ZigBee technology offers significant advantages such as low complexity, low power consumption, and low cost, making it a promising solution in the fields of monitoring and control. This paper explores the benefits of ZigBee networks and proposes the design of a wireless serial port based on the ZigBee protocol to expand the application scope of traditional serial communication. Practical testing has confirmed that this approach is reliable, easy to use, energy-efficient, and cost-effective, while enabling multi-device communication simultaneously. It is particularly suitable for low-rate data transmission and holds great potential for future applications.
**0 Introduction**
With the widespread use of computer systems, communication between computers and peripheral devices has become increasingly common. Serial communication, due to its mature and well-established electrical standards, remains widely used. However, when devices are located far apart or cabling is impractical, implementing wireless serial communication can significantly extend the usability of serial ports and reduce resource consumption. Current wireless serial communication solutions rely mainly on technologies like Bluetooth, infrared, and Wi-Fi. However, Bluetooth and infrared have limitations in terms of distance and power consumption. Infrared is limited to short-range, one-to-one communication (typically 1–2 meters), while Bluetooth operates within about 10 meters. The cost of setting up Wi-Fi or Bluetooth systems is much higher compared to ZigBee-based solutions. ZigBee stands out with its low power consumption and long communication range, making it an ideal choice for wireless serial communication. This system utilizes the CC2430 RF chip, which supports the ZigBee protocol and features built-in UART functionality compatible with the RS-232 standard. It also allows for flexible network configurations, supporting multiple devices and complex topologies. Communication through walls and obstacles is possible, ensuring reliable and secure data transfer.
**1 ZigBee Technology**
ZigBee is a low-rate, short-range wireless networking technology based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. It is designed for low-cost, low-power, and low-complexity applications, particularly in wireless sensor networks for monitoring and control.
The CC2430 is a system-on-chip developed by Chipcon for embedded ZigBee applications. It supports the 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee protocol and comes in three versions—CC2430F32, CC2430F64, and CC2430F128—each with different flash memory capacities. The chip integrates an 8-bit 8051 microcontroller, ADC, timers, watchdog, AES coprocessor, flash controller, DMA controller, reset circuit, serial communication interface, and 21 programmable I/O pins.
It includes two on-chip USART interfaces, both capable of operating in asynchronous UART mode or synchronous SPI mode. In UART mode, users can choose between a two-wire configuration (RXT and TXD) or a four-wire configuration (including RTS and CTS). Features include configurable data bits, parity settings, start/stop bits, bit order, interrupt handling, and error checking.
**2 System Architecture**
Based on the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol stack, ZigBee supports three network topologies: star, cluster tree, and mesh. These offer high reliability, flexibility, large capacity, self-organization, and self-healing capabilities. As shown in Figure 1, when devices are spread over a wide area with a complex topology, the wireless serial port implemented on a ZigBee network can overcome the limitations of traditional serial communication, such as distance and wiring constraints.
When transmitting data, the data enters the CC2430’s DATA memory via the USART. To enhance speed, the data is transferred to the radio module’s TXFIFO using DMA. After processing, the signal is transmitted via the antenna. On the receiving end, the RF module captures the signal, converts it into data, stores it in RXFIFO, and sends it back to the DATA memory via DMA before outputting it through the USART. The data path is illustrated in Figure 2.
As shown, most of the data transfer occurs internally within the CC2430, thanks to its high integration level, ensuring system stability and reliability.
**3 Hardware Design**
This section outlines the overall system architecture and software design. The hardware design includes a power supply, reset circuit, serial port connection, and wireless transceiver circuit, as shown in Figure 3. When transmitting, the computer converts RS-485 signals to TTL levels using MAX485, then sends them wirelessly via CC2430. Upon receiving, the CC2430 converts the signal back to RS-485 and sends it to the host computer. Due to the low power consumption of the CC2430, the module is powered by two dry cells. An AH805 boost regulator increases the voltage from 3V to 5V, allowing the system to operate at either 3V or 5V. The 3V powers the CC2430, while the 5V powers the MAX485 and reset circuits. For PC communication, an RS-232 to RS-485 converter can be used to ensure compatibility with the RS-232 serial port.
**4 Experimental Results**
In the final system test, the impact of data transmission rate and communication distance on the error rate was evaluated and compared with traditional wired communication. The results are summarized in Table 1.
**5 Conclusion**
This paper demonstrates how ZigBee technology, specifically using the CC2430 chip, enables wireless communication for RF transceivers. By integrating it with a computer's serial port, it effectively replaces traditional wired serial communication. Field tests and theoretical analysis show that ZigBee-based wireless communication offers clear advantages over conventional methods, providing a new and practical solution for serial communication with broad application potential.
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