A multi-purpose wireless sensor network based on ZigBee technology

Abstract

Among a wide offer of wireless technologies, ZigBee is one of the most actractive for connecting low-volume devices, such as sensors. This paper aims at presenting a project which is being carried on at Microcomputers and Biomedical Devices laboratory (Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, University of Pavia, Italy). The goal of the project is the development of a prototype of ZigBee sensors network for temperature monitoring. The idea is to evaluate the capability of ZigBee technology in order to build wireless sensors networks for environmental monitoring. The use of a single chip which integrates a microcontroller and a ZigBee transceiver gives the possibility of developing wireless devices with small dimensions, low power consumption, and a good computing capability. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.