Zigbee Alliance Releases Dual-Band Mesh Networking Spec for Cities, Homes, Buildings

The Zigbee Alliance released the Pro 2017 network specification, calling it the first mesh network capable of operating in two ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) bands: the sub-GHz 800-900 MHz band for regional requirements and the 2.4 GHz for global acceptance, said a Wednesday announcement. The dual-band option gives manufacturers design choice and offers flexibility for municipalities and consumers to connect products across homes, buildings and cities, it said. By adopting Pro 2017, manufacturers can build devices that use one network operating on multiple bands to address challenges of surrounding physical environments with the advantages of extended range, lower power consumption and reduced operating costs said the alliance. Sub-GHz capabilities support IoT networks for use cases including smart outdoor lighting, retail and data centers. Devices based on the Pro 2017 specification are part of engineering projects in Europe today, including in the U.K., which has a government mandate to roll out smart meters to approximately 30 million homes by 2020.