Device roaming on a zigbee network
An end device in a Zigbee network space is configured to roam between available Zigbee networks. When the end device determines that a quality of a current connection has fallen below a minimum threshold, the end device evaluates the network space for available networks. The end device stores a list of Zigbee networks that it is authorized to join and joins the most preferred Zigbee network, as determined by, for example, a signal strength or a stored network ranking.
1 . A method of roaming on a Zigbee network using a Zigbee end device, the method comprising:
determining available Zigbee networks within a network space;
selecting one of said available Zigbee networks; and
joining said end device to said selected Zigbee network.
2 . The method according to claim 1 wherein selecting one of said available Zigbee networks comprises determining whether the end device is authorized to join an available Zigbee network.
3 . The method according to claim 2 wherein determining whether the end device is authorized to join the selected Zigbee network comprises comparing a network identity of the selected Zigbee network with a list of authorized network identities stored in the end device.
4 . The method according to claim 3 wherein the list of authorized network identities includes a preference rank; wherein selecting one of said available Zigbee networks comprises selecting an available network with a most preferred rank.
5 . The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the available Zigbee networks comprises scanning the network space for one or more beacons identifying a Zigbee network.
6 . The method according to claim 5 wherein selecting one of said available Zigbee networks comprises comparing a network identity associated with said one or more beacons with a list of authorized network identities stored in the end device.
7 . The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the available Zigbee networks within a network space comprises determining a connection quality to the available Zigbee networks; and wherein selecting one of said available Zigbee networks comprises selecting the available Zigbee network with the highest connection quality.
8 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of determining the available Zigbee networks within a network space is performed in response to determining that a connection quality of the end device to a Zigbee network is below a minimum threshold.
9 . A device for use on a Zigbee network, the device comprising at least one processor, wherein the processor is configured for:
determining available Zigbee networks within a network space;
selecting one of said available Zigbee networks; and
joining the device to said selected Zigbee network.
10 . The device according to claim 9 further comprising a memory, wherein the memory stores a list of authorized Zigbee networks and wherein the processor is configured for selecting one of said available Zigbee networks by comparing an available Zigbee network with the list of authorized Zigbee networks.
11 . The device according to claim 10 wherein the list of authorized networks includes a preference rank.
12 . The device according to claim 11 wherein said device is configured to select an available Zigbee network dependent on said preference rank.
13 . The device according to claim 9 wherein said device is configured to determine a signal strength to each available Zigbee network.
14 . The device according to claim 13 wherein the device is configured to select an available Zigbee network dependent on the determined signal strength.
15 . A computer readable medium comprising instructions executable on a device of a Zigbee network, the instructions for:
determining available Zigbee networks within a network space;
selecting one of said available Zigbee networks; and
joining said device to said selected Zigbee network.
16 . The computer readable medium according to claim 15 , further comprising instructions for determining whether the device is authorized to join an available Zigbee network.
17 . The computer readable medium according to claim 16 , further comprising instructions for comparing a network identity of the selected Zigbee network with a list of authorized network identities stored in the device.
18 . The computer readable medium according to claim 17 , wherein the list of authorized network identities includes a preference rank; wherein the computer readable medium further comprises instructions for selecting an available network with a most preferred rank.
19 . The computer readable medium according to claim 15 further comprising instructions for determining a connection quality to the available Zigbee networks; and selecting the available Zigbee network with the highest connection quality.
20 . The computer readable medium according to claim 15 further comprising instructions for determining that a connection quality of a current connection from the device to a Zigbee network is below a minimum threshold.