Comparative Evaluation Of Zigbee And Bluetooth: Embedded Wireless Network Technologies For Students And Designers

Networked embedded system applications are becoming commonplace. Communication between common devices such as cell-phones, PDAs, cameras, printers are already available. These communication options can be expanded to include embedded systems in cars, homes, workplaces and other venues to provide users new ways to interact and be notified of important events. New wireless solutions and standards have been developed to answer the user’s networking demands, including Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1) and ZigBee (based on IEEE 802.15.4). Selecting between these and other systems is a problem for students, instructional designers, and system developers. The capabilities and application domains of the various technical solutions must be clearly understood both in theory and practice. The specific requirements of application domains as diverse as cell phones, printers, smart homes or network system monitoring must also be clearly delineated to ensure successful project completion. While system designers need to understand and incorporate these technologies in projects, instructional designers need to incorporate them in computer-oriented curricula to ensure the rising generation of computer students is well prepared. This paper evaluates the wireless networking standards, Bluetooth and ZigBee. We discuss the intent of the standard developers, the pros and cons of each network type, appropriate applications, and the future of these standards. Recommendations are made for presentation in technological educational environments.