scope:

The scope of this revision is to produce specific enhancements and corrections to IEEE Std 802.15.4, all of which will be backwards compatible with IEEE Std 802.15.4-2003. These enhancements and corrections include resolving ambiguities, reducing unnecessary complexity, increasing flexibility in security key usage, considerations for newly available frequency allocations, and others.

IEEE Std 802.15.4 defines the physical layer (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) sublayer specifications for low-data-rate wireless connectivity with fixed, portable, and moving devices with no battery or very limited battery consumption requirements typically operating in the personal operating space (POS) of 10 m. It is foreseen that, depending on the application, a longer range at a lower data rate may be an acceptable tradeoff.

It is the intent of this revision to work toward a level of coexistence with other wireless devices in conjunction with Coexistence Task Groups, such as IEEE 802.15.2 and IEEE 802.11/ETSI-BRAN/MMAC 5GSG.

Purpose

The purpose of this revision is to extend the market applicability of IEEE Std 802.15.4 and to remove ambiguities in the standard. Implementations of the 2003 edition of this standard have revealed potential areas of improvements. Additional frequency bands are being made available in various countries that are attractive for this application space.