ZigBee innovation is covered by a variety of respected industry analyst firms. Some of them have provided us with a research synopsis for their reports. Each report below reflects the firms' views related to ZigBee standards, markets and opportunities. The ZigBee Alliance does not endorse these reports and is providing this section as a a service to our members and the market communities we touch. 

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ZigBee Smart Energy

• Smart Metering (ON World) - Reports based on 200+ phone interviews including a report on the global market for smart metering and the utility home area network (HAN), the survey results with leading utilities on their AMI/HAN goals and plans, and a summary of 300+ AMI initiatives worldwide. (Published Q2 2011)
• Smart Energy Homes (ON World) - The Home Area Network (HAN) ecosystem is starting to take shape. An emerging trend is for developers to offer hybrid HAN products and services that are not limited to energy management. Energy is the killer app for the HAN, called the “energyHAN,” and what we focus on in this report. With hundreds of competitors, multiple architectures and many distribution models, energyHAN products and services are diverse and rapidly evolving. (Published October 2010)
• Global Smart Metering (ON World) - The metering industry is undergoing a transformation as it reaches for the vision of the smart grid. Open architectures, increased regulation, and evolving standards are challenging the status quo and resulting in new alliances that would have been unheard of just a few years ago. Energy directives and billions of dollars in smart grid funding are driving hundreds of smart metering initiatives worldwide. Over the next five years, $21 billion will be spent on smart metering infrastructure, with the largest initiatives in North America, Europe, and Australia. (Published June 2009)

ZigBee Home Automation

• Smart Home Sensor Networks (ON World) - Smart Home products and services will see dramatic growth over the next few years as an expanding IP infrastructure with smart mobile devices, cloud apps/services and sensor network technologies provide users with cost cutting and enhanced home experiences. Adoption of Smart Home sensor networking is accelerating in several channels and business models are evolving rapidly. Based on surveys and phone interviews with 900 individuals, ON World's recently published report, "Smart Home Sensor Networks," covers the global Smart Home market opportunities enabled by sensor networks including residential automation platforms, interactive security, energy management systems, cloud services, and chipsets. (Published Q4 2011)
• Energy Smart Homes: Home Area Networks (HAN) (ON World) - Consumers are demanding energy solutions and governments are answering with billions of dollars in smart grid initiatives worldwide. Utilities and the private sector are responding by creating and adopting standards based systems that provide real time energy information that allow consumers to participate in their home energy management. Demand for in-home energy management solutions has attracted hundreds of startups as well as large corporations such as Cisco, GE, and Google. While reducing carbon emissions from building fewer power plants is a worthy goal, the key to the smart grid is to provide customers with real-time energy information and to enable them to participate with their own energy management. The success of this vision is dependent upon collaboration among several stakeholders including utilities, energy retailers, AMI vendors, and device manufacturers as well as Telecom/broadband service providers. (Published June 2009)
• "WSN for Smart Homes" (ON World) - This report dissects the ZigBee/Z-Wave battle in fine detail over several markets. Our senior technology analyst conducted an extensive comparison of the chipsets from TI, Ember, Freescale, and Zensys. This investigation provides evidence that clarifies the market hype and controversy on the performance, pricing, and power consumption of these chipsets. In addition, we provide a patent analysis of the top companies in each major product segment including components, software, subsystems, and whole home systems. (Published Feb 2008)

ZigBee Health Care

• Wireless Sensor Networks for Healthcare (ON World) - Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies, billions of dollars of funding and a global community of developers are driving a healthcare revolution. By enabling new solutions that cannot be wired, healthcare WSN will save the industry billions of dollars by reducing hospitalizations, improving chronic disease management, and extending independent living. For manufacturers and service providers, healthcare WSN offers new high revenue per user market opportunities. While adoption of life-saving systems such as wireless ambulatory cardiac monitoring has been steadily increasing over the past few years, the fastest growth will be for elderly care, self-monitoring, preventive health solutions, and chronic disease management. Wireless sensor solutions could save $25 billion worldwide in annual healthcare costs in 2012 by reducing hospitalizations and extending independent living for seniors. In this report, we dissect the latest advances with Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and Body Sensor Networks (BSNs) that are transforming the healthcare industry. (Published August 2008)

Wireless Trends

• IP Smart Object Networks  - Within the next decade, devices connected to the Internet will eclipse their human users many times over. Smart objects are a special class of Internet connected devices that are self-aware, self-upgrading, communicate with other smart objects, and are massively scalable. (Published Q4 2011)
• ZigBee/802.15.4 Energizes the Internet of Things  - It has been a decade since technologists first talked about the ¡ªInternet of Things.¡« Although there are many definitions and perspectives on what this means, it is clear that smart objects will become the largest part of the Internet’s addressable space in the future. Over the past ten years, Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies have undergone enormous advances and mass market products and services have arrived. In 2010, ZigBee/802.15.4 chipset shipments nearly doubled. Unit sales will increase by up to 800% in five years as WSN solutions continue to transform the energy, residential, building automation, health/wellness and industrial sectors. (Published July 2011)
• ZigBee Crosses the Chasm  - Low power wireless sensing and control markets, enabled by ZigBee, are experiencing exponential growth. Today, ZigBee chipset suppliers are shipping tens of millions of units and the market is poised to grow to hundreds of millions of units within the next few years. Our research with more than 600 companies has found that the ZigBee market has "crossed the chasm" and is now a mainstream technology. Despite a challenging economy, 802.15.4/ZigBee unit sales have increased an average of 62% per year since 2007. Moreover, chipsets using ZigBee specifications made up 75% of the 802.15.4 shipped units in 2009. (Published May 2010)
• Wireless Sensor Networks for Smart Crops (ON World) - Facing a water shortage crisis and the demands of a global economy, farmers/growers are turning to wireless sensing solutions to save labor costs, increase yields, improve quality, and conserve water. As drought conditions worsen in areas such as California and Australia along with soaring crop prices, vendors of wireless crop monitoring systems can barely keep up with the demand. The emergence of standards based short range radios, advanced network protocols, and the availability of low cost backhaul technologies, has made wireless sensing an affordable competitive advantage for farmers/growers. ON World's research with 36 viticulturalists and farmers found that more than half are current wireless sensor users and nearly a third are planning new wireless sensing applications over the next 18 months. Based on a return on investment and statistical analysis, there is a global $76 billion total potential market size for the top three wireless smart crop markets. (Published Sept 2008)
• WTRS Wireless Sensor Network Technology Trends Report Spring 2008 (West Tech Research) - The WTRS Wireless Sensor Network Technology Trends Report analyzes and forecasts the market for Wireless Sensor Networks. The report includes a thorough evaluation of emerging Wireless Sensor Network technologies and associated software including ZigBee, IEEE 802.15.4, and other proprietary options. The report tracks the formation of industry alliances and SIGs, development of standards, analyzes the potential market opportunities for component OEMs, describes initial versus long-range drivers in the market, and analyzes potential partnership opportunities and existing alliances. The report contains an in-depth assessment and analysis of chipsets. It also analyzes potential markets, evaluates the participating OEMs, and reviews strategic partnerships and industry trends. The report also provides a 5-year forecast that details sales volume, unit shipments, and average selling price by vertical market segment as well as by geography. (Published April 2008)
• WTRS ZigBee Emerging Technology Report 2008 (West Tech Research) - The WTRS ZigBee Emerging Technology Report analyzes and forecasts 11 market segments likely to adopt ZigBee. The report includes analysis of ZigBee technology and alliance development, as well as an evaluation of current patent, technology, and corporate developments. The report tracks the formation of industry alliances and SIGs, development of standards, analyzes the potential market opportunities for component OEMs, describes initial versus long-range drivers in the market, and analyzes potential partnership opportunities and existing alliances. The report contains an in-depth assessment and analysis of chipsets. It also analyzes potential markets, evaluates the participating OEMs, and reviews strategic partnerships and industry trends. The report also provides a 5-year forecast that details sales volume, unit shipments, and average selling price by vertical market segment as well as by geography. (Published April 2008)
• "802.15.4 & ZigBee WPANs: The Next Generation" (ON World) - "802.15.4 & ZigBee WPANs: The Next Generation" is the culmination of two years of intensive investigation on the dynamic world of Wireless Sensor Networks and low data rate wireless networking. It is an essential resource for executives, product managers, technologists, and investors of wireless personal area network technologies. (Published March 2008)
• "WSN for Smart Industries" (ON World) - Industrial companies are increasingly adopting Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology to increase production, improve efficiencies, to reduce the environmental impact of their processes, and to ease the cost of complying with regulations. Based on over 275 interviews and completed surveys, this report covers the vast market opportunities for wireless sensing and control in the industrial sector. (Published September 2007)
• WTRS Wireless Sensor Network IP & Patent Report Summer 2007 (West Tech Research) - The WTRS Wireless Sensor Network Technology Trends Report provides the industrys only comprehensive and independent patent directory of ZigBee, IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.15.4a, & proprietary Wireless Sensor and Control Network-related IP. The report analyzes the intellectual property ownership and development by individuals and companies, allowing you to track early strategic and technology shifts in the marketplace. The report analyzes all available WSN-related U.S. patents and applications and includes filed claims in order to increase usability, as well as hyperlinks to actual patent listings for non-U.S. patents so that the reader can follow an investigation with minimal work. Additionally, the report analyzes the development of WSN-related patent litigation. Finally, the report analyzes 802.15.4 and 802.15.4a series patents that are on file with the IEEE, revealing which are applicable to the IEEE standard and also uncovering specific patent and application numbers for generally specified assignments. (Published July 2007)