How to Start Zigbee Protocol Projects Using NS2

To start Zigbee protocol projects in NS2, we can be replicated the wireless networks, which follow Zigbee standards (IEEE 802.15.4) that are optimal in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) or IoT networks for low-power, low-data-rate interaction. Below is a systematic approach to get started:

Steps to Start Zigbee Protocol Projects in NS2

  1. Set Up NS2 Environment

Make sure we have installed the NS2 properly on the computer. Zigbee (802.15.4) isn’t directly contained support for standard NS2. We can integrate the 802.15.4/Zigbee patch.

1.1 Install NS2

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install ns2

1.2 Download the Zigbee Patch

The Zigbee protocol has IEEE 802.15.4 for NS2 that can be integrated by available patches:

  • Sample patch: Zigbee for NS2
  1. Download the patch as zigbee_patch.tar.gz.
  2. Extract the Patch:

tar -xzvf zigbee_patch.tar.gz

  1. Patch NS2:
    • Open the NS2 installation directory:

cd ns-allinone-2.35/ns-2.35

    • Utilize following patch:

patch -p1 < /path/to/zigbee_patch.diff

  1. Recompile NS2:

./configure

make

  1. Verify the Patch: We can execute the following command line for verifying the Zigbee support:

grep -i “802.15.4” ns-2.35/tcl/lib/ns-default.tcl

  1. Understand Zigbee Components

Zigbee protocol (IEEE 802.15.4) works on the MAC and Physical layers utilising low-power interaction.

  • Zigbee Devices:
    • Router: Intermediate forwarding node.
    • Coordinator: Central control node.
    • End Device: Low-power leaf node.
  • Data Rate: 20–250 kbps.
  • Range: 10–100 meters (short range).
  1. Write a Zigbee Simulation Script

Here’s an instance of TCL script for replicating a Zigbee network that contains some nodes

Zigbee Simulation TCL Script:

# Initialize the simulator

set ns [new Simulator]

# Define output files

set tr [open zigbee-output.tr w]

$ns trace-all $tr

set nf [open zigbee-output.nam w]

$ns namtrace-all-wireless $nf

# Define parameters

set val(chan)           Channel/WirelessChannel    ;# Channel Type

set val(prop)           Propagation/TwoRayGround   ;# Propagation Model

set val(netif)          Phy/WirelessPhy            ;# Network Interface

set val(mac)            Mac/802_15_4               ;# MAC Protocol

set val(ifq)            Queue/DropTail/PriQueue    ;# Interface Queue

set val(ll)             LL                        ;# Link Layer

set val(ant)            Antenna/OmniAntenna       ;# Antenna Model

set val(ifqlen)         50                        ;# Queue Length

set val(rp)             AODV                      ;# Routing Protocol

set val(x)              500                       ;# X Dimension of the Topology

set val(y)              500                       ;# Y Dimension of the Topology

set val(stop)           10.0                      ;# Simulation Time

# Define the topology

set topo [new Topography]

$topo load_flatgrid $val(x) $val(y)

# Create Nodes

set node_(0) [$ns node]

set node_(1) [$ns node]

set node_(2) [$ns node]

# Define node positions

$node_(0) set X_ 100

$node_(0) set Y_ 200

$node_(0) set Z_ 0.0

$node_(1) set X_ 200

$node_(1) set Y_ 300

$node_(1) set Z_ 0.0

$node_(2) set X_ 300

$node_(2) set Y_ 400

$node_(2) set Z_ 0.0

# Configure Zigbee MAC

$node_(0) set mac_ $val(mac)

$node_(1) set mac_ $val(mac)

$node_(2) set mac_ $val(mac)

# Attach traffic sources

set udp [new Agent/UDP]

$ns attach-agent $node_(0) $udp

set null [new Agent/Null]

$ns attach-agent $node_(2) $null

$ns connect $udp $null

set cbr [new Application/Traffic/CBR]

$cbr attach-agent $udp

$cbr set packetSize_ 128

$cbr set rate_ 10kb

# Start and stop the traffic

$ns at 0.5 “$cbr start”

$ns at 9.5 “$cbr stop”

# Define simulation end

$ns at $val(stop) “finish”

# Finish procedure

proc finish {} {

global ns tr nf

$ns flush-trace

close $tr

close $nf

exec nam zigbee-output.nam &

exit 0

}

# Run the simulation

$ns run

  1. Run the Zigbee Simulation
  1. We will need to store the script like zigbee_simulation.tcl.
  2. Then, execute the script with NS2:

ns zigbee_simulation.tcl

  1. Outputs:
    • NAM File (zigbee-output.nam): Go to an animation for the Zigbee network through NAM files.
    • Trace File (zigbee-output.tr): It supports for recording every network events.
  1. Analyze Simulation Results

We can examine the simulation performance to utilize trace file as zigbee-output.tr:

  1. Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR):

Estimate the percentage of packets that are effectively distributed:

awk ‘{if($1==”r” && $4==”cbr”) count++} END {print “PDR:”, count}’ zigbee-output.tr

  1. End-to-End Delay:

Assess the timestamps for data packets to the destination node.

  1. Energy Consumption:

Execute the energy patterns for observing the power utilization within nodes.

  1. Enhance the Zigbee Project
  1. Larger Topologies:
    • Replicate the networks including 50+ Zigbee nodes on large topologies.
  2. Mobility Models:
    • For IoT or WSN setting, we can apply Random Waypoint Mobility.
  3. Energy Efficiency:
    • Evaluate the power utilization in Zigbee MAC for effectiveness.
  4. Traffic Variations:
    • We will need to integrate the varied traffic such as TCP, FTP, and UDP.
  5. Fault Tolerance:
    • Replicate the node/link failures and also estimate the performance effect for fault tolerance.
  1. Tools for Results Analysis
  • NAM: Envision the packet transmission and node communication to utilize NAM files.
  • AWK Scripts: In the scripts, we can examine the trace files for performance parameters.
  • Graph Plotting:
    • Make use of tools such as Gnuplot or Matplotlib to envision the following:
      • Packet Delivery Ratio vs Node Density
      • Energy Consumption vs Simulation Time

Example Zigbee Project Ideas:

  1. Performance Evaluation of Zigbee in WSN:
    • Estimate the Zigbee’s performance metrics like PDR, delay, and energy efficiency under diverse node densities.
  2. Zigbee vs IEEE 802.11:
    • We will equate the performance of Zigbee using Wi-Fi within IoT applications.
  3. Energy-Aware Zigbee Routing:
    • Execute the energy-efficient routing mechanisms using Zigbee routing.
  4. Zigbee in Smart Home Networks:
    • We want to replicate the IoT scenarios such as smart home networks such as lights and sensors.

We have articulated the structured procedure of Zigbee Protocol projects which were replicated and examined using NS2 network simulator also we provided sample projects ideas that supports you to extend the projects further and we are ready to elaborate with additional details upon demand.