Architectures
This page describes the platform designs that are possible with the Zigbee stack on Nordic Semiconductor devices.
The designs are described from the least to the most complex, that is from simple applications that consist of a single chip running single or multiple protocols to scenarios in which the nRF SoC acts as a network co-processor when the application is running on a much more powerful host processor.
System-on-Chip designs
The single-chip solution has a combined RFIC (the IEEE 802.15.4 in case of Zigbee) and processor. Both the Zigbee stack and the application layer run on the local processor. The ZBOSS stack communicates directly with the nRF 802.15.4 radio driver, bypassing the Zephyr networking (L2) layer.
This design has the following advantages:
Lowest cost
Lowest power consumption
Lowest complexity
It also has the following trade-offs:
For some uses, the nRF SoC’s MCU can be too slow to handle both the application and the network stack load.
The application and the network stack share flash and RAM space. This leaves less resources for the application.
Dual-bank DFU or an external flash is needed to update the firmware.
Single-chip, single protocol (SoC)
In this design, the application layer and the stack run on the same processor. The application uses the ZBOSS Zigbee stack APIs directly.
This is the design most commonly used for End Devices and Routers.
Zigbee-only architecture on nRF54L Series and nRF52840 devices
Zigbee-only architecture on nRF53 Series devices
This platform design is suitable for the following development kits:
Hardware platforms |
PCA |
Board name |
Board target |
|---|---|---|---|
PCA10056 |
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PCA10095 |
nrf5340dk/nrf5340/cpuapp |
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PCA10156 |
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PCA10156 |
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PCA10184 |
nrf54lm20dk/nrf54lm20a/cpuappnrf54lm20dk/nrf54lm20b/cpuapp |
Single-chip, multiprotocol (SoC)
With the nRF devices supporting multiple wireless technologies, including IEEE 802.15.4 and Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth LE), the application layer and the Zigbee and Bluetooth LE stack run on the same chip.
This design has the following advantages:
It allows to run Zigbee and Bluetooth LE simultaneously on a single chip, which reduces the overall BOM cost.
It also has the following trade-offs:
Bluetooth LE activity can degradate the connectivity on Zigbee if not implemented with efficiency in mind.
Multiprotocol Zigbee and Bluetooth LE architecture on nRF54L Series and nRF52840 devices
Multiprotocol Zigbee and Bluetooth LE architecture on nRF53 Series devices
For more information, see Multiprotocol support in the nRF Connect SDK documentation and Multiprotocol Bluetooth LE extension.
This platform design is suitable for the following development kits:
Hardware platforms |
PCA |
Board name |
Board target |
|---|---|---|---|
PCA10056 |
|
||
PCA10095 |
nrf5340dk/nrf5340/cpuapp |
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PCA10156 |
|
||
PCA10156 |
|
||
PCA10184 |
nrf54lm20dk/nrf54lm20a/cpuappnrf54lm20dk/nrf54lm20b/cpuapp |
Co-processor designs
In co-processor designs, the application runs on one processor (the host processor) and communicates with another processor that provides the radio interface. In these designs, the more powerful processor (host) interacts with the Zigbee network through a connectivity device, for example a Nordic Semiconductor’s device with the Zigbee interface.
The co-processor designs can be used when a device requires additional functionalities or more compute power than what Nordic Semiconductor’s devices have to offer, but the more powerful processor does not have a suitable radio interface. The split stack architectures are most commonly used to design a Zigbee gateway, but sometimes also for complex Zigbee Routers or Zigbee End Devices.
Network Co-Processor (NCP)
In this design, the host processor runs the application, the Zigbee application layer (ZCL), and the Zigbee commissioning logic. The host communicates with the connectivity device through a serial interface (USB or UART) using the ZBOSS NCP protocol.
The connectivity device (nRF SoC) runs the NCP application. It implements the remainder of the ZBOSS stack on the connectivity side:
The application framework
ZDO
APS
The Zigbee PRO network layer
IEEE 802.15.4 MAC and PHY
The nRF 802.15.4 radio driver
The host processor and connectivity device exchange ZBOSS stack operations through NCP serialization over the serial link.
The NCP design has the following advantages:
Cost-optimized solution - uses the resources on the more powerful processor.
The NCP device does not require the support for the dual-bank DFU. It can be upgraded by the host processor.
Access to the full feature set of ZBOSS.
Lower memory footprint on the connectivity side (as compared with single-SoC Zigbee applications).
It also has the following trade-offs:
The host part of the stack must be built and run for every individual host processor in use. Nordic Semiconductor provides the ZBOSS NCP Host package as a reference implementation for development and evaluation on Linux-based host processors.
Zigbee Compliant Platform certification is required for each combination of host processor and NCP SoC before you can certify a Zigbee Certified Product that uses this architecture. This requirement applies to the Zigbee R23 add-on and to every SoC supported as an NCP connectivity device. The Zigbee Compliant Platform certification IDs (CIDs) listed in the Nordic compatibility matrices cover the single-SoC configuration only. They do not cover the host and NCP architecture. If you want to certify a host and NCP solution, contact the ZBOSS Open Initiative (ZOI).
Warning
NCP connectivity firmware is not supported in the current Zigbee R23 add-on release. The precompiled NCP development libraries are not included in this release. Restoring support is planned for a future add-on release (without a confirmed timeline).
Note
The NCP connectivity device firmware built with CONFIG_ZIGBEE_LIBRARY_NCP_DEV links libraries that are not part of the certified ZBOSS libraries shipped for single-SoC designs.
See ZBOSS library configuration for this Kconfig option.
Split Zigbee architecture
The host side of this design is described in ZBOSS NCP Host.
Note
The ZBOSS NCP Host package is not included in the current Zigbee R23 add-on release. See Release notes for add-on releases that published a host package. Restoring the host package together with NCP connectivity firmware support is planned for a future add-on release (without a confirmed timeline).
This platform design is suitable for the following development kits:
Note
NCP connectivity firmware is not supported in the current Zigbee R23 add-on release. No development kits can be used to build the NCP sample in this release. Support is planned to return in a future add-on release (without a confirmed timeline).
Development kits supported for NCP connectivity firmware in previous Zigbee R23 add-on releases:
Hardware platforms |
PCA |
Board name |
Board target |
|---|---|---|---|
PCA10056 |
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PCA10059 |
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PCA10100 |
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PCA10095 |
nrf5340dk/nrf5340/cpuapp |
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PCA10156 |
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PCA10156 |
|
||
PCA10156 |
|
||
PCA10184 |
nrf54lm20dk/nrf54lm20a/cpuappnrf54lm20dk/nrf54lm20b/cpuapp |