DSR Corporation’s Cross-Platform ZBOSS Stack Supports Zigbee 4.0

The Connectivity Standard Alliance (CSA) continues to advance Zigbee protocol, now deployed in more than a billion products worldwide. The latest Zigbee 4.0 release delivers impactful improvements for both residential and commercial IoT environments. These include proactive security updates aligned to the evolving international security standards such as CRA EU, EN 18031 and Singapore CSA, extended network range through Sub-GHz support, large-scale device commissioning, device commissioning and control via Zigbee Direct, and the foundation for coexistence with Smart Energy devices.

DSR’s ZBOSS, a cross-platform, production-proven Zigbee stack, fully supports Zigbee 4.0. This includes complete implementation of the updated security architecture, onboarding enhancements, Sub-GHz features, and Smart Energy interoperability defined in the new specification. All features have been tested and proven at CSA verification events. 

In addition to supporting Zigbee 4.0, the ZBOSS stack supports up to 400 devices on a single network. The new Networking Simulator (D-Sim), optimized for large scale networks testing, uses virtual time, significantly decreasing the overall testing time. This testing tool is now available to ZBOSS Open Initiative (ZOI) members.

Key Enhancements in Zigbee 4.0

Security Enhancements Across Device & Network Layers

Zigbee 4.0 introduces modernized security controls including Dynamic Link Key, Device Interview, formalized parent selection, restricted mode, hardened onboarding, and enhanced Trust Center handling of device authentication and swap-outs.

Smart Energy Coexistence

Zigbee 4.0 also includes Smart Energy Authentication Level Control. Zigbee devices with a sufficient level of security can be on the same network as Smart Energy devices, and each device on the network is able to determine whether it wants to communicate with other devices based on their security level and ecosystem Trust Center policy. Smart Energy Authentication Level Control improvements enable the Trust Center to identify the level of authentication on each device to aid partner devices in communicating only with the required level of security. 

Batch Commissioning Improvements

Enhanced batch commissioning supports simultaneous authentication and configuration of device groups, reducing commissioning time and network load in multi-device environments such as hotels, MDUs, utilities, and large commercial spaces.

Zigbee Direct Commissioning and Control

Bluetooth Low Energy-based onboarding allows devices to be joined and configured using smartphones or other BLE-enabled devices, removing friction from both consumer and technician workflows without requiring custom BLE development.

Sub-GHz Support for EU and North America

The addition of 800 MHz (EU) and 900 MHz (NA) PHY bands expands network range and improves penetration in structures where 2.4 GHz can be less reliable. This benefits both residential smart home deployments and commercial installations operating in RF-challenging environments.

 

Why Integrate Zigbee 4.0 with ZBOSS?

Zigbee 4.0 is forward and backward compatible with Zigbee 3.0, enabling ZBOSS stack users to simultaneously and securely update millions of in-field devices with the latest enhancements. The portable ZBOSS stack provides device manufacturers with the freedom to work with the SoC that will best support their goals. ZBOSS's updated stack with Zigbee 4.0 will be certification-ready providing a rapid path to certification and deployment for updated devices. 

Semiconductor vendors building with ZBOSS gain immediate access to a production-grade Zigbee stack, engineered to support Zigbee 4.0 features at the protocol, network, and application layers, minimizing internal development cycles. With ZBOSS, device manufacturers can immediately build, test, and deploy Zigbee 4.0-compliant devices and suites of devices, without custom stack work or platform-specific reengineering. 

 

About ZBOSS

ZBOSS is a hardware agnostic, cross-platform, high-performance Zigbee® software protocol stack developed by DSR Corporation. ZBOSS Zigbee PRO 2023 and Sub-GHz are Connectivity Standards Alliance certified golden units. It features flexible build and run time configuration for all device roles, fixed memory footprint, CI/CD testing and development tools, and easy-to-use API for rapid application development. ZBOSS runs on Linux, RTOS, and bare metal. ZBOSS supports multiple SoCs, MCUs and transceivers from Nordic Semiconductor, Espressif, Texas Instruments, NXP, Silicon Labs, Qorvo, Telink, Synopsys, Microchip, and other chip vendors. Moreover, tens of millions of Zigbee®3.0 certified devices are powered by ZBOSS.

DSR’s ZBOSS stack fully implements the latest Zigbee 4.0 updates and is an easy way to get started. ZBOSS supports over 25 platforms, standardizing the stack across different hardware, comes with a complete suite of tools to simplify development, and includes continuous integration/continuous delivery to shorten time for testing and certification. ZBOSS is available through the ZBOSS Open Initiative (ZOI), a community of companies with a goal of overcoming the challenges around interoperability, security, testing, and optimization of Zigbee®-enabled products and solutions. 

Visit dsr-zoi.com to learn more about ZOI and DSR’s ZBOSS Stack.

About ZBOSS Open Initiative

The ZBOSS Open Initiative (ZOI) is a collaborative community founded by DSR Corporation to promote interoperability and streamline development for Zigbee-based IoT solutions. ZOI members gain access to the ZBOSS source code, advanced testing tools, and collaborative platforms, enabling them to focus on innovation while reducing development costs and ensuring protocol consistency. For more information about ZBOSS and ZOI, visit www.dsr-iot.com or www.dsr-zoi.com