The IEEE 802.15.4 committee and zigbee alliance worked together and developed the technology commercially known as zigbee. Zigbee technology is a low data rate, low power consumption, low cost, wireless networking protocol targeted towards automation and remote control application.

It is expected to provide low cost and low-power connectivity for devices that need battery life as long as several months to several years but does not require data transfer rates as high as those enabled by Bluetooth. Zigbee technology operates in unlicensed RF worldwide (2.4 GHZ global, 915 MHz America, or 868 MHz Europe) bands.

The data rate is 250 kbps at 2.4 GHz, 40kbps at 915 MHz, and 20 kbps at 868 MHz. Depending on RF environment and power output consumption required for a given application, Zigbee compliant devices are expected to transmit 10-75 minutes.

Zigbee network configurations can be larger than possible with Bluetooth. There can be up to 254 nodes. When zigbee node is powered down, it can wake up and get a packet in around 15 msec.

The IEEE 802.15.4 committee focuses on specifications of lower two layers of protocol (physical and data link) while zigbee Alliance focuses on upper layers of protocol stack (from network to application layer).

Zigbee Alliance provides inter operable data networking, security services, interoperability compliance testing, and a range of wireless home and building control solutions.

Thus customers can buy products from different manufacturers with confidence that those products will work together.

The marketing of standard, advanced product engineering helps in the evolution of zigbee standard.