ZIGBEE Today

ZigBee innovation is advancing markedly in established and new markets alike, building ZigBee Certified products and answering manufacturer and consumer demand for greener, easy-to-use wireless solutions that help you control your everyday activities.

We open 2011 with nearly 400 members in the Alliance and two new ZigBee RF4CE standards that meet growing demand to replace 30-year-old infrared technology with a standard robust radio frequency solution: ZigBee Input Device and ZigBee 3D. We are also seeing growing industry recognition and preference for ZigBee Smart Energy, securing ZigBee as the technology to adopt this year.

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ZigBee Standards for the CE World

Two standards, ZigBee Input Device and ZigBee 3D Sync, will put ZigBee control into consumer hands with products that allow modern consumers to interact with their electronics on their own terms. Consumers will enjoy longer lasting, user-friendly and reliable device-to-device communication for work and play, plus manufacturers will offer new features and services that improve the consumers’ experience. When we say longer lasting, we mean it: up to 300% longer.  You can read more about it in the just published white paper, “Advantages of Energy-Efficient ZigBee Remote Controls.” The paper lays out a variety of scenarios and clearly demonstrates the superior energy efficiency of ZigBee for basic and even advanced remote controls.

We’re embarking on a new standard with work beginning on ZigBee 3D Sync.  Once complete, this standard will create more flexible and efficient connections between 3D HDTVs and 3D glasses.  Despite the hype to the contrary, glasses are here to stay if you expect a quality 3D viewing experience. 

We completed ZigBee Input Device in December to give consumers improved control options for peripherals like mice, keyboards, touch pads, wands and remote control pointers.  Imagine the conveniences of being able to use these everyday tools from greater distances and even nearby rooms. When combining these standards with ZigBee Remote Control, consumer electronic manufacturers have a comprehensive suite of standards that can take their products to a whole new level.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

In 2010, 103 new members joined the Alliance. Since October 2010, Alliance welcomes the following new members.

Participants
Bosch and Siemens Hausgerate GmbH
China Electronics Standardization Institute
Electrolux Home Products, Inc
Revere Security Corporation
Symantec Corporation
THINKECO, INC.
Underwriters Laboratories
WuxSensingNet Industrialization Research Institute

Adopters
2D2C, Inc.
3-D Global Co., Ltd.
ByteSnap Design Ltd.
CAS TECNOLOGIA S/A
DECAWAVE
EnTek Systems
Fujitsu General Limited
Intelagrid, LLC
IP Datatel, Inc.
Kohler Co.
Lite-On Technology Corp.
OMRON Corporation
One Access
Panamax LLC
Peel Technologies, Inc.
Qisda Corporation
Remotec Technology Ltd.
SmartLiving Technologies Limited
zPoint Products Inc.

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ZigBee at CES

The ZigBee Pavilion’s popularity at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month showed accelerating interest in going green in the global market with ZigBee. Fifteen members participated in the pavilion, displaying more than 75 ZigBee Certified products to the 140,000+ people who attended and were directed to the pavilion as a CES-recognized TechZone destination.

The pavilion showcased ZigBee’s family of nine standards for show attendees, potential members, media and analysts. ZigBee Compliant platforms and modules and ZigBee Certified products from ZigBee Smart Energy and ZigBee Home Automation underscored ZigBee’s easy-to-use technology and the market momentum propelling ZigBee.  The center of the pavilion featured a home appliance demonstration with GE refrigerator and washer and dryer, as well as a variety of in-home displays showing ZigBee Smart Energy in action.

U.S. APPLIANCE MAKER ASSOCIATION CALLS ZIGBEE A PROVEN SMART GRID STANDOUT

The Association of Home Appliance Makers, whose members ship $30 billion in household appliances annually in the United States, named ZigBee one of three most suitable communication protocols for the development and implementation of the U.S. Smart Grid.

In an October 2010 evaluation report following AHAM’s 2009 “The Home Appliance Industry’s Principles & Requirements for Achieving a Widely Accepted Smart Grid,” the association determined ZigBee met AHAM’s three essential requirements for the implementation of a successful Smart Grid. The requirements are:

• Pricing must provide incentives to manage energy use more efficiently and enable consumers to save money;
• Communication standards must be open, flexible, secure, and limited in number;
• Consumer choice and privacy must be respected. The consumer is the decision-maker.

AHAM is also a standards development organization, accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The association authors numerous appliance performance testing standards used by manufacturers, consumer organizations and governmental bodies to rate and compare appliances, but does not intend to develop these Smart Grid communication standards. Instead, it has undertaken this technical evaluation of existing communication standards, and an assessment based on their application with home appliances, for standards bodies and government agencies to consider.

GE Study: ZigBee Most Cost-Effective and Efficient HAN Technology

ZigBee was found to be the most cost-effective and energy-efficient HAN communications technology available, according to a December 2010 GE Appliance and Lighting report.
“Energy Efficiency Comparisons of Wireless Communication Technology Options for Smart Grid-Enabled Devices” compared wireless communications network technologies based on required performance and energy consumption to determine which technology best minimized the energy impact of widespread HAN deployment expected with growth of the smart grid.

The study put ZigBee to the test against Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, evaluating all three under typical HAN/smart-device conditions and in a configuration representative of future mass production to determine which technology is best for widespread implementation. Testing showed the ZigBee system consumed an average of 0.39 watts over a 24-hour period while the Wi-Fi system consumed 0.87 watts over the same period. The report concludes the yearly energy savings with ZigBee would equal $315 million in the projected future install base.

ON WORLD SMART ENERGY

In October, ON World distributed “Smart Energy Homes,” covering the market opportunity, technology dynamics, end-user perspectives, and competitive landscape for the home energy management market.

Predicting revenues for home energy management equipment and services could reach a high of $3.3 billion in 2014, the report noted ZigBee has become one of the HAN’s primary mass market networking technologies. “Forty million ZigBee enabled smart meter devices, integration in home networking equipment from Belkin and Cisco, and a new generation of ZigBee enabled smart appliances from GE, has answered the question of what will be the primary wireless sensing network for the energy HAN,” the report said.

ZIGBEE ALLIANCE UPDATES WEB SITE

The ZigBee Alliance launched a major update to its web site in January, enriching resources for members and the public and updating content to help site visitors understand ZigBee and its family of standards and products. The update includes a searchable Knowledge Base and RSS feeds for news, and spotlighted content on most pages to educate the public on ZigBee’s global role, as well as its benefits and features. Updated content clearly explains how product manufacturers use the two ZigBee specifications and nine ZigBee standards. 

RUSHLIGHT AWARDS COMMENDS ZIGBEE MEMBER PASSIVSYSTEMS

PassivSystems’ technology was commended in the 2009 Rushlight Awards, recognized for its Adaptive Occupancy Control architecture that provides a display and an intelligent hub at the heart of the home. The awards are a celebration and promotion of the leading organizations throughout the UK and Ireland that have furthered environmental technology and innovation.

ZigBee innovation is advancing markedly in established and new markets alike, building ZigBee Certified products and answering manufacturer and consumer demand for greener, easy-to-use wireless solutions that help you control your everyday activities.

We open 2011 with nearly 400 members in the Alliance and two new ZigBee RF4CE standards that meet growing demand to replace 30-year-old infrared technology with a standard robust radio frequency solution: ZigBee Input Device and ZigBee 3D.  We are also seeing growing industry recognition and preference for ZigBee Smart Energy, securing ZigBee as the technology to adopt this year.

Market approval of ZigBee Smart Energy is snowballing with market deployments and industry ratings stemming from technology comparisons. Three influential groups have lauded ZigBee in as many months. Findings from the Association of Home Appliance Makers, ON World and GE Appliances and Lighting are third-party endorsements of Alliance members’ ZigBee Smart Energy work.

Market adoption proves the leaders’ findings. ZigBee certified its 100th ZigBee Smart Energy product in January. Forty-nine companies from around the world have manufactured multiple products in each category needed to implement a robust ZigBee Smart Energy home area network.

Membership growth is keeping pace with ZigBee adoption, reflecting growing and accelerating value.  We increased membership by 50 companies last year, bringing the Alliance to nearly 400 member organizations.  Much of the growth is in the Adopter class, a vital part of growing the ZigBee ecosystem, and we continue to attract Participant members as well.  This member growth mirrors the notable increase in ZigBee Certified products and platforms in the marketplace and the industry’s validation of Alliance activities and accomplishments.

ZIGBEE CERTIFIED PRODUCTS

ZigBee Certified products now number 149 across four ZigBee market standards: ZigBee Smart Energy, ZigBee Home Automation, ZigBee Remote Control and ZigBee Telecom Services.

The newest ZigBee Certified products helped the Alliance exceed its 100th product milestone last year and helped ZigBee Smart Energy reach its own 100 products milestone in January:

ZigBee Certified products available since Oct. 1, 2010:

As part of the Alliance's certification process, all products using any of ZigBee’s standards are certified to perform regardless of manufacturer. This allows customers to purchase them with confidence and install them with ease. The complete list of interoperable products is available at ZigBeeCertifiedProducts.