RFID HAS ITS PLACE IN TRACKING AND TRACING, BUT YOU CAN DO SO MUCH MORE WITH ZIGBEE….says Kevin Buckley of IDC Simplicon.
Just as companies in all areas of industrial manufacturing and supply were assimilating the benefits of RFID for their operations, along comes ZigbeeTM, a short range wireless personal area network that can be used for tracking, and, it must be said, a great many other things besides
Whereas RFID is a method of remotely storing and retrieving data using RFID tags and readers, Zigbee goes much further. It is a full- blown telemetry system in its own right, with the ability to provide wireless personal area networking (WPAN) i.e. digital radio connections between computers and related devices, such as sensors. This kind of network eliminates the use of physical data buses such as USB and Ethernet cables. As such, Zigbee it is the ideal system to provide the copper-less warehouse or factory.
When used in a tracking application, Zigbee does not require the read portals or the associated management software that RFID systems do. Moreover, although RFID tags are cheap, the infrastructure required to read and process the data they gather is not. There are some downsides, however: RFID technology is simpler and cheaper than wireless technology at present, but this situation will no doubt change when the greater flexibility, utility and reliability of Zigbee results in its more widespread application.
Zigbee builds on the global communication protocol standards developed by the 802.15 Working Group. The fourth in the series of these protocols, WPAN Low rate Zigbee is designed primarily for telemetry applications. It provides specifications for devices that have low data rates, consume very little power and are thus characterised by long battery life. Compared to Bluetooth, another of the 802.15 Group protocols, Zigbee has lower data rates and doesn’t offer such a high bandwidth. However, its strength is that it can be incorporated into small chips that consume little power and are relatively inexpensive. These chips can then be integrated into low-cost, low -power devices that can “sleep” for 99% of the time until awakened by a beacon signal.
One of the key benefits of Zigbee is that, unlike RFID tags, its nodes can relay each other’s traffic, bypassing wired networks completely. In contrast, Wi-Fi devices connect directly to an access point, which is wired to the enterprise network using Ethernet, while Bluetooth devices connect to another wireless device, usually a phone, which acts as a hub.
The power and flexibility inherent in Zigbee technology is exemplified by its ability to support over 64,000 devices in star, tree or mesh formations. The technology provides high reliability, self- healing, self-joining networks, with network protocol security encryption, and is designed to operate in electrically noisy industrial environments.
The 802.15.4 based Zigbee is designed for remote control and sensors, which are many in number but only require small packets of data, and in the main, extremely low power consumption for long life. One of the technologies first areas of usage is home automation, where it revolutionising components such as light switches, fire and smoke detectors, thermostats, kitchen appliances, security systems and video and remote controls with its wireless technology. The big plus for consumers apart from being able to position switches anywhere is that, with Zigbee designed to enable two-way communications, not only will they be able to monitor and keep track of their domestic utilities usage, but also feed this data to a computer system for data analysis. In addition, consumers will be able to interrogate Zigbee nodes remotely to determine and change the temperature of buildings, or switch on devices prior to arriving home.
One of the first uses planned by IDC for Zigbee is in the area of offshore safety; in particular, offshore manpower tracking in wind turbines. Tracking is required in these structures for a number of reasons. First, because the weather often turns bad very quickly, and there is a need to get people back on shore within 60 minutes. Second, there is the safety issue of personnel working in isolation, remotely. Third, security and access restrictions apply to the turbines. Fourth, management need to know who is working where, and how efficiently.
Fifth, access to maintenance logs is restricted. Sixth and final, details of personnel medical records can be held on the Zigbee chip, for fast retrieval of personnel medical details in the event of an accident.
The building blocks of this system using ZigBee technology start with a simple configuration employing a single wireless sensor in each turbine to log when a person enters and leaves. Complementing this will be basic central software for real time tracking and logging. Once this is place the system can be easily expanded to incorporate other features and facilities as required.
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For further information contact: Peter Hadley, IDC Ltd, Keynes House, Chester Park, Alfreton Road, Derby. DE21 4AS. Tel: +44 (0) 1332 604 030 Fax: +44 (0) 1332 604 031. E-mail: sales@idc.gb.com Website: www.idc.gb.com