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New Chips Enable 2.4 GHz Sensor Networks

Posted by michael on from the background-chatter dept.

mindless4210 writes "Oki announced today that the world's first fully compliant IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee chip has been developed. The technology promises to start a new generation of wireless sensor networks, utilizing the unlicensed 2.4 GHz spectrum. The new IC integrates the digital circuit-based MAC and PHY with the analog circuit-based RF onto a single chip. The company also developed a kit which enables fast production of sensor networks which could control air conditioning, lighting, fire alarm systems, and many other applications. The low power consumption of the chip enables multi-year operation with only dry-cell batteries."

4 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Probably unrelated... by tha_mink · · Score: 5, Funny

    The company also developed a kit which enables fast production of sensor networks which could control air conditioning, lighting, fire alarm systems, and many other applications. The low power consumption of the chip enables multi-year operation with only dry-cell batteries."

    We have a motion sensor based security system here at home, and it goes off once a month when a spider finds its way into the body of the sensor. I'll stick with light switches thank you.

    --
    You'll have that sometimes...
  2. In all reality by beatnitup · · Score: 5, Funny

    Whats really running thorugh people's minds is "does this mean that i'll have to upgrade my card if they upgrade their routers to continue stealing my internet from my neighbors?"

  3. Not sure why this is a "first" ... by rskrishnan · · Score: 5, Informative

    Lots of companies have single-chip-2.4Ghz radio ICs. Like nvlsi.no or ChipCon. And NVLSI is better by a mile - quite literally a single chip 2.4GHz radio - make a sensor network in a few weeks .... if you find someone to help you solder the QFN pkg (goddamn SMD pkgs).Perhaps they bundle the ZigBee protocol within the IC ??

  4. So much for 802.11b/g by russotto · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm glad my WiFi network is 802.11a. If this goes into wide use there's going to be so much noise in 2.4Ghz that 2.4Ghz wireless is going to be really hard to continue using. (Heck, it already is)

    As to the techno-babble, most 802.11a/b/g cards require a separate chip for the MAC (which handles the 802.11 level 2 protocol -- some chipsets do most of this on the host), the PHY (which handles the digital signal processing) and the RF section (which is black magic). Putting them all on one chip allows for smaller and hopefully less power-hungry devices.