This report in slashdot give a brief overview of a ZigBee as an alternative to Bluetooth if you don't need the 1 MBit/sec speed (which results in high power consumption.). ZigBee corresponds to IEEE 802.15 specification. This seems viable for belt mounted devices that need to connect to a handheld but can't be include in the handheld due to size. There is a pdf overview of ZigBee on the website and it includes the general specs as follows:
- Data rates of 250 kbps and 20 kbps
- Star topology, peer to peer possible
- 255 devices per network
- CSMA-CA channel access
- Optional Guaranteed Time Slot
- Fully handshaked protocol for transfer reliability
- Low power (battery life multi-month to nearly infinite)
- Dual PHY (2.4GHz and 868/915 MHz)
- Extremely low duty-cycle (<0.1%)
- Range: 10m nominal (1-100m based on settings)
- Location Aware: Yes, but optional
The same pdf overview has a nice diagram of where ZigBee fits in the wireless landscape.
Noticeable missing from the list of ZigBee members is Microsoft. Hmmm?
12:23:55 AM
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