Rohde &amp; Schwarz complements its ZigBee<br>test equipment with Frontline

Bluetooth V2.0 + EDR primarily enables users to perform complex tasks at data rates of up to 2 Mbit/s, while ZigBeeTM, which is based on a considerably more compact protocol, is a cost-efficient alternative for simple monitoring and control applications. Rohde & Schwarz now offers the FTS4ZB ZigBeeTM packet sniffer and protocol analyzer from Frontline. The frame decoder decodes the protocols down to bit level in realtime. Plus, it displays the protocols based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard in plain text, thus simplifying and accelerating R&D and error diagnostics. Typical ZigBeeTM applications include centralized alarm systems, the automation of switch-on cycles of household appliances and company equipment as well as monitoring of weak spots in vehicles. The demand for the technology is particularly high because the cost-efficient ZigBeeTM chipsets can be installed in networks with up to 65000 nodes; their battery life of more than a year allows the wireless transmission of the requested information. Chipset manufacturers and users require intuitive protocol analyzers in order to perform compatibility tests between various products and to certify equipment in accordance with IEEE 802.15.4. The protocol analyzers accelerate the development of radio chipsets and user software; they also allow installation sites and transmission paths to be optimized. The FTS4ZB ZigBeeTM packet sniffer and protocol analyzer, which captures the ZigBeeTM packets at the air interface, consists of the FTS software and the sniffer hardware in the form of a USB dongle. The FTS4ZB runs on Windows 2000/XP. The frame decoder decodes the protocols in accordance with IEEE 802.15.4 down to bit level in realtime. All user-defined protocols based on this standard can be decoded as well. A viewer is available free of charge, allowing data obtained in mobile applications to be analyzed in the lab. The FTS4ZB ZigBeeTM packet sniffer and protocol analyzer from Frontline is now available through Rohde & Schwarz. The company is thus complementing its ZigBeeTM product portfolio, which also includes the R&S FSQ signal analyzer and the R&S SMJ100A and R&S SMU200A vector signal generators. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Rohde & Schwarz is under license.