Zigbee Compliance#

Zigbee compliance is based on a building block of compliance testing used to ensure that each layer is tested.

Products that meet all compliance requirements may be branded "Zigbee Compliant" and can display the Zigbee logo.

The Zigbee radio and MAC are required to have passed the applicable parts of IEEE 802.15.4 certification testing. Parts of the MAC not required for Zigbee operation are not required for this testing.

Zigbee stacks are required to be built on certified IEEE 802.15.4 platforms. Zigbee stack providers are required to have the stack tested against a standard Zigbee test plan known as Zigbee Compliant Platform Testing. This testing validates the basic network, security, and Zigbee Device Object (ZDO) operations for the stack.

Zigbee products are required to be built on a Zigbee Compliant Platform. The developer can choose to build a public or manufacturer-specific application. Those applications which are manufacturer-specific are tested against a specific set of tests to validate basic operation. Products based on the common Zigbee application layer are more extensively tested using a standard Zigbee test for the application layer commands. Testing scrutiny has been heavily increased in Zigbee 3.0; there are now many negative test cases that products must pass in order to pass certification.

The Zigbee Test Harness is new in Zigbee 3.0. The Zigbee Test Harness is provided to Zigbee members for testing their products and also is used for the final compliance testing for a Zigbee 3.0 product. The Zigbee Test Harness involves both a test harness Zigbee software stack running on a compliant IEEE 802.15.4 platform and a desktop application offering a friendly user interface to the tester.

Each shipping product has to be certified and substantive changes to the product after certification can require recertification. Silicon Labs sends all chips and stack releases through compliance testing.

All of the Zigbee test plans are developed and tested using at least three members’ products to ensure interoperability between different implementations.

Companies are required to become members of the Connectivity Standards Alliance to ship product containing the Zigbee stack. There are specific rules for use of the Zigbee logo on product that are detailed on the CSA website.