IEEE Standard for
Local and metropolitan area networks—
Part 15.4: Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area
Networks (LR-WPANs)
IEEE Computer Society
S
AN/MAN Standards Committee
L ponsored by the
IEEE
3 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016-5997
USA
5 September 2011
IEEE Std 802.15.4™‐2011
(Revision of
IEEE Std 802.15.4-2006)
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IEEE Std 802.15.4™-2011
(Revision of
IEEE Std 802.15.4-2006)
IEEE Standard for
Local and metropolitan area networks—
Part 15.4: Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area
Networks (LR-WPANs)
Sponsor
LAN/MAN Standards Committee
of the
IEEE Computer Society
Approved 16 June 2011
IEEE-SA Standards Board
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Abstract: The protocol and compatible interconnection for data communication devices using low-
data-rate, low-power, and low-complexity short-range radio frequency (RF) transmissions in a wire-
less personal area network (WPAN) were defined in IEEE Std 802.15.4-2006. In this revision, the
market applicability of IEEE Std 802.15.4 is extended, the ambiguities in the standard are removed,
and the improvements learned from implementations of IEEE Std 802.15.4-2006 are included.
Keywords: ad hoc network, IEEE 802.15.4, low data rate, low power, LR-WPAN, mobility, PAN,
personal area network, radio frequency, RF, short range, wireless, wireless personal area network,
WPAN
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Introduction
This introduction is not part of IEEE Std 802.15.4-2011, IEEE Standard for Local and metropolitan area
networks—Part 15.4: Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks (LR-WPANs).
This is the second revision of IEEE Std 802.15.4. From the beginning, the goal of 802.15.4 was to produce
a standard that enabled very low-cost, low-power communications. The initial standard, IEEE Std 802.15.4-
2003, defined two optional PHYs, operating in different frequency bands with a very simple, but effective,
MAC.
In 2006, the standard was revised, adding two more PHY options. The MAC was backward-compatible, but
it added MAC frames with an increased version number, new security features, and a variety of MAC
enhancements, including:
— Support for a shared time base with a data time stamping mechanism
— Support for beacon scheduling
— Synchronization of broadcast messages in beacon-enabled PANs
In 2007, two new PHYs were added as an amendment, one of which supported accurate ranging. As a part
of this amendment, MAC capability to support ranging was added.
In 2009, two new PHY amendments were approved, one to provide operation in frequency bands specific in
China and the other for operation in frequency bands specific to Japan.
The current revision of the standard was created to roll in the previous three amendments into a single
document. However, IEEE Std 802.15.4 had become very popular, and there were three additional
amendments, 2 PHY and 1 MAC, in process at that time. It was clear that the original organization of the
standard was inadequate for the variety of applications, optional PHYs and optional MAC features to which
the 802.15.4 base standard would be applied.
Thus, the major changes in the current revision are not technical but editorial. The organization of the
standard was changed so that each PHY now has a separate clause. The MAC clause was split into
functional description, interface specification, and security specification. In additon, a great deal of
informative text, including the coexisting annex and regulatory annex, were deleted so that the document
would focus on only those technical requirements needed for interoperability. The revised organization is
the consensus decision of a broad group of 802.15 members, including people who were part of the original
standard as well as individuals developing amendments to the standard for new applications.
The PAR for IEEE Std 802.15.4-2011 was first proposed in July 2010 and was approved in September 2010
by NesCom. After a total of 10 drafts, 3 working group ballots ,and 4 sponsor ballots, the final standard was
approved in June 2011, less than one year from start to finish.
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iv
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Participants
At the time the draft of this standard was sent to sponsor ballot, the IEEE P802.15 Working Group had the
following voting members:
Patrick W. Kinney, Co-Vice Chair
James P. K. Gilb, Working Group Technical Editor
Robert F. Heile, Chair
Rick Alfvin, Co-Vice Chair
Patrick W. Kinney, Secretary
James P. K. Gilb, Task Group 4i Chair and Technical Editor
Emad Afifi
Gahng-Seop Ahn
Roberto Aiello
Arthur Astrin
Taehan Bae
Michael Bahr
John Barr
Anuj Batra
Tuncer Baykas
Philip E. Beecher
Ashutosh Bhatia
Ghulam Bhatti
Gary Birk
Mathew Boytim
Peter David Bradley
Nancy Bravin
David Britz
Monique B. Brown
Sverre Brubk
Brian Buchanan
John Buffington
Kiran Bynam
Brent Cain
Edgar H. Callaway
Chris Calvert
Ruben Cardozo
Douglas Castor
Jaesang Cha
Russell Chandler
Kuor-Hsin Chang
Soo-Young Chang
Clint Chaplin
Hind Chebbo
Chang-Soon Choi
Sangsung Choi
Ciaran Connell
David Cypher
Matthew Dahl
David Davenport
Mark Dawkins
Hendricus De Ruijter
Upkar Dhaliwal
Gang Ding
Paul Dixon
Guido Dolmans
Igor Dotlic
Michael Dow
Dietmar Eggert
David Evans
Charles Farlow
John Farserotu
Jeffrey Fischbeck
Mike Fischer
George Flammer
Ryosuke Fujiwara
Noriyasu Fukatsu
Kiyoshi Fukui
John Geiger
Gregory Gillooly
Tim Godfrey
Paul Gorday
Elad Gottlib
Robert Hall
Shinsuke Hara
Hiroshi Harada
Timothy Harrington
Rodney Hemminger
Marco Hernandez
Garth Hillman
Jin-Meng Ho
Wei Hong
Srinath Hosur
David Howard
Jung-Hwan Hwang
Taeho Hwang
Ichirou Ida
Tetsushi Ikegami
Akio Iso
Yeong Min Jang
Adrian Jennings
Wuncheol Jeong
Steven Jillings
Noh-Gyoung Kang
Tae-Gyu Kang
Shuzo Kato
Tatsuya Kato
Jeritt Kent
Prithpal Khakuria
Dae Ho Kim
Dong-Sun Kim
Dukhyun Kim
Jaehwan Kim
Jeffrey King
Ryuji Kohno
Fumihide Kojima
Bruce Kraemer
Raymond Krasinski
Masahiro Kuroda
John Lampe
Zhou Lan
Khanh Le
Cheolhyo Lee
Hyungsoo Lee
Myung Lee
Daniel Lewis
Huan-Bang Li
Liang Li
Sang-Kyu Lim
Jeremy Link
Mike Lynch
Robert Mason
Tomokuni Matsumura
Jeff McCullough
Michael McGillan
Michael D. McInnis
Michael McLaughlin
Charles Millet
Siamak Mirnezami
Rishi Mohindra
Emmanuel Monnerie
Rajendra Moorti
Robert Moskowitz
Hamilton Moy
Peter Murray
Theodore Myers
Chiu Ngo
Paul Nikolich
Hirohito Nishiyama
David Olson
Okundu Omeni
Ryoji Ono
Laurent Ouvry
James Pace
Hyung-Il Park
Jahng Park
Seung-Hoon Park
Taejoon Park
Ranjeet Patro
Al Petrick
Dalibor Pokrajac
Daniel Popa
Stephen Pope
Clinton C. Powell
Richard Powell
Chang-Woo Pyo
Mohammad Rahman
Sridhar Rajagopal
vi
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