Whirlpool is taking a new step in bringing “smart,” digitally networked appliances into the mainstream — it’s actually putting them on sale. Over the past month or so, the Benton Harbor, Mich.-based white goods giant has been selling a refrigerator, a dishwasher and a washer/dryer unit equipped with its 6th Sense Live technology, which allows Continue reading →
Semiconductor manufacturer GreenPeak Technologies has introduced its GP501 generation of ZigBee transceivers that allow Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ZigBee chips to work side by side in the same device. GreenPeak said the GP501 also contains Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), allowing deep sleep modes of set-top boxes and other host devices by means of Wake-on-LAN messages. ZigBee Continue reading →
Free outdoor Wi-Fi became a reality for the City of Santa Clara this week, with citywide access launched by Silicon Valley Power (SVP) as part of its SVP MeterConnectSM program. Santa Clara is the first city in the country to provide free outdoor Wi-Fi access for an entire community as part of an advanced electric Continue reading →
The Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) will launch a new residential demand response program this summer using Wi-Fi communicating thermostats and EnergyHub’s Mercury demand response software platform. The initial deployment is planned for 1,000 Wi-Fi thermostats, and participating co-op members will have the choice of professional installation or installing the thermostat themselves. via Renew Grid: Continue reading →
GainSpan’s GS2000 incorporates ZigBee/802.15.4 and Wi-Fi radios, enabling a single-chip solution that talks to electric meters and a wide variety of appliances and other devices in a home-area network. GainSpan’s GS2000 multimode system-on-chip (SoC) implements Wi-Fi and 802.15.4/ZigBee radios in a single IC with an ARM microcontroller along with memory, multiple interfaces, and I/O capabilities. Continue reading →
ZigBee IP Stack certification is now available at NTS Advanced Technology (NTS-AT for short). The ZigBee IP Stack has been specifically developed/updated for the needs of the new ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 standard. And ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 is one member of the consortium (ZigBee, Wi-Fi and HomePlug) developing the latest Smart Energy Profile. If you Continue reading →
One of the primary roadblocks to adoption of home automation technologies is the need for consumers to invest in a dedicated controller (very much similar to investing in a wireless router for Wi-Fi, but only much costlier). Securifi, a consumer networking startup, aims to solve this problem by launching a Wi-Fi router with both Z-Wave Continue reading →
GainSpan® Corporation, a leader in ultra-low power Wi-Fi connectivity for the Internet of Things, today unveiled the GS2000, the industry’s first single chip solution bringing together two IEEE low power standard wireless technologies: Wi-Fi® (802.11b/g/n) and 802.15.4. The GS2000 is a highly integrated System on a Chip (SoC) containing multi-standard RF as well as both Continue reading →
The GP690 ZigBee PRO from GreenPeak Teachnologies adds ZigBee PRO to the company’s product portfolio, offering full support for its Open Smart Home Framework, integrating all three ZigBee networking variants Green Power, RF4CE and PRO into a single overall architecture.. This network architecture complements Wi-Fi, implementing wireless networking for sense and control devices such as Continue reading →
What can you do with an LED light bulb that has its own Internet address? And, how much would you pay for it? Those are some of the questions that GreenWave Reality and NXP Semiconductor are asking the $100 billion lighting market. On Monday, the two launched a new line of Wi-Fi-networked LED light bulbs, Continue reading →
It is well known that programmable thermostats are under-utilized at best and practically useless at worst. Enter connectivity. To combat some of the issues with programmable thermostats, there is a new generation of Wi-Fi thermostats that let you adjust the temperature on the way out the door, from the office or on your way home. Continue reading →
Canadian energy solutions company ecobee have launched a Wi-Fi enabled thermostat offering features for commercial customers. The company’s president and CEO Stuart Lombard says that the EMS Si is the most cost effective centralised solution to monitor and control a building’s heating and cooling system at a fraction of the price of traditional building automation Continue reading →
Home automation technologies are seen as integral additions to the Smart grid. The ability to control lighting, appliances, HVAC as well as Smart Grid applications (load curtailment, demand response, real-time power usage and price reporting) will become vital as Smart Grid initiatives are rolled out. Over many years ZigBee , an IEEE based 802.15.4 low Continue reading →
With Wi-Fi set to turn up in almost every household appliance, Qualcomm Atheros has thrown its hat in the ring with a low power chip that introduces IPv6 to the ‘internet of things’. The AR4100P is a “highly integrated 802.11n single-stream Wi-Fi system-in-package with integrated networking stack”, targeted at controls and appliances in the ‘smart Continue reading →
Wi-Fi appears ready to edge further into the home automation market, as the Wi-Fi Alliance this week hosted a public demonstration of interoperability between Wi-Fi devices and ZigBee-enabled smart energy meters. The demonstration, which took place at the DistribuTECH 2012 event in San Antonio, is the latest step in promoting Smart Energy Profile (SEP) 2.0. Continue reading →
Home appliances are increasingly being connected to the Internet. Not only mobile devices but also home appliances like refrigerators are being equipped with Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity), which enables the use of the wireless Internet. The launch of Wi-Fi home appliances has to do with the increasing penetration of Wi-Fi. There are around 350,000 Wi-Fi zones Continue reading →
With shipment of W-Fi devices reaching nearly 1.1 billion in 2011, the organization responsible for promoting and standardizing wireless technology—the Wi-Fi Alliance, is busier than ever. …Wi-Fi is expected to grow 25 percent between 2011-2016 in smart meters and automation products. via Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wireless Predictions and Projects for 2012 | News & Opinion | Continue reading →
With shipment of W-Fi devices reaching nearly 1.1 billion in 2011, the organization responsible for promoting and standardizing wireless technology—the Wi-Fi Alliance, is busier than ever. Member companies of the Wi-Fi Alliance are developing new additions to Wi-Fi capabilities that include a new certification for Wi-Fi display applications making it easier to share media content Continue reading →
Intwine Energy Networks has been chosen by Public Service Company of Oklahoma to deploy the industry’s first residential energy management service based upon the National Institute of Standards and Technology approved Smart Energy Profile 2.0 and Wi-Fi standards. The project will measure the impact of variable pricing on homeowner usage of energy under time of Continue reading →
Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today unveiled its new Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (WICED) platform (pronounced “wik-id”). The new module eases development effort and simplifies the implementation of Wi-Fi connectivity in an array of consumer devices, especially those with no current networking Continue reading →
