Efforts will focus on furthering use of IP in the leading HAN standard

SAN RAMON, Calif. and COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The ZigBee® Alliance, and the IPSO (IP for Smart Objects) Alliance announced today an agreement to collaborate on wireless home area networks (HAN) using the ZigBee IP specification and the ZigBee Smart Energy™ version 2.0 standard. The two alliances will collaborate on expanding HANs by using IP technology. The ZigBee Alliance is a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, and the IPSO Alliance promotes the use of Internet Protocol (IP) in smart objects.

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ZigBee Smart Energy is the market leading wireless HAN standard with more than 40 million smart meters being installed around the world. Common HAN devices include utility meters, thermostats, pool pumps, water heaters, appliances and plug-in electric vehicles. It was developed by industry leading utilities, suppliers and technology companies to connect those everyday household devices to the Smart Grid. Last year, it was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an initial interoperable standard for HAN devices.

"Working with the IPSO Alliance will speed our development work on ZigBee Smart Energy," said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. "By using IP technology, ZigBee Smart Energy will give utilities more flexibility in future Smart Grid deployments."

IPSO is the latest organization to collaborate on ZigBee Smart Energy. Four other organizations are working to expand this standard for HANs, including DLMS, EPRI, ESMIG, and HomePlug Powerline Alliance.

"The IPSO Alliance is pleased to be working with the energy experts at the ZigBee Alliance on their industry leading standard for HANs," said Geoff Mulligan, chairman of the IPSO Alliance. "We have been playing an active role in this space and our contributions to ZigBee Smart Energy and the ZigBee IP specification will help speed adoption of the Smart Grid."

ZigBee Smart Energy – The Standard for Home Area Networks

ZigBee Smart Energy enables wireless communication between utility companies and common household devices such as smart thermostats and appliances. It improves energy efficiency by allowing consumers to choose interoperable products from different manufacturers giving them the means to manage their energy consumption more precisely using automation and near real-time information. It also helps utilities and energy providers implement new advanced metering and demand response programs to drive greater energy management and efficiency, while responding to changing government requirements. For more information and a list of ZigBee Certified products, visit: www.ZigBee.org/SmartEnergy.

About ZigBee: Control your world

ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a non-profit association of more than 350 members driving development of ZigBee wireless technology. The Alliance promotes world-wide adoption of ZigBee as the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for use in consumer electronic, energy, home, commercial and industrial areas. For more information, visit: www.ZigBee.org.

About IPSO Alliance

The IPSO Alliance is the primary advocate for IP networked devices for use in energy, consumer, healthcare and industrial applications. The Alliance, a non-profit organization whose members include leading technology, communications and energy companies, is providing the foundation for a network that will allow any sensor-enabled physical object to communicate to another as individuals do over the Internet. The IPSO Alliance membership is open to any organization supporting an IP-based approach to connecting smart objects. For more information, visit www.ipso-alliance.org.

SOURCE ZigBee Alliance

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.zigbee.org
http://www.ipso-alliance.org