NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: JOANIE WEXLER ON WIRELESS IN THE ENTERPRISE 11/08/04 Today's focus: ZigBee spec on deck
Dear [EMAIL PROTECTED], In this issue: * Sensor networks mature * Links related to Wireless in the Enterprise * Featured reader resource _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by Trapeze Networks MAKING SENSE OF WLAN SECURITY Can you build a progressively secure WLAN? What's the best encryption and authentication? Get answers in "WLAN Security: Making Sense of the Options," an I-can-understand-it-all-by-myself report from Trapeze Networks. Click here to get it http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=80941 _______________________________________________________________ SECURTIY SUMMIT: CAN SECURITY BE A COMPETITIVE EDGE? Recently 23 prominent IT executives and academics gathered at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH for a daylong roundtable to address such questions. CIOs and VPs from some of the largest and most well-known companies in the US shared with peers their security fears, goals, frustrations and challenges. Find out more: http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=87877 _______________________________________________________________ Today's focus: ZigBee spec on deck By Joanie Wexler It's been quite some time since I mentioned ZigBee, the emerging low-cost sensor network based on IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standards in the 2.4 GHz band. Well, the ZigBee 1.0 specification is poised for publication this month - and possibly as early as this week. The forthcoming spec defines the network, security and application software layers above the physical and MAC layers defined in 802.15.4. In addition, the ZigBee Alliance, a consortium of technology companies, plans to announce a conformance and interoperability certification program, according to alliance board member Jon Adams, who is also director of radio technology and strategy at Freescale Semiconductor. ZigBee represents an industry initiative to enable the construction of business and residential network applications using low-cost, low-power sensors that run on batteries with very long lives. Among these applications are lighting control; heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) environmental management; and industrial sensors. Hotel sensor networks, for example, could automatically determine when there's no one in a room and then turn off lights, heat and air conditioning to conserve energy. Similarly, hotels could keep a guest's profile with room temperature preference on file, and the room could automatically be programmed to adjust to that environment upon guest check-in. At the network layer, ZigBee specifies how the sensor network forms (in a mesh configuration), heals itself, grows, and routes messages, Adams explains. For security, 802.15.4 specifies 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard encryption, but nothing about how to manage encryption keys. So ZigBee specifies key management. At the application layer, ZigBee 1.0 has already defined basic applications for lighting, HVAC and industrial sensors; developers can simply add their own look and feel. For application developers who choose not to use the standard ZigBee profile, there are API calls in the 1.0 spec that define rules for how applications speak to the ZigBee system, Adams says. RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS Wireless sensor networks grabbing greater attention Network World, 09/27/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/092704sensors.html ZigBee vendor group to wireless-enable facilities monitoring Network World Wireless in the Enterprise Newsletter, 08/25/03 http://www.nwfusion.com/nlwir813 ZigBee enables wireless embedded nets Network World, 08/23/04 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/tech/2004/082304techupdate.html _______________________________________________________________ To contact: Joanie Wexler Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology writer/editor in California's Silicon Valley who has spent most of her career analyzing trends and news in the computer networking industry. She welcomes your comments on the articles published in this newsletter, as well as your ideas for future article topics. Reach her at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. _______________________________________________________________ This newsletter is sponsored by Trapeze Networks MAKING SENSE OF WLAN SECURITY Can you build a progressively secure WLAN? What's the best encryption and authentication? Get answers in "WLAN Security: Making Sense of the Options," an I-can-understand-it-all-by-myself report from Trapeze Networks. Click here to get it http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=80940 _______________________________________________________________ ARCHIVE LINKS Archive of the Wireless newsletter: http://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/wireless/index.html Wireless research center Latest wireless news, analysis and resource links http://www.nwfusion.com/topics/wireless.html _______________________________________________________________ FEATURED READER RESOURCE NEW! 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