RC220x

©2005 Radiocrafts AS

RC220x Data Sheet (rev. 1.0)

Page 3 of 17

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IEEE 802.15.4?

It is a standard for low data rate wireless Personal Area Networks (PAN) focusing on low

power, low cost and robustness. It defines a Physical layer (PHY) and a Medium Access

Control layer (MAC) and is the basis for the open ZigBee protocol or proprietary protocols.

What is ZigBee?

ZigBee is an open global standard aimed for wireless network communication between

devices in home control, industrial and building automation applications. It provides star,

cluster tree and mesh topologies (see illustration). The multi-hop and ad-hoc routing

properties is ideal for non-static networks covering a house or building.

How do I implement my application?

Your application can be implemented on top of the ZigBee stack sharing the resources in the

embedded microcontroller. An extensive number of digital and analogue I/Os can be used to

directly interface sensors, switches and actuators. Timing applications can use the on-board

32 kHz real-time clock. Ultra low power modes are ideal for battery operation.

What about the ZigBee stack?

In principle any third-party ZigBee stack implementation can be used with the module. But in

particular the module is intended for use with the Chipcon / Figure 8 Wireless Z-stack and

MAC. The Z-stack royalty fee is included in the module cost. The Z-stack license and

software development tools are available from Chipcon.

What development tools do I need?

The following development tools for the embedded MCU (Atmel mega128) are recommended

and available free of charge:

•

WinAVR / AVR GCC / Programmer’s Notepad

•

Atmel AVR Studio

The Atmel JTAG ICE mkII can be used to download the program into the embedded

controller.