ZigBee Unveils Comprehensive New Features

ZigBee Unveils Comprehensive New Features

October 02, 2007

More Interoperable Choices Creates ZigBee Networks with
Numerous Strengths


    SAN RAMON, Calif., Oct. 2 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
ZigBee(R) Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies
creating wireless solutions for use in utility, commercial
building and consumer applications, today announced it has
approved comprehensive new features for the ZigBee
specification giving more choices to manufacturers as they
design ZigBee products.  These new features significantly
expand the capabilities of ZigBee, further strengthening
its leadership position as the global standard for
wirelessly connecting dramatically different devices into a
single, easy to install and use network.

    "The market for wireless sensor networking
technology is growing significantly, enabled by a number of
factors, one of which is the continuing development of
standards such as ZigBee," said Sam Lucero, senior
analyst with ABI Research.  "ZigBee addresses the
largest cross-section of WSN market segments, and the new
features announced today will further enhance ZigBee's
suitability for use in the largest commercial WSN
deployments."

    The ZigBee specification offers all the wide-ranging
features released in 2006, and adds new features, giving
manufacturers greater flexibility when designing innovative
ZigBee products.  The original set of features published in
2006 is now known as the ZigBee Feature Set.  An expanded
set of features known as ZigBee PRO maximizes all the
capabilities of ZigBee and facilitates ease-of-use and
advanced support for larger networks.  These features
expand product development options available to
manufacturers. The newly released Feature Sets are designed
to interoperate with each other, ensuring long-term use and
stability.  Highlights of the expanded ZigBee PRO Feature
Set include:

    -- Network Scalability -- Improved support for larger
networks offering
       more management, flexibility, performance choices  

    -- Fragmentation -- New ability to divide longer
messages and enable
       interaction with other protocols and systems 

    -- Frequency Agility -- Networks dynamically change
channels should
       interference occur

    -- Automated Device Address Management -- Optimized for
large networks
       with added network management and configuration
tools 

    -- Group Addressing -- Offers additional traffic
optimization needed for
       large networks

    -- Wireless Commissioning -- Enhanced with secure
wireless commissioning
       capabilities

    -- Centralized Data Collection -- Tuned specifically to
optimize
       information flow in large networks

    "The new features of ZigBee will dramatically
expand its capabilities and lead to new meaningful products
from companies around the world," said Eddy Odjik, vice
president of standardization at Philips.  "Philips is a
supporter of ZigBee and has played a role in developing
ZigBee into a unique, versatile wireless technology that
will simplify many people's lives in the coming
years."

    In addition to its original capabilities, the ZigBee
Feature Set also gains optional use of the Frequency
Agility and Fragmentation features described above.  A full
list of capabilities for both Feature Sets along with a
side-by-side comparison can be found
http://zigbee.org/imwp/download.asp?ContentID=11900. 
Access to the updated ZigBee specification is available
immediately for all members. Free public availability of
the new features is scheduled for early 2008.  

    "ZigBee now gives unparalleled choices for
companies looking for the right low-power, low-cost
wireless networking standard," said Bob Heile,
chairman of the ZigBee Alliance.  "These new features
make ZigBee stronger and play a key role in expanding
ZigBee's value as a key part of innovative AMI programs for
utility companies around the world.  No other technology can
wirelessly connect an exterior utility meter to an interior
home automation network or building control networks as
efficiently and effectively as ZigBee."

    With the addition of these additional features to the
ZigBee specification, the Alliance is shifting its
attention to development efforts facilitating the
deployment of the technology for energy management and
efficiency, specifically in areas like public application
profiles for advance metering infrastructure (AMI).  Public
application profiles enable end-to-end, multi-vendor
interoperable solutions in markets such as AMI, home
automation, commercial building automation and
telecommunications.

    ZigBee uses self-organizing and self-healing mesh
networking to enable robust communications over the
globally available 2.4 GHz frequency, with 868/915 MHz
technology available in select countries.  ZigBee networks
offer superb interference immunity and capabilities to host
thousands of devices. With ultra low-power requirements,
ZigBee devices run on regular batteries for years,
eliminating the need for wiring to a power source and
offering unparalleled maintenance convenience and
installation flexibility.  

    The ZigBee Alliance has multi-market and global appeal
along with steadily growing membership. Today, more than
225 companies from 28 countries spanning six continents are
Alliance members.  ZigBee is a volunteer driven Alliance
relying upon the support of its members to develop the
standard and public profiles.  Manufacturers now represent
50 percent of the membership, up from 37 percent in 2006. 
Organizations seeking immediate access to the enhanced
ZigBee standard, or assistance with developing products
based on ZigBee can join the Alliance by visiting
http://www.zigbee.org/en/join.

    ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works

    The ZigBee Alliance is an association of companies
working together to enable reliable, cost effective,
low-power, wirelessly networked, monitoring and control
products based on an open global standard.  The ZigBee
Alliance membership comprises technology providers and
manufacturers worldwide.  Membership is open to all. 
Additional information can be found at
http://www.zigbee.org.


    For more information, please contact:

     Kevin Schader 
     ZigBee Alliance
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Earlene Tang 
     GolinHarris
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]