Expanding Mesh Networking Products for Smart Homes and Enterprises

Nordic Semiconductor has launched its first Zigbee wireless connectivity solution for the nRF52840 multiprotocol SoC.

The first engineering version has been announced, with plans to obtain industrial-grade Zigbee 3.0 certification in the second half of 2018. By launching the Zigbee solution, Nordic has expanded its portfolio of mesh networking products (including Bluetooth Mesh and Thread) for smart homes, enterprises, and industrial sectors. Like other Nordic mesh solutions, the nRF52840 SoC, supported by the S140 v6.0 SoftDevice (stack), can support the simultaneous operation of Zigbee, Bluetooth 5, and Bluetooth Low Energy.

Nordic’s multiprotocol solution for the nRF52840 SoC enables the use of multiple wireless technologies in various applications. For example, it allows smartphones to interact with Zigbee smart lighting networks via Bluetooth 5 or with Zigbee secure networks that use Bluetooth beacons for location identification. This SDK includes several examples, including the simultaneous operation of Zigbee and Bluetooth 5 for smart bulbs or switches.

Zigbee is a global standard-based wireless solution that utilizes the IEEE 802.15.4 PHY and operates anywhere in the 2.5GHz unlicensed band (or other frequency bands in some regions). Depending on power output and environmental characteristics, the transmission distance ranges from 10 meters to 100 meters, and a data transmission speed of 250 kbps can be achieved at 2.4 GHz (16 channels). This technology supports large-scale mesh networks (where nodes can forward messages to other nodes) and low-power operation that can extend battery life.

Founded in 2002, the Zigbee Alliance is a member-based non-profit organization dedicated to expanding its global ecosystem. The Alliance regards this technology as an economical and convenient global standard-based wireless solution that enables consumers to control various devices comfortably, safely, and easily. This technology is an ideal solution for global service providers, utilities manufacturers, and retailers seeking to extend the benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) to smart homes.

Victor Berrios, Vice President of Technology at the Zigbee Alliance, stated, “Our members can now leverage Nordic’s unrivaled industry insights and expertise. We welcome Nordic’s support for Zigbee and are very pleased to collaborate on the certification of Nordic’s first Zigbee platform.” He further emphasized, “By adding Zigbee to the new software development kit, Nordic has not only expanded the scope of its products but also enabled IoT product manufacturers to make additional design choices.”

Geir Langeland, Sales and Marketing Director at Nordic Semiconductor, stated, “Nordic’s strategy is to support leading standards-based low-power wireless protocols through silicon and development tools,” adding, “Zigbee is one of the leading standards, particularly in the fields of home and industrial automation.” “Nordic is pleased to provide a certified solution that supports both Zigbee and Bluetooth 5 simultaneously through its high-end multiprotocol chips, enabling developers to flexibly execute complete wireless IoT designs,” the company stated.