Z-Wave Become Global Standard for Wireless Home Control

Jim_Lin

Zensys, developer of the award-winning Z-Wave wireless home control standard, today announced the Z/IP program to drive convergence of Z-Wave and TCP/IP while simultaneously beginning to license Z-Wave to other chip manufacturers.

"Given the continued success and market adoption of interoperable Z-Wave solutions, we are launching the Z/IP program to take Z-Wave to the next level of worldwide adoption," said Tony Shakib, CEO of Zensys. "In order to accomplish this we are making two significant advances -- converging Z-Wave with TCP/IP to embrace the larger user community, and licensing the Z-Wave protocol to other silicon manufacturers."
( O& d3 \) b9 u9 _. {9 v
By converging Z-Wave with TCP/IP, Zensys will enable standard based end-to-end home control networks and applications from anywhere on the Internet all the way into sensor networks. It will allow for the use of TCP/IP technology and knowledge in new applications directly on low cost, low power devices. As with all previous Z-Wave protocol advances, Z/IP will remain backwards compatible with existing Z-Wave products while adding compliant TCP/IP services to Z-Wave nodes and will allow the use of proven Z-Wave device and command classes in TCP/IP networks.
. x+ s. t3 }) z9 C6 s; J/ d9 r" F
4 l% U& G9 G0 _! f) C6 ?! p9 v"We are witnessing a major shift in the home control space right now away from proprietary-only based home control solutions towards IP-based systems and those that interface with IP-based devices," stated Bill Ablondi, director of home systems research for Parks Associates. "Z-Wave is one of the recognized leaders in technology for wireless home control and this development will only add to its appeal for the companies around the world that will drive the next generation of home control systems."

For end users, a primary benefit of TCP/IP convergence with Z-Wave will be the transparent use of home control applications from any location using any device, gateway or network. Given the findings from the Z-Wave Alliance/Kelton Research study conducted earlier this year that 72 percent of Americans want to monitor their home while away, there is obviously a real demand for simplifying wireless home control and automation applications.
( P% e, k) \; C/ F/ b
4 A% T- p" \* O"The decision to connect Z-Wave with TCP/IP resulted from our growing partnership with leading consumer electronics manufacturers such as Cisco and Linksys," added Mr. Shakib.

. H3 G/ v/ H( ^Martin Manniche, senior director, connected home architecture group at Linksys, a Division of Cisco Systems, Inc., stated, "As an investor in Zensys, we are pleased to see the technology move towards an open standard approach. Using TCP/IP will help to accelerate the adoption of applications for multiple uses of Z-Wave around the home, as well as interoperability amongst multiple vendors."
/ N! J; j+ D6 o
Zensys' Z-Wave licensing program will include chip designs, stack software and APIs. Zensys will continue to drive innovation and the development of Z-Wave, but will open the technology to other chip manufacturers interested in entering the home control space. Additionally, Zensys will offer Z-Wave porting services to assure quality and accelerate developments. The industry leading device specifications of Z-Wave will be made available royalty free based on a RAND-Z model. Most importantly, the successful Z-Wave certification program will be extended to continue to ensure interoperability between all products.

"We're approaching this as entering the next phase in the development of Z-Wave," said Mark Walters, chairman of the Z-Wave Alliance. "We've already proven the success of the Z-Wave Alliance in building an ecosystem of interoperable, low cost Z-Wave products and based on the potential around adding the use of native TCP/IP protocols for sensor networks, we're confident that now is the time to bring Z-Wave to markets that have been closed to Z-Wave in the past. By licensing Z-Wave to other chip manufacturers, we're removing the key hurdle for Z-Wave in the marketplace while continuing to drive Z-Wave innovation."

About Z-Wave® and Zensys
9 o9 s! W0 `8 h  \* O+ ~& X3 rZ-Wave is a proven, interoperable wireless mesh networking technology that is the standard in wireless home control. Z-Wave brings many benefits to everyday life including remote home monitoring, safety and security, and energy conservation by controlling a wide array of home devices including lighting, appliances, HVAC, entertainment, and more. Developed by Zensys, Z-Wave certified products are currently available from leading consumer brands in more than 100 products. Z-Wave is the recipient of the 2006 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award in the wireless category, the CNET "Best of CES Award" in the enabling technologies category, along with PC World's 2006 World Class Award, which recognizes the 100 best technologies and products of the year. For more information about Z-Wave and Zensys, please visit www.z-wave.com or www.zen-sys.com.

About the Z-Wave Alliance
1 P6 j3 \4 s) v1 \0 B7 JFormed in January 2005, the Z-Wave Alliance is a consortium of leading companies in the home technology space dedicated to solidifying Z-Wave as the standard for wireless home control products. The principal members include Cooper, Danfoss, Intel, Intermatic, Leviton, Monster, Wayne-Dalton, Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) and Zensys. Its members lead the home controls market, providing leading edge products and systems that deliver increased comfort, convenience, safety and security. Z-Wave technology is the foundation of all products manufactured by the Alliance members. For more information about the Z-Wave Alliance, visit www.zwavealliance.org.

Jim_Lin

這是一個Machine Talk Infrastructure.
- v4 S4 e3 Z2 V( k; b越來越多廠商製造Z-Wave Gateway + Wireless Router, 將In-House Control拓展到外部, 將Digital Home的Entertainment, Security, Health Care & Remote Control連接到Internet.

! O7 p5 l0 O7 R4 _8 A& T! L0 e# F9 p[ 本帖最後由 Jim_Lin 於 2008-4-11 12:15 PM 編輯 ]

Jim_Lin

Z-Wave vs. ZigBee
Although wireless sensor networks (WSN) is a fairly new area, the majority of readers have most likely heard of other names associated with low data-rate wireless networks. ZigBee is a standards-based wireless networking protocol that operates securely and reliably using low data rates on a low power-consumption network. Targeting sensors, automation, and control applications for industry, commercial, and residential buildings, ZigBee constitutes a logical network and application layer, but physical radio interface, PHY and MAC layers, are based on the 802.15.4 IEEE standard.  Similar functionality, applications, market timing, and product names creates a great deal of confusion for people trying to understand the differences between ZigBee and Z-Wave. Table 1 concisely compares the two technologies without diving too deeply into all aspects of the protocols; it emphasizes the principal differences and limitations.
2 T4 H0 P) ~1 a7 [  [1 T$ E6 P
( y/ b, m+ D( Y2 e* uBased on a 2003 version of the 802.15.4 specification, ZigBee operates in three ISM bands with a maximum data rate of 250KBps. But in the lower bands, 908/860MHz, the latest Z-Wave chips provide the same (or higher) bandwidth compared with the 802.15.4 specification. The RF performance of Z-Wave and ZigBee modules measured in an unobstructed environment, such as in an open field with a line of sight between the devices, is equivalent. But the 802.15.4 radio has a definite advantage in noisy environments, since it uses a more advanced modulation technique and spread-spectrum transmission.  The network capabilities provided by ZigBee are significantly wider than Z-Wave can offer: a much bigger network size, multiple topologies, extensive node hopping, and so forth. From the side, it appears that the whole functional capability of the Z-Wave network can be implemented as a small subset of ZigBee functionality. This is true, because from the start Z-Wave was designed as a lightweight wireless protocol for residential control applications. This assumption defined the size of the network, its topology, and other vital protocol parameters. All of that enabled the design of a simple but reliable, compact, and easy-to-use protocol. For example, by limiting the maximum number of message hops between nodes to four, Z-Wave was able to employ a simpler routing mechanism and reduce requirements for node's RAM size. Perhaps for industrial applications it would be a significant limitation, but as far as the homeowner is concerned, it will cover his or her property. A definite downfall of Z-Wave is the proprietary nature of the protocol. Zensys and other members of the Z-Wave Alliance are hoping that Z-Wave protocol becomes the standard in home automation, but it's not there yet. From a logistic point of view, Zensys is still a single source supplier for silicon, integrated modules, and protocol stack software libraries.  

) h- g) \* C2 @8 u9 h9 eWill it fly or will it falter?

/ C) Z4 l; R4 e- a+ V" L+ JAfter spending the last five years studying different aspects of low-rate wireless networks, I find that it's very difficult to cover all practical cases and scenarios with one tool set and am reluctant to bet my money on simply one technology, either ZigBee or Z-Wave. Nevertheless, paraphrasing some people from Missouri, I want to say "show me the product" as the ultimate scoring point from a consumer's point of view. Z-Wave has a clear advantage over ZigBee in that field. Light control devices, dimmers, switches and remote controllers from Leviton and Intermatic are readily available in the stores such as Fry's Electronics. They work well and provide unmatched user experience compared with "old faithful" X10 devices. So, ZigBee, your move next?

8 m' G5 n# L) @$ C[ 本帖最後由 Jim_Lin 於 2008-4-14 03:48 PM 編輯 ]