Wireless Sensor Network Performance Evaluation on Building with ZigBee Transmission

Abstract

With the growing of smart buildings, the pursuit on using the right communication technology is crucial. ZigBee as known for a low data rate, low power, and low cost wireless communication standard for building control applications, well suited for use. This leads to the problem identification which is manufacturers that indicates the ZigBee device’s or XBee performance specification in a Line of Sight (LOS) setting, that it becomes difficult to indicate such performance in real indoor scenarios, with many obstacles in between transmissions. Conducting range and throughput tests are some of the ways to evaluate and analyze the XBee device’s performance. Which the results show that the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values in the LOS setting are much greater than the Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) setting. With values such as −67.8 dBm in the LOS setting, while values such as −80.54 dBm in the NLOS setting. Then for the packet loss and error results, it shows that the LOS setting has a lower rate of packet loss and error than the NLOS setting. With packet losses and error below 0.21% in the LOS setting, while in the NLOS setting the packet losses and error can be as big as 7.60%. Which also shows that the PTP network tend to have more packet losses and error than the Multi network, as much as 30 packets, even though it does have faster transmission than the Multi network, which can go as fast as 3.164 kbps. As for the LQI network, in the NLOS setting, shows that distances above 10 meters tend to be unstable and weaken. Concluding that for indoor transmissions, such as buildings, with many obstacles, the recommended operating range for the XBee device used in this research is up to 10 meters, and the recommended network is the Multi network (mesh network).