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Coming Soon: ZigBee Control by PDA

Posted by timothy on from the wireless-torchiere-is-a-zigbee-pole dept.

palmtops writes "The new ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4) wireless protocol designed for home automation is getting a lot of exposure lately and got some more exciting news today. Wired Home Weblog has a brief mention and press release about the first ZigBee SDIO card that allows your home to be controlled by your PDA. The card was introduced by C-Guys at Cebit today and will definitely add a whole new dimension to home automation."

77 comments

  1. Hackingthemainframe.com by Eese · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I got hacked by hackingthemainframe.com

  2. For great justice! by PopeAlien · · Score: 4, Funny

    ..oh nevermind..

    --
    air and light and time and space
    1. Re:For great justice! by Joey+Patterson · · Score: 0

      Move every ZigBee!

      Do you have stairs in your house?

  3. All this needs by mattmentecky · · Score: 5, Funny

    All this home automation protcol needs are two things: 1. To branch out into wireless video cameras 2. Launch a massive popup ad campaign featuring hot models

    1. Re:All this needs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      You are (understandably) confusing the company X10 with the X-10 protocol. Unfortunately, people only seem to remember those vastly annoying pop-ups. And the hot models, of course.

      The similarity of their names is further compounded by the fact that the X10 cams are compatible with the X-10 protocol.

    2. Re:All this needs by mattmentecky · · Score: 1

      You are (understandably) confusing humor with ineptitude.

  4. Good times ahead by Geogriffith · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Don't we all look forward to the day when we can turn off the lights, not by primitive methods like getting up, but simply clicking upon our computers? And then there will be problems of "house-hacking", when teens with wifi will roam the neighborhood, causing your lights to flicker, your oven to overheat, and your fridge to stop running. Convienience can only go so far. Is it really too hard to get up to turn off a light (or get a smaller lamp, if you're arthritic)?

    --
    Quoted for redundancy.
    1. Re:Good times ahead by The+Amazing+Fish+Boy · · Score: 2, Funny

      And then there will be problems of "house-hacking", when teens with wifi will roam the neighborhood, causing your lights to flicker, your oven to overheat, and your fridge to stop running.

      Teen: Uh, hello, yes, is your fridge running?
      Adult: Oh, I'm not falling for that old joke--
      Teen: Oh yeah? Go look at it!
      Adult: Oh... oh God... no... my food... I... I need that to live!
      Teen: (snickering) *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* (pushing 1-3-3-7 on the phone)

    2. Re:Good times ahead by flithm · · Score: 1

      Yeah no kidding! I hate all these stupid modern conveniences. Lousy automated Video Home System recording devices with their timers and programmability. Next you'll be able to connect to your video recording device via web browser and schedule shows you forgot to program before leaving the house in a mad rush. Oh haha won't the teens have fun programming it to record random channels. Clearly it's better to not have such a convenience. And this whole business of home automation. What the hell is wrong with people these days? I mean in my day we used to break a hole in the wall and snip the electrical wires whenever we needed to turn off the lights. Of course we'd promptly seal the hole back up, because when we wanted to turn them back on it felt like to was too easy to simply have to reconnect and solder them together. It felt much better to have to break a hole in the wall and patch it back up again. Some people thought we were weird, especially after the invention of the "switch" but I knew that the damn kids would stay up late at night turning the lights on and off. THOSE BASTARDS!!! I don't know how they got in the house anyway, since we never had doors, we just broke holes in the walls and patched them back up immediately. No offense man, but home automation is cool stuff. Get with the times gramps.

    3. Re:Good times ahead by CynicalGuy · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Is it really too hard to get up to turn off a light (or get a smaller lamp, if you're arthritic)?

      Yeah for some people it is hard to get up to turn off a lamp. They're called disabled. Asshole.

    4. Re:Good times ahead by Mspangler · · Score: 1

      "Don't we all look forward to the day when we can turn off the lights, not by primitive methods like getting up, but simply clicking upon our computers? "

      My X-10 radio remote has been doing that for over 10 years, and it wasn't a new gadget when I bought it. This will need to be better than a light switch/dimmer to be considered an improvement. There will be uses for it, but think beyond the lights.

    5. Re:Good times ahead by daviddennis · · Score: 1

      My business partner and I just bought a house that's almost 4,000 square feet.

      Controlling the lights in a house this massive is a genuine pain. It would be very cool to be able to punch one button and know all the lights were off, or dimmed to a cheap to run intensity. That's why I'm looking into home automation alternatives.

      This being said, could someone explain why Zigbee and the other newer alternatives are better than X10? What was wrong with X10, and what do the new alternatives do that's better?

      Incidentally, in response to some of the hacking comments, there's no reason to put a refrigerator into a home automation system since it's never shut off. An oven would only be usefully automated if it was one of those newfangled oven/refrigerator combinations.

      It would not be a brainy scheme to run one of these systems without having a secure, closed home network. That's just common sense.

      D

    6. Re:Good times ahead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://www.zigbee.org

    7. Re:Good times ahead by colenski · · Score: 3, Insightful

      could someone explain why Zigbee and the other newer alternatives are better than X10?

      'cause X-10 doesn't scale. It only transmits on 1 phase of the power, and you need a phase coupler to ensure it covers a moderately sized house. In practical use, you'd be hard pressed to get it to work consitiently in a > 3000 sq ft house.

      Oh yeah, and there's no security layer, so it's possible to turn on your neighbor's lights when you turn yours on if they choose the same "channel" as you.

      I am an X-10 pro certified installer and I think X-10 is neat (and cheap) but it's old. Really old. Really, really friggin old. Time to shoot it in the head and come up with something better.

    8. Re:Good times ahead by plover · · Score: 2, Informative
      Zigbee is poised to become a standard that will control everything from home theater, TVs, HVAC, radio, lighting, security systems, garage doors, to mice, keyboards and joysticks. Among all these applications, it's designed to form ad-hoc networks. For example, your TV may be the first receiver of your remote control's signal to turn up the temperature on your thermostat, and it would pass the request from node to node until it reaches your thermostat, which then would use Zigbee to signal your furnace or air conditioner. It would also use Zigbee to operate the vent motors to allow for zone control (without wires.) You won't have to configure anything to make that happen, either. They'll form the network themselves via self-discovery.

      One of its big advantages for home automation is two-way communication. If you press the button for "garage door close", it will transmit and wait for an ACK, so you will know the door is closing. I think bi-di will also allow for "self programming" of your smart remote control. Hit a "program my remote" button on your Zigbee equipped TV, and hit the "learn a device" button on your remote, and the marriage happens. No more pile of remotes -- one will do it. And no more code books for your All In One remote. Plus, I think the pairing can be secured (although not cryptographically secure, it'll still be good enough for your neighbors' remotes to be locked out.)

      Because it was first designed for battery powered industrial sensor networks, Zigbee is designed for extremely low power for the longest possible battery life. The transmission starts instantly and is a short burst that is stopped as soon as it's acknowledged. The receiver will come active within 15ms. Zigbee remotes should last longer than IR remotes.

      Zigbee allows for 65535 nodes in a network, which is a lot more than the 256 unique addresses in the X-10 namespace. Oh, and in America, Zigbee is 40kbps, which is much, much faster than X-10 over powerlines (which I believe I read is something incredibly slow, like 60 baud.) While still a low-bandwidth network, 40kbps is plenty fast enough for device control, which typically uses very tiny packets of data.

      I was disappointed to find that Bluetooth could not become the home automation control protocol. One of the problems with using Bluetooth for remote control is that the discovery and connection process can take 3 or more seconds. While Bluetooth can transmit at a much higher data rate, it takes much longer to start up and more power to do so.

      While Bluetooth will still exist for things like headphones, I've decided to get excited about Zigbee instead, and I plan to buy a Zigbee enabled Palm device when they hit the market.

      Finally, I'm sure I got plenty of facts wrong above. I'll leave it to someone else to post corrections, I'm going to bed.

      --
      John
    9. Re:Good times ahead by daviddennis · · Score: 1

      Interesting information, many thanks.

      But it seems like it might not be ready for prime time. Their products page is "Coming Soon" and nothing more.

      Who are the leading manufacturers of devices for this technology? I'd really like to check it out.

      D

    10. Re:Good times ahead by shokk · · Score: 1

      I look forward to the days when humanity will be nothing more than a spineless deformed lump on a couch that hits a button for every need. Porn will be pumoed straight into our minds to let us believe that we are actually having sex with a real person. Procreation will be nothing more than collecting some oozes and incubating them to create another blob. Sustenance will be completely intravenous. Lights will come on and off as needed. And there won't be a single entertainment show even closely resembling reality television. What a price to pay for that small progress.

      --
      "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
    11. Re:Good times ahead by drooling-dog · · Score: 1

      Ooooh... touched a nerve here. Sounds like somebody had to get off his Monster Ass to close the blinds again! Now if you only had the $8,000 PottyMaster robotic tushie-wiper, you could be saving some real energy...

    12. Re:Good times ahead by The+Spoonman · · Score: 2, Informative

      Is it really too hard to get up to turn off a light?

      No, and if that was why people installed home automation systems, that would be a valid jab. Very few people will spend hundreds, or in some cases thousands, of dollars just to avoid getting up. My own needs were based on practicality. One, my home is set back far from the street, and stumbling around in the dark outside when I come home late is not my idea of fun. So, my system is set to turn on the outside lights a half hour after sundown (even though the sun has set, it's still pretty light out for half an hour or so). This way, they're on when I need them, and off when I don't. $5 Walmart-special timers can't predict sun rises and sets. They have to be reprogrammed ever season, at least if you're like me and hell-bent on giving over my hard earned cash to my utility company.

      Two, I have an automated random routine for when I'm on vacation, to give the house a more lived-in look. $5 timers can't do that for you, either. In fact, they make it more obvious to criminals. If you have an expandable system like the one I use, HomeSeer, you can use it for more than just lights. For example, I have a humidity sensor in the basement that signals the system to turn on the dehumidifier down there when it reaches a certain level. Unless you get a VERY expensive model, most dehumidifiers aren't very accurate, and considering how much electricity they use, I only want it on when it's necessary.

      Since I had a system in place to handle the practical needs, I started using it for the "impractical", too. I leave one of the X-10 wallwarts plugged into my vaccum, and if a call comes in while I'm vacuuming, it gets turned off so I can hear the the phone ring. When I had multiple computers in the house (since replaced with laptops), I had the system shut them all down at night, and sent a Wake-On-Lan around 5 PM so they'd be on when I got home. Or, how when I switch MythTV to DVD mode, the lights dim in the living room after a couple of minutes, and the front blinds close to block the glare on the TV.

      I have my bedroom lamp set on to start dimming up in the morning gradually. I get up before the sun, but have a hard time climbing out of bed if it's still dark out. So, for about 15 minutes before my alarm goes off, the light starts dimming up (yes, it's bad grammar, but that's what it's called in "the community") starting at 1% and increasing 1% per 15 seconds. When the alarm goes off, it's at 60% intensity which isn't blinding first thing in the morning, but light enough to get up by. This may sound stupid, but since I'm not a morning person, getting up has never been easy for me. Since I've set this up, I've found I only hit the snooze button once or twice anymore, rather than 5 or 6 times. I also wake up in a better mood and more alert.

      True, most of these are minor conveniences, but it's the 21st century and computing power is cheap. Why not take advantage of it? Just because YOU don't see a value you in them, doesn't mean others don't or are lazy because they do. I've saved approximately 45% on my electricity bills since automating my setup, and that's before switching to fluorescent where practical. I wake up more refreshed, and don't worry about my home when I'm out of town. There's plenty of value in it for me.

      --
      Which is more painful? Going to work or gouging your eye out with a spoon? Find out!
      http://www.workorspoon.com
    13. Re:Good times ahead by plover · · Score: 1
      That's easy: here's the Zigbee members page. You'll see a lot of the current players in home automation are involved, and others who appear to want to get into it.

      I found a lot of this out last year when Zigbee first caught my attention. I saw an article in Scientific American where the US Army is experimenting with distributing small RF-linked sound sensors to pinpoint the source of a gunshot in an urban environment. The timing of the report was all that was needed to locate the sniper in about two seconds. I believe they were using Zigbee.

      Most of what I posted above was just from documents I've seen on their website, nothing more.

      --
      John
    14. Re:Good times ahead by daviddennis · · Score: 1

      That list doesn't seem to be particularly useful if I actually want to find home control equipment that conforms to that standard.

      Looks to me like it might not yet exist, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

      D

    15. Re:Good times ahead by plover · · Score: 1
      Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was implying that any of this stuff was commercially available yet. The standard itself was just ratified, and according to the CABA (see page 20) they're hoping to see Zigbee-enabled consumer products start reaching the home automation market in early 2005.

      Go on, be an early adopter. You know you want to ... :-)

      Hell, I want to too! I've resisted X-10 since the early '90s because I figured something else better had to be coming along soon (boy was I optimistic.) I just hope that if I do early adopt they don't come out with Zigbee 1.1, Zigbee 1.2, full-speed Zigbee, hi-speed Zigbee, Zigbee 2.0 and Zigbees -a, -b and -g in the next couple of years.

      --
      John
    16. Re:Good times ahead by daviddennis · · Score: 1

      I talked to the nice folks at Perceptive Automation, makers of the Indigo home automation program for the Mac.

      They are expecting products "over the next few years", and of course their own support is going to appear roughly in parallel with the technology's release.

      I must admit a prejudice against X10, mainly due to the company with the same name. It produces bad products at admittedly super-low prices. I don't care so much about the pop-under ads (web sites have to eat, after all), but about the laughably bad products. I saw the Xcam demonstrated at Fry's a few years back and to be honest my DMV photograph looked better than that image. Use it to photograph a beautiful woman and she'll never forgive you. Use it as evidence in a criminal trial and the defendant walks.

      However, SmartHome.com apparently has some very nice X10 products that are apparently designed with care and flair, and of course I would use those in my house instead of the dreaded X10 stuff. What I don't like, though, is that X10 signals seem to take forever to get through the electrical system to the devices they are controlling.

      Still, tis better than nothing, and it's probably what I will have to use. But I shed a tear for technologies yet unborn that would make my huge house just a bit more sophisticated.

      D

    17. Re:Good times ahead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This reminds of a low budget TV "documentary" that was shown in the UK a few years ago: Too Fat to Wipe.

    18. Re:Good times ahead by scbysnx · · Score: 0

      this is about as intelligent as the parent.. and atleast the parent had a valid point.. you're just calling him fat

  5. -1 spelling. by ABeowulfCluster · · Score: -1, Troll

    -1 for spelling. it's 'control'

    1. Re:-1 spelling. by jea6 · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Troll? Bah. Poor moderation.

      --

      sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
  6. Ideal for parents! by Faust7 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Parents out of the house...

    *Beep, beep, beep!*

    ALERT: Security cameras have determined that your daughter has invited friends in for alcohol and sex. Would you like to:

    (a) Shut off the electricity
    (b) Lock the doors to keep out further visitors
    (c) Place the burglar alarm into continuous operation
    (d) Start the custom "Scream" apparatus to spur an evacuation?

    --
    The coolest voice ever.
    1. Re:Ideal for parents! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      (e) Steam the video at $9.95 per minute?

    2. Re:Ideal for parents! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      f) PROFIT!

    3. Re:Ideal for parents! by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

      (e) Activate the IR targeted minigun on the roof.

    4. Re:Ideal for parents! by halltk1983 · · Score: 0, Redundant

      f) Activate webcam for high profits

      --
      Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
    5. Re:Ideal for parents! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      g) Join the party!

  7. Why is this linked to a blog? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Plagiarism is bad mmmmkay.

    1. Re:Why is this linked to a blog? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a press release. The point of a press release is to have it reprinted in as many places as you can so as to draw attention to your product. It's not plagiarism if it's intended to be reprinted.

  8. Trollko8E by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    world's Gay Nigger ReTasons why anyone

  9. Controll? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Could it be that the GNAA have teamed up with the IEEE to produce some kind of wireless trolling standard?

    1. Re:Controll? by ABeowulfCluster · · Score: 1

      Oh, you're going to get modded down for making fun of they way people can't spell...

  10. First GNU GPL post! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
    Version 2, June 1991

    Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
    59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
    Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
    of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

    Preamble

    The licenses for most software are designed to take away your
    freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public
    License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free
    software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This
    General Public License applies to most of the Free Software
    Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to
    using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by
    the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to
    your programs, too.

    When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not
    price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you
    have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for
    this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it
    if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it
    in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.

    To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid
    anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights.
    These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you
    distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.

    For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether
    gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that
    you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the
    source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their
    rights.

    We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and
    (2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy,
    distribute and/or modify the software.

    Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain
    that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free
    software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on, we
    want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so
    that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original
    authors' reputations.

    Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software
    patents. We wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free
    program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the
    program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any
    patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all.

    The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and
    modification follow.
    
    GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
    TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

    0. This License applies to any program or other work which contains
    a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed
    under the terms of this General Public License. The "Program", below,
    refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program"
    means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law:
    that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it,
    either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another
    language. (Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in
    the term "modification".) Each licensee is addressed as "you".

    Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not
    covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of
    running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program
    is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the
    Program (independent of having been mad

  11. ZigBee was not design for home automation by Bob+Fr · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's a protocol for sensor networks. It's being used for some home automation products but it's a not a very good match since the ZigBee design point assumes a relatively static configuration

    1. Re:ZigBee was not design for home automation by dcd · · Score: 1

      I'd like to here more why the ZigBee design point assumes a relatively static configuration.

    2. Re:ZigBee was not design for home automation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd like to here more two...

    3. Re:ZigBee was not design for home automation by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'd like too here more two...

      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
  12. fai7zor5 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    has steAdil7

  13. Zigbee, for one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Zigbee, for one, welcomes the new PDA overlord.

  14. RM-X? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    RM-X General Purpose Control is a PC application with a plugin interface designed for home automation.

  15. And Bluetooth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Bluetooth is here now and has the support of Apple, who have a history of leading with regards to technologies (first to mass market with 802.11b, 802.11g, 3.5" floppies, CD-ROM, DVD, and so on). I wonder if Apple plans on pushing ZigBee--whatever it is--because without Apple's backing, ZigBee is dead in the water.

    1. Re:And Bluetooth? by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 1

      What do you think is the purpose of IEEE 802.15.4? I'm just curious, because from what I can see, the target market for IEEE 802.15.4 devices and personal computers has absolutely no overlap.
      -russ

      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    2. Re:And Bluetooth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the main tradeoff here is data transfer rate vs. battery life. For PC bluetooth stuff you want high data rates... for tracking your pets going in and out, you really dont need or want xMb /sec transfer rates.

    3. Re:And Bluetooth? by oerd · · Score: 1

      there was a presentation/workshop for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) about two weeks ago in my university. WSN is the same network (protocol) family of ZigBee. Actually, Ziggy is only one of many still-under-development WSN protocols. Even if zigbee is far ahead in the development roadmap than the protocols developed in our department, it is proprietary and all of these still have way to go. as for the purposes of WSN in general and zigbee just think about wheather/traffic/air polution monitoring through a network of sensors which elaborate data locally. these networks provide a wireless infrastructure for gathering, merging, aggregating data that is stored on senor nodes and who are relative to the observed process. this may still be rather theoretic, but the low power requirements and operating in an environment with limited resources differentiates WSNs from other network systems and there is a lot of research going on in this field. i hope i gave you some more info on what Zigbee and WSNs in general are (or should be ;) about. i explained mostly the point of view of that workshop, naturaly. personally i think that WSN and personal computer networks are not the same thing, at least wsn don't try to replace pc networks since the scarse bwdth of wsn could never offer you video/audio streaming or online gaming ;)

  16. Sorry I'm late boss... by 88NoSoup4U88 · · Score: 3, Funny

    My door got hacked. :)

  17. i remember the PDA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    a quaint relic of the 20th century

    seriously the PDA is redundant now we have cell media devices

  18. Neighbor's music by Gyorg_Lavode · · Score: 4, Funny
    So now I can shut off my neighbor's music from the privacy of my own home?

    (notice: did not RTFA)

    --
    I do security
  19. Zigbee != IEEE 802.15.4 by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 4, Informative

    Zigbee are proprietary layers added to IEEE 802.15.4. They aren't the same thing. Zigbee is NOT an open protocol.
    -russ

    --
    Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    1. Re:Zigbee != IEEE 802.15.4 by Spellunk · · Score: 1
      Also, here is evidence to show that you are again totally wrong.

      http://www.javvin.com/protocolBluetooth.html

      This is an article on the different naming conventions in the 802.15 standard.

      --
      Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
    2. Re:Zigbee != IEEE 802.15.4 by kc8apf · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I fail to see how that page disproves the GP. IEEE 802.15.4 is a standard for the data link and physical layers. ZigBee is an application layer that sits on top of IEEE 802.15.4. You can run any application layer you want on it. In fact, http://www.dlpdesign.com/ is selling a ZigBee compatible 802.15.4 transceiver that is loaded with a protocol based on Freescale's SMAC application layer.

      --
      kc8apf
  20. 802.15.4 Protocol by Spellunk · · Score: 5, Informative
    As for saying the ZigBee is for static networks: that is 100% wrong.

    ZigBee's main purpose is to create self-assembling, autonomous networks.

    This means that well written firmware will enable a tech with no education to just replace nodes if something goes wrong, versus having to understand anything about networking.

    My job is in the development of ZigBee networks and I have worked with these devices for about a year now.

    The main purpose of the ZigBee standard is to develop low-cost deivces that operate, assemble, and route messages with no human intervention. The latest chips cost less than two dollars, meaning a whole node can be designed for much less than $10.

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
    1. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 2, Informative

      Product cost =~ chip cost * 4.

      Thus, if the latest chips cost less than two dollars, a whole node can be designed for less than 8 dollars, NOT "much less than $10".

      Anyway, whose chips are you talking about, and for that price surely you're talking about a leaf node, not a router node.
      -russ

      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    2. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by Spellunk · · Score: 1
      Ahh the problem is that the high frequency crystals are a little bit expensive, causing the price to be a bit higher.

      first of all, the new chips are fully functional devices, capable of routing messages. Check it out at:

      www.chipcon.com Or: search mouser.com for CC2500

      I am surely taling of a router node, that is why this new standard was developed.

      --
      Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
    3. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by yetiman · · Score: 1

      in quantitys in the tens of thousands it does make a difference.

    4. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by quintinie · · Score: 1
      The main The main purpose of the ZigBee standard is to develop low-cost deivces that operate, assemble, and route messages with no human intervention.
      I swear... they're watching me.
    5. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      spellunk, who are you? who do you work for?

    6. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 1

      You moron, the CC2500 isn't a 802.15.4 radio, and it's only a radio, not a radio and processor. Sheesh. FWOMPT.
      -russ

      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    7. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by Fussen · · Score: 1

      Sort of like digital ants.

    8. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

      > The latest chips cost less than two dollars,
      > meaning a whole node can be designed for much less than $10.

      Currently, it's an order of magnitude above that.

      This page from the website says the cards in this article will be "available by mid-March for under $100.".

    9. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >> The latest chips cost less than two dollars,
      >> meaning a whole node can be designed for much
      >> less than $10.
      >
      > Currently, it's an order of magnitude above that.

      That is not a node. A node is what that $100 card can control.

    10. Re:802.15.4 Protocol by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

      > That is not a node. A node is what that $100 card can control.

      Aren't exactly the same Zigbee chips on the $100 card and the nodes?
      (Wish you didn't post as an AC.)

      If so, why should the SDIO card have an order of magnitude markup?

      Are interface chips to SDIO $90 costlier than interface chips to a power line?

  21. A new hobby for wardrivers: by infonick · · Score: 2, Funny

    ZigDriving

    Move Zig!

    --

    You are confusing me with someone who cares.
  22. Zigee by wpiman · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I run a program called Homeseer which allows you to control various devices in your house via X10, relay control, Zwave-- you name it.

    It is Windows base- so mod me down away. If you are a Linux fan and a PERL expert- Mister House has a big following.

    Homeseer has a web interface- so control of these devices via a pocket pc is possible now. There are plans for Zigbee control in the future as well.

    I think HS has the correct paradigm- a central PC controlling the house. Certainly you need to keep it on- but adding a $100 card to every machine you want to control devices seems silly when anything with wifi can do the job- and will allow you to read slashdot as well.

    And yes- my garage door can be opened up via my webpage. No- you can't have the link.

  23. control your house by Eric+Smith · · Score: 3, Funny
    allows your home to be controlled by your PDA
    Reminds me of a Steven Wright line:
    One day, when I came home from work, I accidentally put my car key in the door of my apartment building... I turned it... and the whole building started up.... So I drove it around.... A policeman stopped me for going too fast... He said, 'Where do you live?'... I said, 'Right here.'
    1. Re:control your house by plover · · Score: 1
      which was followed up by:

      'I sold my house earlier this week. Boy, was my landlord pissed.'

      --
      John
  24. dicp4 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    you need to succeed you all is tno let

  25. mod 30wn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    gawker At most numbers. /the loss

  26. Sex wi7h a 3ick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    minutes. If 7hat. a need to play

  27. Not in my house by michelcultivo · · Score: 2, Funny

    "All your house are belong to us"

    --
    http://www.michel.eti.br
  28. Big deal! Bluetooth + X10 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who needs fancy stuff like this when pda + bluetooth + computer + X10 = home automation from your PDA. Example: http://otaku.org/weblog/?page_id=2 And I never use this (though I only have 2 X10 modules at the moment.) As for security, I'm not sure I'd want to "home automate" anything I mind people being able to turn on and off from outside my house.

  29. Not particularly exciting by horza · · Score: 1

    Exciting news would be a cheap CAN node with some practical functionalitiy as an alternative to the ridiculously expensive CBUS. Or a Python equivalent of the excellent but Perl "Mister House". I thought xAP had potential but it's turned into a crap Windoze app. Shame. Sorry but there is currently no cheap but decent HA stuff out there except the slow and error prone X10. We are still living in the 60's.

    Phillip.

    --
    Property for sale in Nice, France