ARCwire - IEEE has published specification IEEE 802.15.4-2006. The scope of this document is to produce specific enhancements and corrections to IEEE Standard 802.15.4, all of which will be backwards compatible with IEEE Standard 802.15.4-2003. These include resolving ambiguities, reducing unnecessary complexity, increasing flexibility in security key usage, and considerations for newly available frequency allocations.
IEEE 802.15.4 defines the physical layer (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) sub-layer specifications for low-data-rate wireless connectivity with fixed, portable, and moving devices with no battery, or very limited battery and energy consumption requirements, typically operating in the personal operating space of 10 m. 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 IEEE and other Coexistence Task Groups, such as IEEE 802.15.2 and IEEE 802.11/ETSI-BRAN/MMAC 5GSG.