940 IEEE 802.15.4: Quiz Bank Visual Reference

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Overview: Quiz Bank Overview - Learning objectives and study strategy

Quiz Sections: - Part 1 - Comprehensive Review Questions 1-60 - Part 2 - Comprehensive Review Questions 61-120 - Part 3 (Current) - Visual Reference Gallery

Study Materials: - 802.15.4 Fundamentals - Core concepts - 802.15.4 Topic Review - Quick reference

940.1 Visual Reference Gallery

Visual: IEEE 802.15.4 Protocol Stack

Artistic visualization of IEEE 802.15.4 protocol stack showing PHY and MAC layers with frequency bands, CSMA-CA access, and security features

IEEE 802.15.4 layered architecture

The 802.15.4 standard defines PHY and MAC layers, providing the foundation for higher-layer IoT protocols.

Visual: IEEE 802.15.4 Frame Structure

Artistic breakdown of IEEE 802.15.4 frame structure showing header fields, addressing options, security auxiliary header, payload area, and frame check sequence

802.15.4 MAC frame format

Understanding frame structure is essential for calculating overhead and optimizing payload efficiency in constrained networks.

Visual: IEEE 802.15.4 Sensor Node

Geometric diagram of IEEE 802.15.4 sensor node architecture with MCU, radio transceiver, antenna, sensors, and battery power management

802.15.4 wireless sensor node

A typical 802.15.4 sensor node achieves multi-year battery life through duty cycling and efficient power management.

940.2 Summary

Addressing Modes: 802.15.4 supports 64-bit extended and 16-bit short addresses, with short addressing minimizing overhead (6 bytes vs 18 bytes) after device association
Device Types: FFDs (Full Function Devices) can route and coordinate networks, while RFDs (Reduced Function Devices) are optimized for battery-powered end nodes with minimal RAM requirements
Tree Addressing (Cskip): Hierarchical address allocation enables distributed address assignment without coordinator involvement, using the Cskip algorithm to calculate address block sizes
Security Overhead: AES-128 CCM encryption adds approximately 14 bytes (Auxiliary Security Header + MIC), providing replay attack prevention and message integrity crucial for IoT deployments
Power Efficiency: Ultra-low duty cycles (<1%) achieved through beacon-enabled mode with configurable Superframe Order (SO) and Beacon Order (BO) enable multi-year battery life
Network Capacity: Addressing configuration (Lm, Cm, Rm parameters) determines maximum network size and device hierarchy depth
MAC-Layer Reliability: Automatic retransmission with CSMA-CA provides 99.97% delivery probability over lossy wireless links, complementing higher-layer protocols

940.3 What’s Next

Continue to IEEE 802.15.4: Topic Review to consolidate your understanding of 802.15.4 fundamentals, or proceed to RPL Fundamentals and Construction to learn how routing protocols build on 802.15.4 for multi-hop IoT networks.