Zigbee
Smart Home & Mesh · 8 specs
Direct Answer
Zigbee is an open global wireless mesh networking standard maintained by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), based on IEEE 802.15.4. Operating primarily in the 2.4 GHz band at 250 kbps, it uses self-healing Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing to connect up to 65,000 nodes in smart lighting and home automation.
Source: Connectivity Standards Alliance / IEEE 802.15.4-2003 / Zigbee 3.0 Specification · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026
Specs
| Underlying Radio Standard | IEEE 802.15.4 (Physical & MAC Layer) |
| Frequency Bands | 2.4 GHz (Global 16 channels) / 868 MHz (EU) / 915 MHz (US) |
| Raw PHY Data Rate | 250 kbps (at 2.4 GHz with O-QPSK) |
| Network Topology | Full Mesh / Star / Cluster Tree |
| Routing Protocol | AODV (Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector) |
| Device Roles | Coordinator (ZC), Router (ZR), End Device (ZED / Sleepy) |
| Security Protocols | 128-bit AES CCM* encryption with Network and Trust Center Link keys |
| Current Specification | Zigbee 3.0 (Unified Zigbee Cluster Library / ZCL) |
Network Roles and Self-Healing Mesh
A Zigbee network requires exactly one Zigbee Coordinator (ZC) to initialize the network and manage trust keys. Mains-powered devices (smart bulbs, smart plugs) act as Zigbee Routers (ZR), repeating packets across the mesh. Battery-powered sensors act as Zigbee End Devices (ZED), which do not route traffic and sleep periodically to conserve energy. If any router goes offline, the AODV routing algorithm automatically recalculates alternate hops within seconds.
Zigbee 3.0 Consolidation
Prior to Zigbee 3.0, disparate application profiles (Zigbee Home Automation 1.2, Zigbee Light Link, Zigbee Green Power) could not interoperate on the same network. Zigbee 3.0 unified all profiles into a single standardized Zigbee Cluster Library (ZCL), ensuring interoperability between smart lighting, HVAC controls, and security sensors from different manufacturers (e.g. Philips Hue, IKEA Trådfri, Aqara).