Sophisticated networking and communications capabilities that were previously the sole domain of mainframes, PCs, and workstations are now becoming mandatory in the realm of smaller embedded microcontrollers. However, documentation, standards, and design information is scattered among many sources and is difficult to find.

In this practical book, popular columnist and embedded designer Fred Eady is your guide and advisor. He pulls together all the necessary design background and details and shows you how to use today's affordable microcontrollers for powerful communications and networking applications such as local area networks and embedded internet. Using working code examples and schematics, Eady steers you through the basics using two popular microcontroller families, PIC and Atmel.

Included are a wealth of detailed design examples for:
* RS-232 firmware and hardware
* Microcontroller USARTs
* The I2C bus
* Ethernet implementation
* Embedded internet implementation
* Wireless links

Sample source code is provided and thoroughly explained for all the application examples. The accompanying CD-ROM contains the example code as well as a searchable ebook version of the text, to help you get up to speed quickly. You could spend days or even weeks pulling together all the information that Eady has assembled in this one indispensable reference.

Wireless networking is poised to have a massive impact on communications, and the 802.11 standard is to wireless networking what Ethernet is to wired networking. There are already over 50 million devices using the dominant IEEE 802.11 (essentially wireless Ethernet) standard, with astronomical growth predicted over the next 10 years. New applications are emerging every day, with wireless capability being embedded in everything from electric meters to hospital patient tracking systems to security devices.

This practical reference guides readers through the wireless technology forest, giving them the knowledge, the hardware and the software necessary to design a wireless embedded device rapidly, inexpensively, and effectively. Using off-the-shelf microcontrollers from Microchip and Atmel, the author provides step-by-step instructions for designing the hardware and firmware for a fully operational wireless networking device. The book gives a thorough introduction to 802.11 technology and puts it into perspective against the other wireless standard options. Just enough theory and mathematics is provided to give the depth of understanding needed for practical design work.

The book thoroughly covers:
* Laptop wireless Ethernet card introduction and theory
*Introduction to CompactFlash-to-microcontroller interfacing
* Implementing the laptop wireless Ethernet card in an embedded environment

Hands-On ZigBee

by Fred Eady

Published 12 April 2007
Missing from the current ZigBee lexicon is practical, application-oriented guidance from an expert, specifically geared to aid engineers in implementing this new technology. Enter respected designer and popular columnist Fred Eady! With his new book, he provides the only comprehensive how-to ZigBee guide available. PRIMARY MARKET: Embedded System Developers, Designers, Programmers, Engineers and Hobbyists; Electrical, Computer and Network and Communications Engineers and Hobbyists; Network Technicians and IT Professionals SECONDARY MARKET: Students, Technicians and Scientists involved in data collection, Industrial and Mechanical Engineers, Engineering Managers