First ZigBee-certified products available

ControlDesign.com
11/22/2006

The ZigBee Alliance, a global interest group of companies creating wireless solutions for use in residential, commercial and industrial applications, announced the first group of ZigBee Certified Products, marking what it calls a major milestone in the alliance’s journey toward creating an open, global, wireless sensor and control networking solution. Member companies earning ZigBee Certified Product status are MaxStream, NEC engineering, S3c and Software Technologies Group.

 

The ZigBee certified product testing program offers device makers and others a process to prove the robustness of their ZigBee products at testing facilities with known ZigBee network implementations. On successful test completion approved products then can display the ZigBee logo. The ZigBee logo signifies that users can purchase these products and be assured of networking performance.

All ZigBee Certified Products are designed on one of the Alliance’s more than 30 approved ZigBee Compliant Platforms, and have passed stringent independent lab tests conducted by NTS and TÜV Rheinland Group.

This first group of ZigBee Certified Products address a variety of commercial and industrial needs: The XBee line from MaxStream simplifies adding ZigBee technology into any component OEM’s or system integrator’s existing electronic products/systems. XBee is tailored towards industrial and commercial applications requiring robust, reliable wireless communications in harsh environments.

The XBee and XBee-PRO OEM RF modules are interchangeable and allow for customizable networks that yield desired performance needs.

The ZB24FM-Z family of embedded modules from NEC Engineering provides a PC-hosted human presence management solution. This product allows for the monitoring and communication with any person voluntarily carrying the device as they enter or exit a defined location. The system allows facility managers to gain accurate headcounts and improve emergency response planning. Its bi-directional communication function allows facility managers to send commands indicating an alert to each device in case of emergency, dramatically improving safety communication.

XM2400 is a new differential pressure sensor from S3C for measurement of pressure, temperature, flow and humidity. It is tailored for sensor applications without compromising radio performance and is adaptable to different form factors at just 10 cm2. It interfaces with S3c’s proprietary gateway package, Sensgate, for integration with open data base connectivity-compliant data base management systems, and can turn a sensor into a wireless node using its built-in analog, digital or serial interfaces.

Sensor Network Infrastructure (SNI) products from Software Technologies Group enable rapid development of ZigBee-based sensor network products for commercial and industrial applications. This line allows users to install sensors and other control mechanisms wirelessly and connect to a remote master control area. SNI products include a variety of network infrastructure devices including central gateways, routers and sensor interface products.

Manufacturers, component OEMs and developers can qualify for one of two test programs. The ZigBee Compliant Platform testing program is for chip suppliers or platforms that are intended to be used as building blocks for end products. The ZigBee certified testing program applies to modules and end products built on a ZigBee Compliant Platform. All testing programs ensure that ZigBee devices delivered to the market will coexist in ZigBee network environments designed by the end user.