During the last decade there has been an explosion of devices using sensor technologies for control and monitoring purposes. Wired Sensors are now intended to be replaced with wireless technologies. Corporates have been envisioning of a digital home where every device is connected, and remotely controlled and monitored. Even though a perfect digital home is yet a mirage, we are now able to apply several technologies to suite our home and industrial networking needs. However, this concept of a digitally connected home has received a luke warm response due to lack of viable solutions. Over the years, several possible contenders have been identified. But none match the robustness and reliability required for the automation applications. Robustness when it comes to critical application scenarios as applicable to industrial needs and reliability when it comes to power usage and prompt response. The figure 1.1 illustrates the data rate and the operating range of zigbee in comparison to the other famous wireless technologies.
