the parties in an electronic discussion need to
know what the bits mean and whether the message they receive is the same message that
was sent. This means developing a set of commands and responses known as a protocol.
Bluetooth offers a solution to the problem.

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How Bluetooth Creates a Connection:
Bluetooth takes small-area networking to the next level by removing the need for user
intervention and keeping transmission power extremely low to save battery power.
Picture this: You're on your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, standing outside the door to
your house. You tell the person on the other end
of the line to call you back in five minutes so
you can get in the house and put your stuff away.
As soon as you walk in the house, the map you
received on your cell phone from your car's
Bluetooth-enabled GPS system is automatically Bluetooth wireless PC card
sent to your Bluetooth-enabled computer, because your cell phone picked up a
Bluetooth signal from your PC and automatically sent the data you designated for
transfer. Five minutes later, when your friend calls you back, your Bluetooth-enabled
home phone rings instead of your cell phone. The person called the same number, but
your home phone picked up the Bluetooth signal from your cell phone and
automatically re-routed the call because it realized you were home. And each
transmission signal to and from your cell phone consumes just 1 mill watt of power, so
your cell phone charge is virtually unaffected by all of this activity.
Bluetooth is essentially a networking standard that works at two levels:
It provides agreement at the physical level -- Bluetooth is a radio-frequency standard.
It provides agreement at the protocol level, where products have to agree on when bits
are sent, how many will be sent at a time, and how the parties in a conversation can be
sure that the message received is the same as the message sent.
Advantages of Bluetooth:
The big draws of Bluetooth are that it is wireless, inexpensive and automatic. There are
other ways to get around using wires, including infrared communication. Infrared (IR)
refers to light waves of a lower frequency than human eyes can receive and interpret.
Infrared is used in most television remote control systems. Infrared communications are
fairly reliable and don't cost very much to build into a device, but there are a couple of
drawbacks. First, infrared is a "line of sight" technology. For example, you have to point

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the remote control at the television or DVD player to make things happen. The second
drawback is that infrared is almost always a "one to one" technology. You can send data
between your desktop computer and your laptop computer, but not your laptop
computer and your PDA at the same time. (See How Remote Controls Work to learn
more about infrared communication.)
These two qualities of infrared are actually advantageous in some regards. Because
infrared transmitters and receivers have to be lined up with each other, interference
between devices is uncommon. The one-to-one nature of infrared communications is
useful in that you can make sure a message goes only to the intended recipient, even in a
room full of infrared receivers.
Bluetooth is intended to get around the problems that come with infrared systems. The
older Bluetooth 1.0 standard has a maximum transfer speed of 1 megabit per second
(Mbps), while Bluetooth 2.0 can manage up to 3 Mbps. Bluetooth 2.0 is backward-
compatible with 1.0 devices.
How Bluetooth Operates:
Bluetooth networking transmits data via low-power radio waves. It communicates on a
frequency of 2.45 gigahertz (actually between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz, to be exact).
This frequency band has been set aside by international agreement for the use of
industrial, scientific and medical devices (ISM).
A number of devices that you may already use take advantage of this same radio-
frequency band. Baby monitors, garage-door openers and the newest generation of
cordless phones all make use of frequencies in the ISM band. Making sure that
Bluetooth and these other devices don't interfere with one another has been a crucial part
of the design process.
One of the ways Bluetooth devices avoid interfering with other systems is by sending
out very weak signals of about 1 mill watt. By comparison, the most powerful cell
phones can transmit a signal of 3 watts. The low power limits the range of a Bluetooth
device to about 10 meters (32 feet), cutting the chances of interference between your
computer system and your portable telephone or television. Even with the low power,
Bluetooth doesn't require line of sight between communicating devices. The walls in

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your house won't stop a Bluetooth signal, making the standard useful for controlling
several devices in different rooms.
Bluetooth can connect up to eight devices simultaneously. With all of those devices in
the same 10-meter (32-foot) radius, you might think they'd interfere with one another,
but it's unlikely. Bluetooth uses a technique called spread-spectrum frequency hopping
that makes it rare for more than one device to be transmitting on the same frequency at
the same time. In this technique, a device will use 79 individual, randomly chosen
frequencies within a designated range, changing from one to another on a regular basis.
In the case of Bluetooth, the transmitters change frequencies 1,600 times every second,
meaning that more devices can make full use of a limited slice of the radio spectrum.
Since every Bluetooth transmitter uses spread-spectrum transmitting automatically, it’s
unlikely that two transmitters will be on the same frequency at the same time. This same
technique minimizes the risk that portable phones or baby monitors will disrupt
Bluetooth devices, since any interference on a particular frequency will last only a tiny
fraction of a second.
When Bluetooth-capable devices come within range of one another, an electronic
conversation takes place to determine whether they have data to share or whether one
needs to control the other. The user doesn't have to press a button or give a command --
the electronic conversation happens automatically. Once the conversation has occurred,
the devices -- whether they're part of a computer system or a stereo -- form a network.
Bluetooth systems create a personal-area network (PAN), or piconet, that may fill a
room or may encompass no more distance than that between the cell phone on a belt-
clip and the headset on your head. Once a piconet is established, the members randomly
hop frequencies in unison so they stay in touch with one another and avoid other
piconets that may be operating in the same room
Bluetooth Pico nets:
Most of the time, a network or communications method either works in one direction at
a time, called half-duplex communication, or in both directions simultaneously, called
full-duplex communication. A speakerphone that lets you either listen or talk, but not
both, is an example of half-duplex communication, while a regular telephone handset is
a full-duplex device. Because Bluetooth is designed to work in a number of different

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circumstances, it can be either half-duplex or full-duplex.

The cordless telephone is an example of a use that will call for a full-duplex (two-way)
link, and Bluetooth can send data at more than 64 kilobits per second (Kbps) in a full-
duplex link -- a rate high enough to support several voice conversations. If a particular
use calls for a half-duplex link -- connecting to a computer printer, for example --
Bluetooth can transmit up to 721 Kbps in one direction, with 57.6 Kbps in the other. If
the use calls for the same speed in both directions, Bluetooth can establish a link with
432.6-Kbps capacity in each direction.
Let's say you have a typical modern living room with typical modern stuff inside.
There's an entertainment system with a stereo, a DVD player, a satellite TV receiver and
a television; there's also a cordless telephone and a personal computer. Each of these
systems uses Bluetooth, and each forms its own piconet to talk between the main unit
and peripheral.
The cordless telephone has one Bluetooth transmitter in the base and another in the
handset. The manufacturer has programmed each unit with an address that falls into a
range of addresses it has established for a particular type of device. When the base is
first turned on, it sends radio signals asking for a response from any units with an
address in a particular range. Since the handset has an address in the range, it responds,
and a tiny network is formed. Now, even if one of these devices should receive a signal
from another system, it will ignore it since it's not from within the network. The
computer and entertainment system go through similar routines, establishing networks
among addresses in ranges established by manufacturers. Once the networks are
established, the systems begin talking among themselves. Each piconet hops randomly
through the available frequencies, so all of the piconets are completely separated from
one another.
Now the living room has three separate networks established, each one made up of
devices that know the address of transmitters it should listen to and the address of
receivers it should talk to. Since each network is changing the frequency of its operation
thousands of times a second, it's unlikely that any two networks will be on the same
frequency at the same time. If it turns out that they are, then the resulting confusion will

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only cover a tiny fraction of a second, and software designed to correct for such errors
weeds out the confusing information and gets on with the network's business.

Bluetooth Security:
In any wireless networking setup, security is a concern. Devices can easily grab radio
waves out of the air, so people who send sensitive information over a wireless
connection need to take precautions to make sure those signals aren't intercepted.
Bluetooth technology is no different -- it's wireless and therefore susceptible to spying
and remote access, just like WiFi is susceptible if the network isn't secure. With
Bluetooth, though, the automatic nature of the connection, which is a huge benefit in
terms of time and effort, is also a benefit to people looking to send you data without
your permission.
Bluetooth offers several security modes, and device manufacturers determine which
mode to include in a Bluetooth-enabled gadget. In almost all cases, Bluetooth users can
establish "trusted devices" that can exchange data without asking permission. When any
other device tries to establish a connection to the user's gadget, the user has to decide to
allow it. Service-level security and device-level security work together to protect
Bluetooth devices from unauthorized data transmission. Security methods include
authorization and identification procedures that limit the use of Bluetooth services to the
registered user and require that users make a conscious decision to open a file or accept
a data transfer. As long as these measures are enabled on the user's phone or other
device, unauthorized access is unlikely. A user can also simply switch his Bluetooth
mode to "non-discoverable" and avoid connecting with other Bluetooth devices entirely.
If a user makes use of the Bluetooth network primarily for synching devices at home,
this might be a good way to avoid any chance of a security breach while in public.
Still, early cell-phone virus writers have taken advantage of Bluetooth's automated
connection process to send out infected files. However, since most cell phones use a
secure Bluetooth connection that requires authorization and authentication before
accepting data from an unknown device, the infected file typically doesn't get very far.
When the virus arrives in the user's cell phone, the user has to agree to open it and then

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agree to install it. This has, so far, stopped most cell-phone viruses from doing much
damage. See How Cell-phone Viruses Work to learn more.
Other problems like "bluejacking," "bluebugging" and "Car Whisperer" have turned up
as Bluetooth-specific security issues. Bluejacking involves Bluetooth users sending a
business card (just a text message, really) to other Bluetooth users within a 10-meter
(32-foot) radius. If the user doesn't realize what the message is, he might allow the
contact to be added to his address book, and the contact can send him messages that
might be automatically opened because they're coming from a known contact.
Bluebugging is more of a problem, because it allows hackers to remotely access a user's
phone and use its features, including placing calls and sending text messages, and the
user doesn't realize it's happening. The Car Whisperer is a piece of software that allows
hackers to send audio to and receive audio from a Bluetooth-enabled car stereo. Like a
computer security hole, these vulnerabilities are an inevitable result of technological
innovation, and device manufacturers are releasing firmware upgrades that address new
problems as they arise.

Difference between ZigBee and Bluetooth: -
ZigBee is broadly categorized as a low rate WPAN, and its closest technology is
Bluetooth. A good bit of energy has been spent in analyzing whether ZigBee and
Bluetooth are complementary or competing technologies, but after a quick look at the
two, it can be seen that they fall a lot farther down the complementary side of the
spectrum. They are two different technologies with very different areas of application
and different means of designing for those applications.
• Area of Application:
While ZigBee is focused on control and automation, Bluetooth is focused on
connectivity between laptops, PDA’s, and the like, as well as more general cable
replacement.
• Data Rate:
ZigBee uses low data rate, low power consumption, and works with small packet
devices; Bluetooth uses a higher data rate, higher power consumption, and works with
large packet devices.

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• Supportable Number of Devices:
ZigBee networks can support a larger number of devices and a longer range between
devices than Bluetooth.
• Response Timing:
In timing critical applications, ZigBee is designed to respond quickly, while Bluetooth
takes much longer and could be detrimental to the application.
• Battery Charging:
As an example, for its applications, Bluetooth must rely on fairly frequent battery
recharging, while the whole goal of ZigBee is for a user to be able to put a couple of
batteries in the devices and forget about them for months to years.
Figure below shows a comparison of the various 802 technologies for data rate and
range.

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Figure 6: The 802 Wireless Space

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Table 1: Wireless Comparisons

Conclusion: -

Because of these differences, the technologies are not only geared toward different
applications, they don't have the capability to extend out to other applications. Thus, a
user could easily use both technologies as a wireless solution in a PAN to suit all types
of applications within that network.

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Sources:

• Bluetooth.com
http://www.bluetooth.com
• Bluetooth.org
http://www.bluetooth.org
• "Bluetooth Technology: What are the applications?" MobileInfo.com.
http://www.mobileinfo.com/Bluetooth/applic.html
• Fleishman, Glenn. "Inside Bluetooth 2.0." Macworld.com.
http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/02/09/bluetooth2/index.php
• Shepter, John. "How Bluetooth cuts the cord."
http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/generic/0,295582,sid40_gci10678
72,00.html
• "Wireless Security." Bluetooth.com.
http://www.bluetooth.com/help/security.asp

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