A Simulation Platform for ZigBee-UMTS Hybrid Networks

A ZigBee Network is a low-cost and low-power wireless network based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, which allows wireless connectivity with limited power and relaxed throughput requirements. On the other hand, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third-generation cellular network that provides high-speed wireless traffic transfer to the Internet. This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel integrated ZigBee and UMTS hybrid network in the Network Simulator (ns-2). In this hybrid network, we design a new Mobile Gateway to interconnect these two different sub-networks. With the hierarchical addressing and some special UMTS network discovering mechanisms, routing in the hybrid network, from the ZigBee network via the UMTS network to the wired network, is achieved. We also design a simulation platform to make it easier for protocol designers to design and evaluate new protocols in such a hybrid network.