WiFi, Bluetooth and ZigBee

These three short-range wireless technologies are the emerging trends of the decade. They've already un-wired and mobilized our daily activities, and just about all new computers, phones, consumer and automation devices communicate using one of these three technologies. They are sold in the hundreds of millions, and soon billions, of units a year.

These technologies continue to improve in terms of range, features, cost and energy consumption. As they become more secure and reliable, they are adopted by an increasing number of enterprises. Protocol changes are helping to improve and maintain links in harsh environments. ZigBee has also been identified as a green technology that can support green lighting and smart appliances. Most new communication chips and systems have to implement one of these wireless capabilities. As a result, engineers need to learn their features, protocols and implementation methods to stay current.

In the Winter quarter, we are introducing a new course, Wireless Technologies for Embedded Systems: Bluetooth, WiFi and ZigBee, which provides an opportunity for hands-on learning. This is a valuable companion course for Real-time Application Programming for Internet Devices. We also offer a fundamental course in network engineering, Introduction to Wireless Communications, which covers the basic modulation concepts and offers an overview of these technologies. As always, we help engineers acquire practical knowledge they can put to work immediately.