-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[744]
SHORT RANGE COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS: FROM INTELLIGENT
TRANSPORTATION PERSPECTIVE
Misbah Ullah*1, Ali Zeb*2, Shehzad Ayaz*3, Yasir Mehmood*4
*1, 2, 3, 4 Department of Computer Systems Engineering (CSE), UET Peshawar, Pakistan.
ABSTRACT With increasing urbanization, mobility is emerging as the most pressing challenge for attaining smart city
solutions. These urban mobility challenges range from traffic congestions, lost productivity, road accidents and
greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, intelligent transportation solutions are being proposed to provide
smart city solutions. Advancement in compute boards, sensor and cloud platforms have opened avenues for
innovation in intelligent transportation systems based solutions. However with exponential growth in sensed
data, the need to choose appropriate communication protocols are growing in importance. These
communications needs range from vehicle to vehicle, vehicle to infrastructure and infrastructure to cloud
platforms. In this paper, we will present detailed analysis of different short range communication technologies
such as Bluetooth (BLE), Wi-Fi, ZigBee and NRF24L01 from an intelligent transportation system perspective.
The comparative analysis will be carried out in terms of communication range, speed, bandwidth, power
consumption and utilization challenges from an intelligent transportation system’s perspective.
Keywords: Arduino Nano, Intelligent Transportation System, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee.
I. INTRODUCTION According to a UN report, currently the share of urbanites stands at 55% of the worldwide population. In the
same report, urbanites share was projected to increase to 68% by 2050 [1, 2]. With this rapid urbanization,
urban centers are facing different challenges toward forming smart cities. One of these challenges is urban
mobility.
Traffic congestion problem in urban centers is severe around the world. It directly affects the economy and the
natural environment of a country. It badly affects the standard life of the people. Traffic congestion can cause
air pollution by the continued release of Carbon-dioxide and other harmful gases from vehicles. These gases can
cause different respiratory diseases like asthma, pneumonia etc. To overcome these problems it needs serious
and effective plans to decrease the travel time, the lengths of long rows of vehicles, road accidents and also the
emission of harmful gases. The main reason for these problems is the conventional traffic management
systems, whose limited factor is the communication among different vehicles and also with the infrastructure.
Advancement in computer boards, sensors, communication technologies and cloud computing platforms have
opened new avenues to propose solutions for intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The main purpose of the
ITS is to develop a smart and intelligent system to ensure safety, mobility and efficiency of a transport network
to avoid traffic congestion and pedestrian fatalities by using digital systems, sensors and different
communication technologies. Sensed traffic data can be employed for calibrating traffic flow models [3, 4, 5].
For this purpose they tried to develop automated vehicles and a system for communication (VACS) [6]. The
OBD-II device monitors the vehicles sensors like vehicle speed, revolution of engine, air to fuel ratio etc. and
uses the Bluetooth module to take data from vehicle sensors and Wi-Fi module for internet connectivity for the
accessing of cloud platforms [7].
The aim of our proposed work is to make the researchers and students better informed about the short range
communication technologies that are used or to be presented in traffic Networks. In this paper, short range
communication technologies used in traffic management systems are compared in terms of communication
range, power consumption, data transfer speed, routing protocols, security and privacy. The energy
consumption of BLE and ZigBee is compared by using a device which has the property of sensing the power
with the help of an output terminal of voltage. The energy consumption is investigated by using real BLE
devices [8]. The Bluetooth and ZigBee are compared in terms of protocols, their application and their
performance [9]. Simulation of ZigBee and Wi-Fi is done by using an Opnet simulator and ZigBee is compared
with Wi-Fi in terms of its different modes, their different methods for the transmission of data and the physical
frames [10]. The Wi-Fi is compared with Li-Fi in terms of Spectrum Range, data transferring medium, data
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[745]
transfer rate, frequency, networking topology, cost and security [11]. The ZigBee technology is studied in detail,
its application and compared with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in terms of Bandwidth, transmission range, number of
nodes and power consumption in transmitting of data [12].
In this paper, Section II contains the Literature review, in Section III we describe the communication technologies (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee and NRF24L01P), their structure, architecture and topologies in detail, section IV describes the comparison of these protocols, and section V concludes the paper.
II. LITERATURE REVEIW In ITS, communication modules can be divided into short and long range communication depending upon the
need for wireless sensor networks (WSN). Short range communication technologies transmit the data over
shorter distances and examples of such technologies are Bluetooth, DSRC, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, RFID, NFC and
NRF24L01. Long range communication technologies are capable of transmitting data over long distances, such
as to various kilometers and examples of such technologies are LoRa, Sigfox and other cellular technologies like
GSM, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G.
Siekkinen et al. [8] studied the comparative measurement of the energy consumption of BLE and ZigBee by
using a device which has the capability of monitoring the power by the use of an output terminal of the voltage
that can be adjusted accordingly. The energy consumption is investigated by using real BLE devices.
Kumar et al. [9] studied the new short range wireless technologies ZigBee and Bluetooth by getting
comprehensive knowledge about their protocols, application of these technologies, and differences in
performance of various devices by the use of these technologies. ZigBee can be used for remotely accessing,
controlling different sensors in radio environments and Bluetooth is used for shorter range communication.
Zemrane et al. [10] compared the IoT protocols ZigBee and Wi-Fi and used the Opnet Simulator for simulation
of these protocols. The comparison is done by studying the ZigBee from different perspectives like, the
structure of the system, its main network topologies, its different types of frames and as well as the ZigBee
protocols and its architecture. The Wi-Fi is studied and compared in terms of its different modes, the different
methods of transmission of data and as well as its physical frames.
Kumar et al. [11] studied Wi-Fi and Li-Fi in detail and compared them in terms of Spectrum Range, data
transferring medium, data transfer rate, frequency, network topology, cost and security. Also came across the
use and consumption of energy in a smart way by working on Smart meters, its importance and applications.
Zhang et al. [12] studied the ZigBee technology, its application, introduced its feature for smart grid and
compared it with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in terms of Bandwidth, transmission range, number of nodes, power
consumption in transmitting data, memory overhead and technical advantages over each other.
Julfikar Ali et al. [13] studied in detail and compared the Wi-Fi and WiMax technologies by discussing their
basics, network architecture, spectrum, working principle, advantages and as well as the limitations,
applications and other properties.
Athanasios Maimaris and G. Papageorgiou [14] reviewed the Intelligent transportation systems and
classified the communication technologies, studied the new developments in these technologies, the effective
use of these technologies in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). They also studied that there are
different challenges and as well as the issues in the effective usage and reliability of communication
technologies. The issues discussed about communication technologies are about the bandwidth, the data
transmission range, medium access control, data transmission time, the security and privacy.
B. B. Rhoades and J.M. Conrad [15] presented his work in a survey of different methods and techniques that
are implemented in the Intelligent Transportation System. These alternate methods are Wi-Fi based
deployment, smartphone/cellular and ZigBee based deployment in ITS, their advantages and disadvantages
over each other and also the case studies of each technology in ITS.
K. Pothuganti1 and A. Chitneni [16] compared the popular and the mostly used wireless communication
technologies by studying their features, evaluating their behavior regarding several parameters like
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[746]
communication period, the coding competence of the data, their complexity and power consumption to benefit
the application engineers to select the most appropriate technology in according to their requirement.
G. D. Putra et al. [17] presented the comparison of the energy usage of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The power usage
of these technologies is noted by using them in a smart building. Bluetooth is used for transmitting of data to
the server and Wi-Fi is used for connection and interaction with the server. It is noted that Bluetooth consumes
30% less energy than Wi-Fi in data transmission.
Nair et al. [18] proposed the Bluetooth Low Energy as minimum power consumption technology by using BLE
to optimize power consumption in Wireless Sensor Networks and compare it with other wireless technologies
used in WSN.
III. SHORT RANGE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
3.1 Bluetooth The short-range communication can be achieved by using Bluetooth. It is a standard of wireless communication
technology, used for establishing Personal Area Network and connecting devices with each other. When the
connection is established between devices, it can send data to each other using short wavelength radio waves. It
enables the user, through the use of an ad hoc network, to transfer data to multiple devices. The Bluetooth can
send the data up to 100m range, with the data sending speed of 1mbps and works in the 2.4 GHz of Industrial
Scientific and Medical (ISM) band.
The Bluetooth uses both software and hardware in combination to attain effective wireless communication. The
hardware of the Bluetooth is a radio chip while its control, security protocols and management are executed on
the software level, to attain efficient wireless communication.
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is also like Bluetooth is a personal network technology. It is used for
interconnection of devices with one another and monitoring applications. The main difference between
Bluetooth and BLE is that the BLE uses low power. BLE is targeted more towards IoT applications which use
less energy due to which its increasing life of a battery may enable it to work for a long time. It was presented
back in 2010 as part of the Bluetooth 4.0 aspect which is developed and advertised by Bluetooth Special
Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG). It is an innovative technology that uses the standards of Bluetooth and it is not
the updated version of the original Bluetooth. The BLE is mainly used in the Internet of Things or more
specifically the IoT field with the aim of sending the data in small volumes or the transmission of data with slow
speed as compared to Bluetooth [8]. It works in the 2.4 GHz ISM band that is the same spectrum used by
Bluetooth classic. The communication range of BLE is the same as that of Bluetooth classic but slightly different
in terms of power consumption and cost.
3.1.1 Need for Bluetooth The following are the three security facilities of Bluetooth that are described in [9].
a) Authentication: The Bluetooth device has its own address which is used for communication with other Bluetooth devices. By
using this address, Bluetooth verifies the identity of connecting devices. Bluetooth has the property to verify the
native device.
b) Confidentiality: It prevents the intruders from accessing the data and guarantees that only the verified devices can access the
transmitted data.
c) Authorization: It only gives permission to the registered devices to access a service and to have access to resources to use it.
3.1.2 Bluetooth Protocols When the Software and Hardware combines it forms the Protocol Stack. It also determines the procedure for
the devices to interact with each other depending on the standard. There are different parts of a Bluetooth
Stack which is described below.
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[747]
a) Bluetooth Radio: It has the information of an air interface which consists of frequency, frequency hopping, the consumption of
power during transmission and also the modulation scheme.
b) Baseband: The main function of baseband is to form connection with a pioneer, packet format, controlling of power and as
well as the timing.
c) Link Manager Protocol: The Link Manager (LM) translates different commands at the baseband level into operations, linking slaves to
Pico nets and assigns the addresses of those members which are active and set up ACL and SCO links. The Link
Manager sets the connections in that mode which consume less power: Hold, Sniff and Park. It is also used to
regulate trial modes. The Link Management Protocol (LMP) is used for the communication among the Link
Managers of different Bluetooth devices [9].
3.2 Wi-Fi Wi-Fi stands for Wireless-Fidelity. It is a short range wireless communication technology which is built on IEEE
802.11 protocol standard and is mostly used for Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN) of devices and
internet access. The 802.11 is the protocol standard of IEEE for WLAN. It is one of the world's most widely used
and widespread wireless technologies. It is likely to play an important part in the upcoming-generation of
wireless network technology. The Simplicity, accessibility, cost-effectiveness and the widespread networking
and computing environment in workplaces, hospitals, schools, industries and airports are the key features of
the 802.11 WLAN technology. The range of the Wi-Fi network is up to 50 meters. Wi-Fi is less secure than wired
networks as many devices can join the network. It commonly uses the 2.4 GHz ISM radio bands to transmit the
data between your router which is your Wi-Fi source and your device or the receiver. The 802.11 protocol
standard operates on the Physical and the Data Link layer of the OSI (Open System Interconnection) model. The
IEEE 802.11 protocol standard mentions different versions of Wi-Fi with different radio technologies, which
determine different radio bands. Due to these different radio bands, the different versions of Wi-Fi achieve
maximum ranges and speed. The different versions of 802.11 protocols are given in Table 1.
3.2.1 Wi-Fi Protocols The first two layers which are the lower layers of the OSI model is known as the physical and the data link layer.
The IEEE 802.11 standard specifies the physical and the data link layer of the OSI model. The Data Link which is
the OSI model Layer has further two sub layers which is called the Logical Link Control (LLC) layer and Medium
Access Control (MAC) layer. The 802.11 work-group presented the network model particularly in comparison
with the OSI model is shown in Table 1. One of the eccentricities of this standard is that although the link part is
unified and it provides many deviations at the physical level.
Table 1: Wi-Fi Layers
OSI Layer2 Data
Link Layer
802.11 Logical Link Layer (LLC)
802.11 MAC
OSI model Layer
1 Physical Layer
(PHY)
FHSS DHSS IR Wi-Fi
802.11b
Wi-Fi
802.11g
WiFi5
802.11a
3.2.2 Topology and Transmission of Data a) Infrastructure:
The infrastructure mode is built on a specific station which is called the Access Point (AP). This mode enables
Wi-Fi devices, through an access point, to link to a network (usually Ethernet). It enables a Wi-Fi station to
connect via their popular AP to some other Wi-Fi device. It is also possible to interconnect a Wi-Fi station which
is connected with another AP as shown in Fig 1. A basic service set is established by all AP radio range stations
(BSS). A 6-byte BSSID (BSS Identifier) recognizes the BSS that corresponds to the MAC address of the AP [10].
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[748]
b) Ad-Hoc: The user wireless systems link with each other in an ad hoc network to establish a point-to-point network (peer
to peer), i.e. a network where each device performs both the client role and also the access point role
simultaneously as shown in Fig 2. Several stations combine and form a set which is called Independent Basic
Service Sets (IBSS).
Fig.-1: Infrastructure Topology
The range of the autonomous BSS is defined in an ad hoc network by the scope of each node. This implies that
they would not be able to connect even though they see other stations if two of the network stations are out of
range of one another. [10].
Fig.-2: Ad-hoc Topology
3.2.3 The Methods of Data Transmission
a) Transmission Channels:
The transmission channel is used for sending data which is a narrow band of frequency. The governments
recommend the frequency bands that can be used for free. There are different regulating agencies in different
countries which are responsible for controlling the use of radio frequencies. These agencies are
ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) in Europe, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) in the United States, and MKK (Kensa-kentei Kyokai) in Japan. For Industry, Science and Medicine, the
United States published three bands of frequency which is known as ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical).
b) Transmission Methods:
For transmission of data, the radio or infrared waves can be used by the native radio networks. The narrow-
band transmission is the method initially used for sending data through radio waves. In this method of
transmission, different messages are passed over various channels. Therefore, multiple transmission methods
are specified by the physical layer of the 802.11 standard to minimize problems which arise because of
interference. The methods used are the frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), the technique of direct
sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) and Infrared technology.
The method of narrow-band: This is the method in which a particular radio frequency is used for sending and receiving of data. To avoid
interference in neighboring bands, the frequency band used for sending and receiving of data must be as small
as possible.
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[749]
Frequency hopping spread spectrum: The Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) method involves the dividing of a large band of frequency into
at least 75 small channels and then transmitting all signals in the cell using a combination of identified
channels. By using the IEEE 802.11 standard of protocols, the 79 channels of 1 MHz can be made in the 2.4 -
2.4835 GHz frequency band. The transmission is carried out by broadcasting consecutively for a short amount
of time (about 400 ms) on one channel and then on another. By doing this, it permits the easily identifiable
signal to transmit on a fixed frequency.
Direct sequence spread spectrum: DSSS [10] is the method in which a stream of characters is transmitted for each bit. An 11-bit sequence of digits
(10110111000) to describe a 1 and its complement (01001000111) represent a 0 as shown in Fig 3. This is
specified by the protocol stack of the 802.11 standard. Each bit of the sequence is called chip or chipping code.
Fig.-3: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum
Infrared technology: The other option of using radio waves is also supported by the IEEE 802.11 standard which is the infrared light.
The use of light waves for sending data is the key feature of infrared technology. Due to which the data is
transmitted in a single direction i.e. unidirectional. A greater degree of protection is given by the non-
dissipative existence of light waves. An infrared technology uses the method of modulation which is called
Pulse Position Modulation (PPM). Because of this modulation method it is possible to achieve the speed from
1Mbit/s to 2Mbit/s [10].
3.3 ZigBee ZigBee is a technological standard which is developed for control and sense of wireless networks. It is cheap,
more flexible and can be easily installed. To increase the performance of applications the networking and the
routing of messages is used. It is used for short range communication and it is based on the physical layer. The
specifications of ZigBee are to provide security options which facilitate secure and reliable communications. It
is working on the protocol standard of 802.12.4 that is a standard developed by ZigBee Alliance. The ZigBee
protocol is used to create a short range Personal Area Network with low cost, less usage of power and having
slow data transfer speed. The maximum speed that can be achieved is 250 kbps. The low power consumption
of ZigBee is used for longer battery life of sensors, which requires less energy. The ZigBee consumes less power
due to which it limits the transmitting range to a line of sight of 10 to 100 meters.
3.3.1 ZigBee Protocols
The ZigBee protocols [9] are based on the latest algorithms to automatically build an ad-hoc network which
consists of nodes and have low speed. In most large networks, a group of clusters form the network. These
groups of clusters can also form a mesh or a single cluster. The ZigBee technology supports networks allowed
by beacons and non-beacons. Those networks which allow non-beacons, use the CSMA/CA channel
mechanisms. The receiver of the ZigBee router is constantly active and fully alert for receiving data in this type
of heterogeneous networks, which requires an extra robust power supply. The other technologies data
receivers wake up and transmit the data on the detection of an external stimulus.
3.3.2 ZigBee Devices
a) ZigBee Coordinator (ZC) It is the root for the tree type network; it connects the network and acts as a bridge to other networks. It needs
sensible parameters to create a network. It saves the network data and synchronizes up to 8 nodes in any
network combination. The ZigBee Coordinator can also be used for the Communication between computer and
ZigBee. The coordinates are of two types which are AT and API.AT. AT and API.AT use terminals to interact with
ZigBee and those terminals are like AT commands. While for interaction with ZigBee the API uses bytes and
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[750]
checksums. It saves trusted network data and directories for data encryption. It is often referred to as a remote
network in which the coordinator is concerned with routers and end nodes are connected with routers.
b) ZigBee Router (ZR) If a network is like the tree, the ZigBee Router acts as a root of the network tree. It connects the network with
other networks and it acts as a bridge. The ZigBee router is used as a source of carrying data from one device to
another. The aim of the router is to expand the data transferring range of the network. The ZigBee routers also
act as ZigBee End Devices. It has two routing techniques, Mesh Routing and Tree Routing. The Mesh Router is
used as a wireless monitor extension to enable monitor readings that are received and then to be transmitted. It
is often used to determine the optimum position for monitors. In order to expand the communication range, it
can combine up to 3 mesh routers. [9].
c) ZigBee End Devices (ZED) ZED is a simple and basic device and it needs minimal resources. The ZED is less expensive and low cost than ZC
and ZR. The main function of ZED is to communicate with the parent nodes. It is accountable for demanding of
the pending messages from its parent node, as well as identifying and accessing the right network. If an old
parent is missing, it also assists in seeking new parents. The other property of ZED is that it is portable. The
simplest type of device on a ZigBee network is ZigBee end devices. It is unable to route information but it can
sleep if it is not sending the data.
3.3.3 ZigBee Topologies
The type of network topology is directly related and has an effect on the number of ZigBee Routers, ZigBee
Coordinators and ZigBee End Devices. The ZigBee network can be installed by using three topologies, according
to IEEE 802.15.4 standard [9].
a) Star topology: The coordinator plays the role of a bridge and enables both the nodes (routers and terminals) to interact with it
in order to send the data from one device to another. The important thing is that the packet which wants to be
sent from one device to another must be directed by the coordinator. The issue with this topology is that there
are no other paths if the connection between the coordinator and the receiving node fails. The other issue with
this topology is that it is necessary for the data packets to pass through the coordinator, which raises the
possibility of traffic on the network.
b) Tree topology: The main responsibility of a "Zigbee coordinator" is to initialize the network. The coordinator can be connected
to some other routers and end devices, the routers can also be linked to other routers and end devices,
resulting in a tree structure that holds the "Zigbee coordinator" at the upper. The issue with this topology is
that there is no alternative route for the data packet to reach the final device if a communication connection is
down and not functioning.
c) Mesh topology: In this topology, the coordinator is connected to other routers and end devices, and these routers can also be
linked to further routers or end devices, enabling these devices for peer to peer communications. The benefit of
this topology is that it enables packets to be efficiently propagated in case of blockage of a link and other
alternate path is used to send packets [9].
3.4 RF Communication The NRF24L01 is a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technology used for short range communication.
It is one chip on which transmission and receiver module: that sends and receives data in both directions is
embedded on it. A baseband protocol processor is also integrated on the chip for those applications which
consume very low power. It works at 2.4 GHz ISM band, and it uses the GFSK method of modulation of sending
data with a speed of 250 Kbps – 2 Mbps with a communication range of 100m. The transmission and receiving
module of NRF24L01 can transmit and receive data using a definite frequency called channels. The two or
more transceiver modules need to be on the same channel for communication with each other. The channel can
operate at any frequency in the range of 2.4 GHz ISM band. This module will use 125 separate channels to
make it possible to provide a network of 125 modems running individually in one location. These separate
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[751]
channels have equal to 6 addresses or each unit has the capability of communication with 6 more units
simultaneously [19]. The NRF24L01 communicates with each other wirelessly having two Arduino boards and
is used for sensing the data of the sensor from other places, regulating and directing robots and
computerization of homes etc.
To use any easily obtainable RF transmitter, basic wireless communication can be achieved. The lightweight,
low-cost NRF24L01P is a common option for enthusiasts and students when developing wireless
communication systems. Although the NRF24L01P can be used in WSN, it consumes a lot of power and was not
intended to be energy-efficient. By the use of NRF24L01P, only the software level is used for any routing and
network formation because it lacks any routing or networking algorithms based on hardware [18].
3.4.1 Modes of Operation
NRF24L01P can operate in 5 different modes.
a) Power Down Mode: The radio is disabled in this mode. Just the registers and the SPI interface are kept working and are reading to
take on new configurations. Due to which the power consumption is Minimum is this mode.
b) Standby-I mode: In this mode, some portion of the oscillator circuit is working actively. Due to which this mode takes less start-
up time at the expense of a little higher power than the power down mode.
c) Standby-II mode: This mode is specifically used for the transmission of data at short notice. The Extra clock buffers are triggered
for the transmission of data and the data is to be transmitted after a slight settling delay on its arrival to Tx
buffers.
d) Rx mode: The NRF24L01P is working actively in this mode and continuously listening for packets. The receiver decrypts
signals on the RF channel continuously and tests if a legitimate data packet is received. The usage of power
directly depends on the use of Air data rate and it uses more power with the rise in air data volume.
e) Tx mode: This is the mode in which the data is being actively transmitted by the NRF24L01P. In this mode of NRF24L01P,
the module switches its mode of operation between standby-II mode and TX mode according to the status of TX
buffer. Due to switches of its modes, it has the highest power consumption of any mode. The power
consumption is mainly the transmit power being used.
Table 2: NRF24L01P Power Consumption
Mode of Operation Power Consumption (Vdd = 3v)
Power down mode 2.27 µ W
Standby-1 mode 78 µ W
Standby-2 mode 960 µ W
RX mode (@ 2 Mbps) 41.5 mW
RX mode (@ 1 Mbps) 39.3 mW
RX mode (@ 250 kbps) 37.8 mW
TX mode (@ 0 dBm) 33.9 mW
TX mode (@ -6 dBm) 27 mW
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[752]
IV. COMPARISONS We have studied different short range communication technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee and NRF in
terms of their communication range, bandwidth, speed and power consumption. Also, we have studied their
properties, their topologies and their different data transmission techniques and summarized their main
differences in Table 3. NRF is not based on IEEE standard while Bluetooth, ZigBee and Wi-Fi are based on IEEE
standard. Wi-Fi has a higher data rate than Bluetooth, ZigBee and NRF. Bluetooth, ZigBee and NRF is used for
PWAN while Wi-Fi is intended for WLAN.
Fig.-4: Wireless Communications Technologies Comparison
All the wireless communication technologies are compared in terms of their Bandwidth and transmission range
and represented in the form of a graph as shown in Fig 4. As it is obvious from the graph that those technologies
which are nearer to the origin have low range and less bandwidth and those whose range and bandwidth is
high are away from the origin.
4.1 Power Consumption Comparison 4.1.1 NRF24L01P: The NRF24L01P's power consumption information is based on data given in [18]. As it is obvious from Table 5,
that during active service, the NRF operating power is a few tens of mW and the power consumption is in the
order of 1 μW which is even the lowest power consumption in power down mode. As compared to other
technologies mentioned below, the power consumption of NRF is significantly greater than others.
4.1.2 Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is built for a longer connection and requires a large power source for devices. The power consumption of
Wi-Fi is higher than other technologies because of its higher data rates and transmission range. Therefore Wi-Fi
is used for high data rate applications like surveillance of Audio/ Video etc.
4.1.3 BLE: If we look at the overall power consumption of BLE it is lower than other technologies. Also, it establishes the
connection much quicker than NRF and ZigBee [18]. Since the BLE wakes up earlier, it can spend a long period
of time in its sleeping mode and because of which it saves the power. But if we look at Table 5, we can see that
the overall power consumption of BLE is lower than other technologies and also the performance of BLE is
improved over them.
4.1.4 ZigBee: A variety of studies have been performed on the contrast of Zigbee and BLE power consumption [23] [24]. The
ZigBee demonstrates a slight elevation in the sleep power. However, this margin of power consumption is
compensated by the lower active transmission power. The power consumption of ZigBee in its different modes
is shown in Table 5. The values of the Power consumption of ZigBee are provided under test conditions and in
[18] [23] [24][25].
The values of the power consumption of ZigBee are slightly better than NRF but as compared to BLE, it is still
poor. The key drawbacks of both NRF and Zigbee are the long wake up times necessary to restart the
connection after sleep.
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[753]
Table-3: ITS Short-Range Communication Technologies Comparison
Standard Bluetooth Wi-Fi ZigBee NRF24L01P
IEEE Protocol
Standard 802.15.1 802.11 802.15.4
Versions 2.0, 2.1, 3.1, 4.0 802.11a, 802.11b,
802.11n ZigBee and ZigBee pro
NRF24L01,
NRF24L01P
Type Simplex Duplex Duplex Duplex
Network Range 1 to 100 m 50 to 125 m 70 to 400m ≈ 100 m
RF Spectrum 2.4-2.45Ghz 2.4GHz,
5.8GHz 2.4GHz 2.4GHz
Speed 1 Mbps 2 to 100 Mbps 250 Kbps 250 Kbps – 2 Mbps
Modulation
Technique GFSK BPSK, QPSK
BPSK (+ ASK),
O-QPSK GFSK
Spreading FHSS DSSS, OFDM DSSS FHSS
Number of nodes 7 32 25400 3125
Battery Type
Projected for
Regular
Recharging
Not Rechargeable Not Rechargeable Not Rechargeable
Data Protection 16-bit CRC 16-bit CRC 32-bit CRC 32-Bit CRC
Application area Used instead of
wires
Accessing data
wirelessly Sensing and regulation
Sending and
Receiving data
wirelessly
4.2 Effects of Sleeping Time: Due to the sleeping time, these technologies are able to save power. If a node remains in sleeping mode for a
long period of time, it will consume less power and will be in a low power state, due to which it saves power. If
monitoring in real time is not a necessity, then it allows the transceiver to sleep for a longer period of time. It
receives the data and collects it during sleeping duration. When it wakes up, then it transmits the collected data
in a single burst.
Table-5: Power Consumption Comparison
Modes of Working Power Consumption
BLE Wi-Fi ZigBee NRF24L01
Down Mode
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[754]
V. CONCLUSION The current Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) technologies use the wireless networks which are based on RF or
ZigBee. These technologies have high speed and also transmit the data to a long distance that is their
transmission range is high. That’s why these technologies consume more power. Nevertheless, emerging
technology such as Bluetooth Low Energy for ultra-low power applications will reduce the power consumption
and enhance the network functionality. As the BLE not only consumes less power in its operational mode, the
other benefit of the BLE is that it connects faster. This makes it possible for BLE for longer durations to remain
in low power mode, that is in the sleep mode and still able to attain the same transmission rate as existing
wireless technologies. The use of BLE can help to solve the problems arising with monitoring of an event and
send its data in real time. The BLE can be used in sensor networks, its main benefit is that it avoids us from
installing additional hardware, because it extends the sleeping time of the sensor node. Due to which it
decreases a significant amount of power consumption by ensuring the real time monitoring of data is carried
out only when needed.
VI. REFERENCES [1] United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html, (Accessed on 25th Aug, 2020).
[2] K. Nauman, Khurram S. Khattak, Shaukat Ullah, and Zawar Khan. "A Low-Cost IoT Based System for
Environmental Monitoring." In 2019 International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology
(FIT), pp. 173-1735. IEEE, 2019.
[3] Iftikhar, Amir, Zawar H. Khan, T. Aaron Gulliver, Khurram S. Khattak, Mushtaq A. Khan, M. Ali and N.
Minallah, “Macroscopic Traffic Flow Characterization at Bottlenecks”, Civil Engineering Journal 6, no. 7
(2020): 1227- 1242.
[4] Khan, Zawar H., T. Aaron Gulliver, K. Azam, and Khurram S. Khattak. "Macroscopic Model on Driver
Physiological and Psychological Behavior at changes in Traffic." Journal of Engineering & Applied
Sciences 38, no. 2 (2019).
[5] K. Zawar H, W. Imran, T. A. Gulliver, Khurram S. Khattak, Z. Wadud and A. Nawaz, “An Anisotropic
Traffic Model Based on Driver Interaction”, IEEE Access 8 (2020): 66799-66812.
[6] C. Diakaki, M. Papageorgiou, V.Dinopoulou, I. Papamichail and G. Malandraki, “State-of-the-art and
Practice Review of Public Transport Priority Strategies”, IET Intel. Transport Syst., vol. 9, pp. 391-406,
May 2015.
[7] Sohail, A. Mehmood, Khurram S. Khattak, A. Iqbal, Z. H. Khan, and A. Ahmad. "Cloud-based Detection of
Road Bottlenecks Using OBD-II Telematics." In 2019 22nd International Multitopic Conference
(INMIC), pp. 1-7. IEEE, 2019.
[8] M. Siekkinen, M. Hiienkari, J.K. Nurminen and J. Nieminen, “How Low Energy is Bluetooth Low
Engergy? Comparative Measurements with Zigbee/802.15.4,” WCNC workshop in Internet of Things
Enabling Technologies, Embracing Machine-to-Machine Communications and Beyond, IEEE, 2012,
Paris, France.
[9] NV Rajeesh Kumar, C. Bhuvana, and S. Anushya, “Comparison of ZigBee and Bluetooth Wireless
Technologies-Survey," International Conference on Information, Communication and Embedded
Systems (ICICES), IEEE, 2017, Chennai, India.
[10] H. Zemrane, Y. Baddi and A. Hasbi, "Comparison Between IOT Protocols: ZigBee and Wi-Fi using the
OPNET Simulator," In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Intelligent Systems:
Theories and Applications, pp. 1-6. 2018, Rabat Morocco.
[11] N.V. Rajeesh Kumar, A. Srikanth, A. Singha, B. Baron Sam, “Comparison of Li-Fi and Wi-Fi and Study of
Smart Meter- Survey,” International Conference on Information, Communication and Embedded
Systems (ICICES 2017), IEEE, 2017, Chennai, India.
[12] Q. Zhang, Y. Sun, Z. Cui, “Application and Analysis of ZigBee Technology for smart Grid”, International
Conference on Computer and Information Application (ICCIA 2010), IEEE, 2010, Tianjin, China.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.htmlhttps://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html
-
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:01/January-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science
[755]
[13] Md. J. Ali, Md. M. Islam, Md. A. Hussain, Md. J. Hossain, A.K.M. Sharif-uz-zaman, Md. R. Islam, Md. S.
Rehman, Md. Arifullah, “Comparison between WiMAX & Wi-Fi Technologies”, B.Sc. Thesis Dept.
Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunication Eng., Dhaka International Univ., Bangladesh, 2010.
[14] G. Papageorgiou and A. Maimaris, “A Review of Intelligent Transportation System from a
Communication Technology Perspective”, 19th International Conference on Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITSC), IEEE, 2016, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
[15] B. B. Rhoades and J M. Conrad, “A Survey of Alternate Methods and Implementation of Intelligent
Transportation System”, SoutheastCon 2017, IEEE, 2017, Charlotte, NC, USA.
[16] K. Pothuganti and A. Chitneni, “A Comparative Study of Wireless Protocols: Bluetooth, UWB, ZigBee and
Wi-Fi”, Advances in Electronic and Electric Engineering, ISSN 2231-1297, Volume 4, Number 6 (2014),
pp. 655-662.
[17] G. D. Putra, A. R. Pratama, A. Lazovik and M. Aiello, “Comparison of Energy Consumption of Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth Communication in a Smart Building”, 7th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop
and Conference (CCWC), IEEE 2017, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
[18] K. Nair, J. Kulkarni, M. Warde, Z. Dave, V. Rawalgaonkar, G. Gore, J.J. Eduvance, “Optimizing Power
Consumption in IoT Based Wireless Sensor Networks using Bluetooth Low Energy”, International
Conference on Green Computing and Internet of Things (ICGCIoT), IEEE, 2015, Noida, India.
[19] NRF24L01+ Preliminary Product Specification, Nordic Semiconductors,
https://datasheetspdf.com/pdf/906332/Nordic/nRF24L01+/1 (Accessed on 25th Aug, 2020).
[20] Malik, Haroon, Khurram S. Khattak, T. Wiqar, Z. H. Khan, and A. B. Altamimi. "Low Cost Internet of
Things Platform for Structural Health Monitoring." In 2019 22nd International Multitopic Conference
(INMIC), pp. 1-7. IEEE, 2019.
[21] Hussain, S. Shahid, Khurram S. Khattak, Ali Khan, and Zawar H. Khan. "Cyber Physical System for Solar
Energy Monitoring." In 2019 International Conference on Frontiers of Information Technology (FIT),
pp. 185-1855. IEEE, 2019.
[22] K. Ali, Khurram S. Khattak, K. Zawar H, Khan Mushtaq A, M. Nasru. “Cyber physical system for vehicle
counting and emission monitoring.” International Journal of Advanced Computer Research. 2020; 10
(50): 181-193.
[23] Hideki Matsuoka et. al., “Development of a Control System for Home Appliances Based on BLE
Technique”, IEEE 2014.
[24] Ninad B. Kothari et. al., “SOC design of a Low Power Wireless Sensor network node for Zigbee
Systems”, IEEE 2006.
[25] Shayma Wail Nourildean, “A Study of ZigBee Network Topologies for Wireless Sensor Network with
one Coordinator and Multiple Coordinators”, Tikrit journal of Engineering
Sciences/Vol.19/No.4/December 2012, (65-81).