ZigBee: A New Frontier for Low Cost Active RFID Devices

ZigBee: A New Frontier for Low Cost Active RFID Devices

ZigBee: A New Frontier for Low Cost Active RFID Devices starts with an excellent introduction to RFID, ZigBee and its use in automation. It also evaluates the use of ZigBee and Active RFID for a Location Tracking System. In addition, this publication presents analysis, case studies, and real-life experiences in which the author I has utilized ZigBee to create Active RFID devices, which not only overcame the drawbacks during Tag-to-Reader communication, but also supported Tag-to-Tag communication to realize a very low cost Active RFID System robust enough to achieve a real-time Tracking and Monitoring System with many value-added functionalities.

Important Questions Answered by this Report
What is the use and importance of RFID and ZigBee?
What RFID system options exist and how are they best implemented?
How does ZigBee work with an Active RFID system?
How does one design and implement a location tracking system with RFID and ZigBee?
What are the limitations and alternatives to RFID and ZigBee?
Covers alternatives including: Z-Wave, Insteon, Bluetooth, WirelessUSB, XMesh, LonWorks, Proprietary Industrial Standards

Target Audience

RFID and ZigBee hardware, software and solution vendors

Personnel responsible for automating Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and other business processes

Manufacturers and personnel responsible for management of inventory and materials, timing and control of critical resources, improve Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), and other production line automation and industrial processes

Retailers and personnel responsible for merchandise inventory and ordering processes, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Merchandise tracking and fraud prevention
Providers of value-added applications and services such as metering, telemetry, telematics, and sensor applications, inventory control and tracking such as merchandise control, asset tracking and recovery such as computing equipment monitoring, tracking parts moving through a manufacturing process, tracking goods in a supply chain, and payment systems

Providers of RFID databases such as the VeriSign EPC DB.
Wireless service providers and cellular network operators interested in learning more about the use of RFID, ZigBee, and value-added applications such as a location tracking system.

I. What is RFID?
a. Understanding How RFID Works
b. Types of Tags
d. Application Field
e. Privacy
f. Preventives
g. Five Steps to RFID Implementation
II. Frequency Bands and their Importance
a. Frequency


III.Requirement of RFID, Providers, Solutions
a. Market Analysis


IV.ZigBee
a. What is ZigBee Technology
b. The Promises
c. Why is ZigBee needed?
d. The ZigBee Alliance
e. Understanding ZigBee
f. The Protocol
g. The 802 Wireless Space a graphical comparison

V. ZigBee and Active RFID
a. Preamble
b. Scope of Active RFID
c. Market Research on Scope
d. Designing the ZigBee based Active RFID System
e. Tag Specs
f. Hardware Components
g. The Role of ZigBee

VI. Implementing a Location Tracking System with ZigBee Based Active RFID a. Introduction
b. System Design
c. Technical Information of the Devices
d. Prototype Implementation
e. System Architecture Schematic
f. Conclusion

VII. Limitations of ZigBee based Active RFID Systems a. Background
b. Inherent Drawbacks of ZigBee and Stack Related Issues
d. Alternatives to ZigBee

Z-Wave
Insteon
Bluetooth
WirelessUSB
XMesh
LonWorks
Proprietary Industrial Standards


VIII. Conclusions