Tuesday, February 03, 2015

In this next report from the 2015 CES International consumer electronics expo, which happened in early January out in Las Vegas, I want to introduce you to ZigBee…ZigBee 3.0 to be precise.

Many CES vendors this year were touting the inoperable and advanced connectivity options being delivered via this compact "bridge device" from the ZigBee Alliance. Homeowners and consumers will be hearing a LOT about ZigBee this year, because it's being touted as a much more robust alternative to Bluetooth for controlling complex networks of home based smart technology.

ZigBee 3.0 supports a wide range of home, enterprise and industrial automation, smart energy, and 'Light Link' applications. The device is IEEE 802.15.4 compliant, so is capable of covering a complete home with multiple floors, blasting signals through dead spots and WiFi interference via mesh networking.

ZigBee 3.0 also supports large networks comprised of thousands of devices, which also makes it suitable for small and large scale residential building automation. And ZigBee 3.0 includes Green Power, supporting energy harvesting and battery-free applications with self-supporting devices that harvest just enough power to transmit brief commands to the network via ZigBee.

The Connected Lighting Alliance (TCLA), a consortium comprising the major lighting companies, showcased a global premiere of ZigBee-friendly wireless residential lighting products from six major lighting companies.

All these GE Lighting, Leedarson, LG Electronics, Lutron, OSRAM, and Philips.

products adhere to the TCLA endorsed ZigBee Light Link, allowing consumers to use a mix of products and brands at home, and to control them using a single wireless network.

PC World writer Stephen Lawson (@sdlawsonmedia) says connecting as many devices as possible so they can be used together in new ways is much more doable because of ZigBee technology. For example, when a ZigBee controlled thermostat turns on the heat, it could direct another system to automatically close the drapes so heat doesn’t escape.

Today, those systems might be implemented using different profiles and be on separate networks, while ZigBee 3.0 would let them communicate directly, Lawson said.

Stay tuned for more 'reports from the floor', scoping out some of the most interesting and cool item on display this year at CES.
 

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