On Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:28 -0800, "Branden Kirk" <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm unfamiliar with the technology, but from what I've read ZigBee uses > channels separate from the non-overlapping 1,6,and 11, but if you are using > channels between 1,6,11 aren't you then overlapping with them? I've also > read something about using channel 15 and 20 which I didn't know existed. > Is anyone familiar with these products and can confirm for me if there > is reason for concern or not?
I just skimmed through a Zigbee whitepaper on co-existence with 802.11 networks: http://www.zigbee.org/imwp/download.asp?ContentID=11745 It sounds like they're claiming Zigbee uses relatively narrow chunks of spectrum, and can fit between 1, 6, and 11. Whether or not that's true in practice, I don't know, but the carrier-sense feature of Zigbee radios should keep them from stepping on 802.11 traffic. If you have access to a spectrum analyzer (even something relatively cheap like a WiSpy or Ubiquiti AirView) and a demo Zigbee thermostat, it should be easy to check quickly. There are also Zigbee radios that operate in the 900MHz band. Here's another paper on Zigbee and 802.11 networks (focusing on a hospital environment): http://nrlweb.cs.ucla.edu/publication/download/538/a5-hou.pdf -- Nick Kartsioukas Cuesta College Computer Services 805-546-3248 ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
