WSN Buzz
Fresh updates on wireless networks standards and new technologies
Archive for January, 2009
January 30, 2009 at 10:00 am · Filed under Zwave
INNOVUS has set the right mood in the home by linking two home control solutions together. Users can now control both lighting and music in their homes at the touch of a button, creating beautiful atmospheres for home events and situations such as dinners, parties, films and games evenings, thanks to the combination of the INNOVUS House Control Center and the Logitech Squeezebox. INNOVUS uses Z-Wave wireless technology to facilitate simplified intelligent control of lighting and entertainment systems, along with energy management that every household wants.
Users can remotely control all appliances connected to the network with just one central controller. The results are coordinated lighting and music scenarios that can be defined and called up at the touch of a button. As an example, an atmospheric film evening can have the lights dimmed for a cozy atmosphere, while the same push of a button sets all the audio and video components used for the film. Sequences such as these can be saved to the remote control as programs and initiated at any time by pressing a button.
More details here.
January 30, 2009 at 9:57 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Bluetooth 3, pico projectors and high-speed data connections are just three of the technologies set to make a big impact on mobile phones, according to research firm Gartner. The market watcher has identified eight key technologies to watch over the next year or so, with Bluetooth 3 at the top of the list.
The Bluetooth 3 specification is set to be released later this year, with the technology arriving in handsets in 2010. Gartner says this will “likely include features such as an ultra-low-power mode that will enable new devices, such as peripherals and sensors, and new applications, such as health monitoring.”
Link.
January 29, 2009 at 10:22 am · Filed under Uncategorized
1. Manufacturers of BAS devices will convert many of the devices to DC power, allowing Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) to be used, thus spurring greater penetration of IP protocols in the BAS world
2. Just sensing whether a building space is occupied or not, will no longer suffice. Systems will need to provide real-time information on how many people occupy the space and where they are located.
3. Smart commissioning will render obsolete what we now think of as commissioning
4. The industry will start dealing with systems that we haven’t in the past.
5. The criteria and credits for LEED certification will evolve to become regionalized
6. Touch screens and digital signage that provide information for real time energy usage will soar
7. The use of micro video cameras will dramatically increase in buildings
8. What we now refer to as middleware will be embedded in other software applications and hardware
9. The global financial meltdown will be transformational to the building industry
More details here.
January 29, 2009 at 10:17 am · Filed under Uncategorized
(Wikipedia) Modbus is a serial communications protocol published by Modicon in 1979 for use with its programmable logic controllers (PLCs). It has become a de facto standard communications protocol in industry, and is now the most commonly available means of connecting industrial electronic devices. The main reasons for the extensive use of Modbus over other communications protocols are:
- It is openly published and royalty-free
- Relatively easy industrial network to deploy
- It moves raw bits or words without placing many restrictions on vendors
Modbus allows for communication between many devices connected to the same network, for example a system that measures temperature and humidity and communicates the results to a computer. Modbus is often used to connect a supervisory computer with a remote terminal unit (RTU) in supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.
A complete introduction of the protocol and its implementation over serial line and TCP/IP is available here:
part 1 and
part 2.
January 29, 2009 at 9:53 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Aligned with government’s top priorities, Wireless Sensor Networking (WSN) is attracting hundreds of millions of R&D funding in several recession-proof markets, according to a recent study by ON World. Including both public and private sources, WSN R&D spending will reach $1.3 billion in 2012, up from $522 million in 2007.
“With markets reeling, businesses and investors are relying on the public sector more than ever to set the priorities to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship that will lead to an economic recovery,” says Mareca Hatler, ON World’s research director. “By providing needed solutions for energy, the environment, and healthcare, WSN continues to be a one of the fastest growing research and development areas.”
More here.
January 29, 2009 at 9:49 am · Filed under LonWorks
LonMark International (LMI), a non-profit member trade association recognized as the industry authority for certification, education and promotion of interoperability standards for the benefit of manufacturers, integrators and end users, is pleased to announce its newly established, collaborative agreement with GreenLink Alliance. GreenLink Alliance is a rapidly growing, non-profit trade association focused on promoting products and services that help to conserve energy in the built environment.
According to the US Department of Energy, in 2006, the buildings sector was responsible for nearly 40% of the primary energy consumed in the United States. Buildings are also responsible for 40% of the carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. These startling figures make it evident that optimizing energy performance in new, and existing, buildings will be important to reducing America’s demand for energy.
The partnership provides a platform for bringing together LonMark’s recognized and industry leading work in the field of open and interoperable standards with GreenLink’s mission to influence policymakers to expand tax incentives for owners of existing buildings that want to improve energy efficiency using intelligent control technology. GreenLink believes that building automation systems that leverage the capabilities of the power line offer a cost effective and environmentally sound solution to retrofit legacy buildings to increase energy efficiency.
More details here.
January 28, 2009 at 10:50 am · Filed under Uncategorized
What is smart grid technology?:
As Foundation Capital put it recently in a note on the market: “A true Smart Grid enables multiple applications to operate over a shared, interoperable network, similar in concept to the way the Internet works today.” That means turning the current electrical network that has 14,000 transmission substations, 4,500 large substations for distribution, and 3,000 public and private owners into a network that communicates intelligently and works efficiently.
The new smart grid will utilize wireless sensor networks, software, and computing to enable utilities to see how much and where energy is being consumed, and if there are problems or blackouts in the network. Homeowners will be able to see how much energy they’ve consumed and adjust their consumption habits accordingly. Two-way connected smart meters will be installed in every home.
More information on Smart Grids and market players available here.
January 28, 2009 at 10:46 am · Filed under Uncategorized
The networking giant is launching EnergyWise – software that will run on top of its network to help businesses cut down on the electricity going to phones, computers, building HVAC and lighting systems and a whole array of devices.
The EnergyWise system is essentially a software console/application platform for controlling phones, computers, lights, air conditioners and other energy-consuming devices. When employees walk out of the building, for example, a signal (transmitted when their RFID-enabled ID car walks past the security gate) might be sent to shut down the phones and lights in their office.
The EnergyWise system is available for free for customers using Cisco’s Catalyst switching system. Cisco will first link the program to control power to the network and IP phones and later this year to allow customers to control PCs and servers with it. Next year, it will move toward building control. Although free, the program gives the networking giant an opportunity to sell switches, routers software and other services.
Cisco will rely extensively on partners to make applications and devices that sit on top of and interact with EnergyWise. For smart grid companies, EnergyWise could be their new best friend, or their worst nightmare. Partnering with Cisco could open the door to large customers that may not be willing to speak to start-ups now.
January 28, 2009 at 10:44 am · Filed under 802.15.4, ZigBee
In-Stat has projected Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) and Smart Energy to be the leading applications for 802.15.4 and ZigBee wireless sensor networks from among nine primary application categories. Other application categories include industrial process control, residential automation and building control.
The usage of ZigBee has become more focused on the growing smart energy application. Utilities and governments are leveraging such technologies to provision, monitor and bill customers more efficiently.
There are predictions that 802.15.4 node and chipset units will reach 292 million by the year 2012 as against the figure of seven million in 2007. It has also been found that through the efforts of RF4CE, 802.15.4 has started to emerge in consumer electronic markets.
January 22, 2009 at 6:58 pm · Filed under IEEE
The role of IEEE 802.15 Smart Utility Networks (SUN) Task Group is to create a PHY amendment to 802.15.4 to provide a global standard that facilitates very large scale process control applications such as the utility smart-grid network capable of supporting large, geographically diverse networks with minimal infrastructure, with potentially millions of fixed endpoints.
During the November Plenary meeting IEEE 802.15 Study Group NAN completed the Project Approval Request (PAR) and 5 Criteria document (5C) defining the scope of the project for the Task Group.
IEEE page here.
Performance and Availability Report (PAR) publicly available here.
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